My latest novel: Lethal Harvest Remix

Sixteen years ago, a couple of wannabe novelists saw stem cell research on the horizon and launched our first narrative that explored the ethical side of such complex medical issues. Completely apart from our planning, the book launch happened the same week leaders at the Human Genome Project announced they had a rough draft of the human genome. And that announcement thrust our subject into the headlines, so books flew off the shelves.The characters in our story used landlines. And they could receive email only when using desktop computers. No smartphones, no texting. And acting according to what is now outdated medical procedure.So this month, Lethal Harvest re-released with a makeover. In the 15+ years since we wrote the story, I've grown as a writer and spinner of yarns. So when Kregel asked for an update, I jumped at the chance to improve on the dialogue, characterization, and general storyline—while, of course, updating the tech. My beloved coauthor passed suddenly three years ago, so the new book also includes a preface I wrote about him.So now...voila! The new and improved Lethal Harvest about a rogue doc at an IVF clinic.

In the Near Future: Uterus Transplants

The New York Times November 13 print edition ran an article by Denise Grady that announced "Uterus Transplants May Soon Help Some Infertile Women in the U.S. Become Pregnant." The Times considered the news so big that a press release came to my in-box. It's all going down at The Cleveland Clinic, where doctors expect to become the first in the US  to transplant a uterus into a woman who lacks one—whether due to congenital factors, injury, or illness. The procedure would eliminate the need for a gestational surrogate.After giving birth to one or two children—by C-section—the woman receiving the transplanted uterus would have it removed so she can quit taking anti-rejection meds. An estimated 50,000 women in the United States might be candidates. Currently, eight have begun the screening process.The transplant team would remove the uterus, cervix, and part of the vagina from a recently deceased organ donor. (The uterus, if kept cold, can survive outside of the human body for six to eight hours.) The recipient's ovaries and fallopian tubes would be left in place, and after one year of healing, she would undergo an IVF/embryo transfer procedure.Sweden is the only place where doctors have already successfully completed uterine transplants. Nine recipients have delivered four babies. Another is due January 2016. Two failed and had to be removed—one, due to a blood clot; the other, due to infection. The Cleveland doctors plan to use deceased donors, so they won't put healthy women at risk. For a live donor, the operation takes seven to eleven hours and requires working near vital organs.Recipients must have ovaries. But because the fallopian tubes won't be connected to the transplanted uterus, a natural pregnancy will be impossible. 

Bioethics in the News

New Test Can Predict Cancer More Than a Decade Before DiagnosisThe Telegraph reported that scientists at Harvard and Northwestern University have devised a test that can predict with 100% accuracy whether a person will develop cancer up to 13 years in the future, as changes are already taking place on chromosomes more than a decade prior to diagnosis.New Drug Info Made PublicThe New York Times reports that Medicare has released detailed data on prescription drug use in the USA.  The data was the most detailed breakdown ever provided by government officials about the prescription claims of Medicare beneficiaries.Couple Fighting Over Frozen Embryos(New York Times) “Our frozen embryos have a right to live,” says Sofia Vergara’s ex-fiancé. Last August he filed a complaint in Santa Monica, Calif., using pseudonyms, to protect two frozen embryos the couple created.NIH Reiterates Ban on Editing Human Embryo DNA(Nature) – The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has reaffirmed its ban on research that involves gene editing of human embryos. In a statement released on 29 April, NIH director Francis Collins, a Christian, spelled out the agency’s long-standing policy against the practice. 

Bioethics in the News

STEM CELL PROCESS A FLASH IN THE PAN? 

(Science) A Japanese team announcedFriday in Tokyo that it has been unable to reproduce a new, astoundingly simpleway of generating pluripotent stem cells, despite working directly with thelead author on the Nature papersreporting the breakthrough - Read More

RUNNING EBOLACLINIC IN SIERRA LEONE ABOUT CONTAINMENT, CHLORINE

(Wired)Treating patients with the Ebola takes doctors, drugs, and a whole lot of bleach. Read More

BABIES IN YOUR30S? DON’T WORRY, YOUR GREAT-GRANDMA DID IT TOO

(MedicalXpress)  Technologies such as IVF, eggdonation and egg freezing are allowing women beat the tyranny of their ownbiology.  Read More

DOUBLE AMPUTEEGIVEN WORLD’S FIRST MIND-CONTROLLED ARMS

(TheTelegraph) A US man has made history by becoming the first double amputee tocontrol two shoulder-level prosthetic arms with his mind.  Read More

TOP ASSISTEDREPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY LITERATURE FROM 2014

(Medscape) Thought singleton pregnanciesare safest, when a single embryo is transferred electively, the efficacy willlikely not be the highest.  Read More

11TH SIERRALEONEAN DOCTOR DIES FROM EBOLA

(MedicalXpress) One of Sierra Leone’s most senior physicians died Thursday from Ebola,the 11th doctor in the country to succumb to the disease. Ebola has killed morethan 350 health workers in West Africa.  Read More

EUROPEAN COURTCLEARS WAY FOR STEM-CELL PATENTS

(Nature)Europe’s highest court ruled that human embryonic stem cells made fromunfertilized eggs can be patented because they are deemed to lack the potentialto turn into a human being.  Read More

Embryo Adoption

Thanks to my friend Shannon B for bringing this to my attention: People magazine is running a series on embryo adoption (part I  and part 2), and so far it's been quite good. Check it out!

Are Science and Faith Compatible?

Whilescience and faith have often been pitted against each other, the SeptemberEvangelical Leaders Survey finds that most evangelical leaders are comfortablewith the compatibility between their faith and scientific findings.

Evangelicalleaders were asked to what extent they agree with the following statement,“Sometimes I have to choose between the teachings of my evangelical faith andscientific findings.” Seventy percent disagreed with the statement, with 30percent strongly disagreeing.

What Evangelicals Are Saying about Science and Faith

“Evangelicalsare committed to the authority of the Bible but also are grateful for andrespectful of science,” said Leith Anderson, President of the NationalAssociation of Evangelicals. “They recognize that there can not be ultimatedisagreement between nature and Scripture.”

MargaretFeinberg, a popular Christian author and speaker, said, “Science and faithinform each other in the most beautiful way. Science illuminates the wonder ofGod.”

JoelHunter, Senior Pastor of Northland, A Church Distributed, continued, “TheCreator is known through that which has been made (Romans 1:20). If there seemsto be disagreement, we have either misinterpreted Scripture or science has notyet caught up to it.”

Likewise,Joseph Tkach, President of Grace Communion International, said, “Proper andaccurate interpretation has science and theology fitting like a hand in aglove.”

Do People Have to Choose between Faith and Science?

Ofthose who said that they have to choose between scientific findings and theirevangelical faith, some noted that scientific conclusions are sometimes revisedin light of new discoveries.

“Iwill always side with what Scripture says over any scientific ‘finding.’ Othertimes scientific discoveries confirm what the Bible has been saying all along,”said Bill Lenz, Senior Pastor of Christ the Rock Church, in Menasha, Wisconsin.

Andersonsaid, “Evangelicals have not always had the best relationship with science. Buttoday’s evangelical leaders don’t think there should be such a division.Science is about studying the world God put us in. We should be the bestscientists.”

TheEvangelical Leaders Survey is a monthly poll of the Board of Directors of theNational Association of Evangelicals. They include the CEOs of denominationsand representatives of a broad array of evangelical organizations includingmissions, universities, publishers and churches.

Brought to you by the NAE. You can followthe NAE at www.nae.net orthrough Facebook orTwitter.

NAE Approves Allowing Natural Death Resolution

The Board of Directors of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) approved a resolution at its semiannual meeting on Oct. 16 addressing end-of-life questions created by medical advances, which have produced more effective care and enabled physicians to save lives that would otherwise result in death, but have also given the possibility to prolong the dying process beyond its normal course.

The new resolution states, “The NAE believes that in cases where patients are terminally ill, death appears imminent and treatment offers no medical hope for recovery, it is morally appropriate to request the withholding or withdrawal of life-support systems, allowing natural death to occur.”

NAE President Leith Anderson said, “Evangelicals want to honor life from womb to tomb. As technology advances, moral questions complicate the decisions that family members face regarding treatment of their loved ones. This resolution gives guidance to our members who are in some very difficult situations.”

The Allowing Natural Death resolution encourages the use of signed health care directives and/or a designated health care agent. Where there is no health care directive or agent, the decision to withhold or withdraw life support should be made by the dying patient’s family, legal guardian, or closest friends in consultation with the medical professionals and, when available, a member of the clergy.

The resolution also states, “While we firmly believe in mercy, compassion, and allowing natural death, we also believe there is a profound moral distinction between allowing a person to die, on the one hand, and killing on the other. As evangelicals, we deny that there are any circumstances that justify euthanasia; that is, intentionally ending a life through medical intervention.”

The NAE board also calls for evangelicals to focus their energies on improving care for the dying and ensuring access to high-quality palliative or hospice care to alleviate needless suffering.

“We should further advocate within our churches for responsible advance care planning. It has proven to be much less morally distressing to family members when they are clear on their loved ones’ wishes for end-of-life care, and are spiritually validated for honoring that person’s desires,” the resolution states.

Bioethics in the News

Thanks to The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity for flagging these stories. 

URINE TEST FOR CERVICAL CANCER VIRUS OFFERS ALTERNATIVE TO SMEAR
(Reuters) – A simple urine test for the virus that causes cervical cancer could offer a less invasive and more acceptable alternative to the conventional cervical smear test.  (Read More)

DOCTOR WHO RECOVERED FROM EBOLA CALLS OUTBREAK A ‘FIRE STRAIGHT FROM THE PIT OF HELL’
(ABC News) – The doctor who was the first American-treated Ebola patient testified before a congressional committee today recalling the horror and “humiliation” of a disease that has killed thousands. (Read More) [This is a chilling read.]

HEALTH CARE FOR BRITAIN IN HARSH LIGHT

(New York Times) – Even as government’s role in health care remains deeply divisive in the United States, the National Health Service remains a beloved cornerstone of Britain’s welfare state.  (Read More)

FATE OF CHILDREN’S INSURANCE PROGRAM IS CALLED INTO QUESTION AT SENATE HEARING
(New York Times) – A Senate hearing on Tuesday set the stage for a coming debate over whether the federal government should continue financing a popular health insurance program for lower-income children  now eligible for other coverage options. (Read More)

MAKING BABIES OUTSIDE OF THE WOMB HAS NEVER BEEN SO EASY
(The Atlantic) – On IVF. (Read More)

MENTAL HEALTH: TAILOR INFORMED-CONSENT PROCESSES
(Nature) – Informed, reasoned and voluntary consent is core to the ethical conduct of research, but the norms vary across cultures. (Read More)

PAINKILLER OVERDOSE DEATHS STILL RISING, BUT MORE SLOWLY
(UPI) – Poisoning is the most common form of death by injury in the United States, and 90 percent of all poisoning deaths are caused by drug overdoses — via both prescription and illicit drugs. (Read More)

STUDY: SCHIZOPHRENIA IS 8 DISEASES
(CNN) – What we know —and psychiatrists have diagnosed for decades — as schizophrenia may really be eight separate diseases. (Read More)

MULTIPLE-BIRTH INFANTS USE MORE RESOURCES 
(Medical Xpress) – The greater morbidity and mortality associated with multiple births are reflected in the substantially higher inpatient hospital costs during the neonatal period and during the first year of life. (Read More)

IN WAKE OF UPROAR OVER FACEBOOK’S EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION STUDY, BIOETHICS SCHOLARS SAY NEW RULES ARE A “MORAL IMPERATIVE”
(Newswise) – “The emotive reaction to the Facebook experiment is proof of the public interest in this set of issues as well as an indication that best practices have yet to be identified.” (Read More)

Bioethics in the News

Thanks to the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity for flagging these stories. 

Lots of People on Antidepressants (Scientific American) – The Mayo Clinic says about 13% of Americans, —more than 1 in 10—, take an antidepressant. Of women between the ages of 50 and 64, nearly 25% take an antidepressant. (Read More)

No Bucket Challenge for Ebola

(ABC News) – While aid organizations need funds to fight the worst-ever Ebola outbreak in West Africa, officials say a lack of interest has made it difficult to highlight the need for more money and medical supplies.  (Read More)  For a dramatic video of one person's ending, watch this short NPR video. 

A British Surrogate Mother Rejects Her Disabled Twin

(The Telegraph) – A British surrogate mother of twins, one of whom was born disabled, has said the intended mother rejected the unhealthy child, referring to her as a “dribbling cabbage.” (Read More)

Will Stem Cells Replace Heart Operations?

(Daily Mail) – Patients with chronic heart failure are to receive pioneering stem cell treatment in a new trial which could herald a cure for the biggest killer "in the industrial world."  (Read More)

Scientists Have Coached Lab Cells to Make a Working Human Organ

(The Guardian) – Reprogrammed cells created in a laboratory have been used to build a complete and functional organ in a living animal for the first time. British scientists produced a working thymus.  (Read More) 

Crime and IVF

(Reuters) – A Thai doctor who performed in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for women involved in a surrogate baby business dubbed the “baby factory” has agreed to turn himself in, police said on Monday. 

No More Reading Glasses in the Future?

(The Telegraph) – Reading glasses could be banished forever after scientists developed a technique to reverse problems in aging eyes.  (Read More)

Do We Need a Different Approach to Cancer? 

(The Telegraph) – Most cancers cannot be cured and scientists should give up trying and, instead, look for ways to manage the disease, the director of the Centre for Evolution and Cancer at The Institute of Cancer Research, has claimed.  - (Read More)

Lack of Toilets Puts Women's Health and Safety at Risk

(The Guardian) – In the evening gloom of their dirt courtyard, Raj Beti and her six daughters are growing desperate. They last answered nature’s call 13 hours ago, but it’s not yet dark enough to venture into the fields. For - (Read More)

Japanese Man Overdoes It with Surrogacy

(ABC.net) – Japanese national Mitsutoki Shigeta used his sperm to have the children with eleven surrogate mothers. He said his motives were pure and all he wanted was a large family.  (Read More)

Bioethics in the News This Week

Thanks to the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity for flagging these and other stories in the news this week: 

Measles Outbreak Sets Record 
(Washington Post)The measles outbreak has reached a record for any year since the diseasewas eliminated in the US 14 years ago, with 288 cases of the potentiallydeadly infection reported in 18 states. The largest measles clusters are inOhio (138 confirmed cases), California (60) and New York (26), according to theCDC. Almost all have been brought by travelers, mainly Americans, whocontracted the infection abroad.

Orlando Woman Oldest-ever IVF Mom 
(Orlando Sentinel)A 46-year-old from Orlando has become the oldest woman to have a baby through IVFusing her own fresh biological eggs.

Researcher Behind Stem CellControversy Agrees Retraction 
(Science)After steadfastly defending her work against accusations of falsified data, thelead author on two controversial stem cell papers published in Nature hasreportedly agreed to retract one of them.

Women’s Contraceptive UseInfluenced by Education and Moral Attitudes
 (Medical Xpress)Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended, andunplanned pregnancies are associated with poorer health and lower rates ofeducational and economic achievement for women and their children, according tothe CDC. But the desire to avoid pregnancy does not necessarily increasewomen’s use of contraceptives. Levels of prior sex education and moralattitudes toward contraception influence whether women use contraceptives.

E.U. Commission Rejects Plea toBlock Stem Cell Research Funding
 (Science)The European Commission today turned down a request by pro-life organizationsto block E.U. funding for research using embryonic stem cells.

Quanity, Not Quality: Risk ofSudden Cardiac Death Tied to Protein Overproduction
 (Science Codex)A genetic variant linked to sudden cardiac death leads to proteinoverproduction in heart cells, scientists report.  

Medicine of the Future? (New York Times)It’s a growing field: bioelectronics. Today researchers create implants thatcan communicate directly with the nervous system to fight everything fromcancer to the common cold. The idea is to manipulate neural input to delaythe progression of cancer, says a researcher who discovered a link between thenervous system and prostate tumors.

Iran’s Population Drive WorriesWomen’s Rights, Health Advocates 
(Reuters)Iran’s supreme leader has called for a population increase, in an edict likelyto restrict access to contraception that critics fear could damage women’srights and public health. In his 14-point decree, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saidincreasing Iran’s 76 million-strong population would “strengthen nationalidentity” and counter “undesirable aspects of Western lifestyles.”

Bioethics in the News

Thanks for the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity for featuring these articles, which appeared in the news this week: 

U.S. Mined Personal Health Data toFind Vulnerable in Emergency 
(New York Times)– When an ice stormthreatened New Orleans in January, some residents heard from a city officialwho had gained access to their medical information. Dialysis patients were instructedto seek early treatment because clinics would close, and those who rely on at-homebreathing machines were told how to find help if they lost power.

Stem Cell Therapy Shows Promise forMultiple Sclerosis in Mouse Models 
(Medical Xpress)– Mice crippled by anautoimmune disease similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) regained the ability towalk and run after a team of researchers implanted human stem cells into theirinjured spinal cords. These mice recovered even after their bodies rejected thehuman stem cells.

End of Life Care Sub-standard
 (The Guardian)– A report reveals that fewerthan half of NHS patients in their last hours are told they are dying byhospital staff, while families are left feeling they have no emotional support.Also, the continued lack of specialist palliative care at weekends continueseven 10 years after recommendations that it should be offered seven days aweek.

Stem Cells Made from Skin Grow NewBone in Monkeys 
(Healthline)– Researchers have shown itis possible to grow new bone from stem cells made from an animal’s own skincells. This finding offers another potential source of stem cells fortransplantation: the individual’s own adult cells.

Daily HIV Prevention PillRecommended for Those at Risk 
(CNN) – For years the message was simple:Use condoms to prevent HIV. Now health experts want to add a strategy for thoseat risk: take a prevention pill daily. 

Measles Virus Used to Put Woman’sCancer into Remission 
(CNN) – A woman with an incurable canceris now in remission, thanks, doctors say, to a highly concentrated dose of themeasles virus.

 ‘Misreading’ of Data Led toErrors in Statin Papers 
(Nature)– The BMJ ismodifying, and is considering whether to retract, articles that questionedwhether many patients should be given cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. Thearticles made a critical statement about the rate of side effects that werebased on a “misreading” of another study.

U.S. Experts Urge Focus on Ethicsin Brain Research (Update)
(Medical Xpress)– Ethics must be consideredearly and often as the field of modern neuroscience forges ahead, to avoidrepeating a dark period in history when lobotomies were common. 

Enzyme Helps Stem Cells ImproveRecovery from Limb Injuries 
(Medical Xpress)– Collaborators on a study showone way stem cell therapy appears to intervene is with the help of an enzymealso used by a fetus to escape rejection by the mother’s immune system.

Bioethics in the News This Week

Thanks to the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity for flagging these. 

AlternativePap Smear Approved  
(ABC News)– US health regulators have okayed a genetic test as a first-choice screening option for cervicalcancer. 

Autism and Genetic Discovery Inches Closer to Answers 
(Medical Xpress)– A new study from investigators with the world’slargest research project on identifying genes associated with risk for autism,has found that a certain kind of genetictesting offers an important tool in diagnosis and treatment ofautism.

Transplant Drug May Aid Treatment of HIV 
(InfectiousDisease Special Edition) – A drug designedto prevent rejection of transplanted organs —also may combat HIV.  

Veterans Die Waiting for Medical Access 
(CNN) –At least 40 U.S. veterans died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix VeteransAffairs Health Care system, many of whom were placed on a secret waiting list.The list was designed by VA managers trying to hide that 1,400 to 1,600 sick veteranswere forced to wait months to see a doctor.  

Gene Therapy May BoostCochlear Implants
 (Washington Post)–Researchers using technology to beam gene therapy into the ears of deafanimals found that the combination improved hearing. The approach reported isn’t ready for humans, but it’s part of growing research intoways to let users of cochlear implants experience richer, more normal sound.

Animals with Human Rights MakeResearchers Run Scared 
(Nature)– Animals are gaining more rights, and as they do so, researchers fear judges could extend theserights to lab animals, curbing experimentation. The trend also disturbs veterinarians who fear accusations of malpractice if pets are ruled worth more than their simple economic value.

Trafficking Ring Lured Vulnerable Women to Turkey for Organ Harvesting (Jerusalem Post)– Young Israeli women in dire economic straits were lured toTurkey to donate their kidneys and other organs on the promise of quick cash.  

Adult Stem Cell Research ShowsPromise 
(FDA.gov)– A large team of FDA scientists are studying adultmesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) —cells that could eventually be used to repair,replace, restore or regenerate cells in the body, including those needed forheart and bone repair.

Almost Blind Man Improves Thanks to New Retina Procedure  
(Associated Press)– A man diagnosedwith retinitis pigmentosa as a teenager, has been almost completely blindfor years. Now, thanks to the surgicalimplantation of a “bionic eye,” he’s regained enough of his sight to catch glimpses of his wife, grandson and cat.

FDA Discourages Use ofTissue-Shredding Tool 
in Women's Surgeries (Nature)– The FDA now recommends that surgeons refrainfrom using tissue-grinding tools to remove uteruses or uterine growths becausethese tools increase the risk of spreading undetected cancer.  

Childless ChineseTurn to American Surrogates
 (NPR) –Chinese couples unable to have children get around China's ban on surrogacy as well as birth limits by hiring American surrogates. Having American-born children also guarantees them something many wealthy Chinese wantthese days: a U.S. passport.

New Initiative Could Ban Funding ofEmbryonic Stem Cell Research in Europe 
(Forbes)– The US bans patenting oftechnologies that use human embryonic stem cells, so a group of pro-lifeorganizations has launched an initiative which, if it passes, will cut fundingof embryonic stem cell research there. 

Virtual Doctor Visits Gaining Steamin “Geneticist Deserts”
 (ScientificAmerican) – Videoconferencing for genetic consultation —telegenetics —saves patients time, the cost and burden of transportand the need to find day care or take time off from work. Fordoctors, the approach can expand their reach while limiting travel. 

Bioethics in the News

Brain-dead, a Canadian womanremains a silent partner awaiting birth 
(New York Times)Nearly six weeks after a pregnant Canadian woman was declared brain-dead, sheremains on life support in Victoria, British Columbia, because of her family’shope that her fetus will mature enough to be delivered.

Study on stroke in women focuses onrisks from pregnancy
 (The Wall StreetJournal) Controlling high blood pressure and other risk factorsrelated to pregnancy and use of birth control can significantly reduce awoman’s chance of suffering a stroke later in life, according to American HeartAssociation and American Stroke Association guidelines. While men and womenshare many risk factors for the disease, the guidelines underscore how eventsduring a woman’s reproductive years mean such factors also can differ betweenthe sexes.

Diuretic drug prevents autism inmice and rats 
(Nature)Children with autism typically begin showing obvious symptoms, such as troublemaking eye contact and slow language development, a year or more after birth. Astudy in mice and rats now hints that prenatal drug treatment could headoff these problems. The findings, reported today in Science,do not suggest that autism spectrum disorders can be prevented in children. Butresearchers not involved in the study say that they add support to acontroversial clinical trial suggesting that some children with autismbenefited from taking a common diuretic medication called bumetanide.

Female genital mutilation: Hospitalsto log victims 
(BBC) Doctorsand nurses in the UK are to be told to log details of the injuries suffered byvictims of female genital mutilation (FGM). The move is designed to gather moreinformation on the practice, which was outlawed in the UK in 1985. Thechildren’s charity, NSPCC, which set up a FGM helpline seven months ago, saysit has already received 153 calls. At least 66,000 girls and women in theUK are believed to be victims of FGM.

Case report on genetic diagnosis offatal disorder in embryos before pregnancy 
(Medical Xpress)Genetic testing of embryos for a fatal inherited neurodegenerative disorderallowed a woman to selectively implant two mutation-free embryos and conceivehealthy twins, what researchers call the first case of in vitro fertilization(IVF) with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to prevent genetic priondisease in children, according to a case report in JAMA Neurology byAlice Uflacker, M.D., of Duke University, Durham, N.C., and colleagues.

Whoa. Lots going on with stem cells, embryos, cloning, and ethical issues that can make your head spin. My colleague, Dr. Scott Horrell, sent me this one. 

Bioethics in the News

Skills matter.  Research has confirmedwhat patients have long suspected and trainees have long known –the dexterity of a surgeon’s handscan account for much of the differences in how well patients do. (New York Times)

Belgium considering kids’ euthanasialaw. In Belgium, where euthanasia is now legal for peopleover the age of 18, the government is considering extending it to children and adultswith early dementia. Imagine a teen with angst being allowed to get help tocommit suicide. Right. (ABC News)

How much does a patient invegetative state know? An analysis of brainactivity in 21 patients and eight healthy volunteers showed one of the patientscould pick out individual sounds. (BBC)

Fertility: Race matters. Maternal ethnicity is a significant determinant of successfuloutcomes after fertility treatment.  (Medical Xpress)

Too many, too young.
One in every five girls (about 19%) gives birth before sheturns 18 in developing countries. Of the 7.3 million girls who give birth everyyear, 2 million of them are under the age of 14. (CNN)

Progress with breast cancer.
A test that identifies seven classes of breast cancer could beavailable within two years. (BBC)

Curbing drug-induced abortion.
 If a U.S. court decides to hear an appeal in a case aboutdrug-induced abortion, it could clarify how far states can go in restrictingabortions. (The Wall StreetJournal)

Syria polio cases confirmed by WHO.Ten polio cases have been confirmed in Syria, the first confirmed outbreak there in 14years. (The Guardian)

DNA and full disclosure.
A recommendation earlier this year that people who have theirDNA sequenced should be told of certain risk factors, regardless of whetherthey want to know, has sparked an ongoing debate among physicians and ethicists.(Boston Globe)

4 babies, 2 surrogates, 1 set oftwiblings.
A British couple are to becomeparents of two sets of twin babies carried by two Indian surrogate women theyhave never met. Experts say twiblings, or children born to separate surrogatesbut created from the same batch of embryos, are common in India. The four babiesare the result of a commercial surrogacy agreement with a clinic in Mumbai. (BBC)

Bioethics in the News

Most of these news items are adapted from a list provided weekly by the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity: 

Offsprings' rights: The neglected factor in third-party reproduction. If you read nothing else on the following list, read this powerful piece titled “What Are the Rights ofDonor-Conceived People?” It looks at third-party reproduction from theperspective of a donor-conceived person. (The Public Discourse)

Killer foot cream. 
A common nail fungus drug is eradicating HIV. And the virus isn’tbouncing back when the drug is withheld. So it may not require a lifetime ofuse to keep HIV at bay. This is great news, people! (ScientificAmerican)

Should surrogacy qualify one formaternity leave? An Irishteacher claims she was denied unfairly her paidadoption or maternity leave following the birth of her child via a surrogate.The court was to decide on that one today. (Irish Times)

A brain controls a bionic leg. A team of software and biomedical engineers, neuroscientists,surgeons and prosthetists has designed a prosthetic limb that can reproduce afull repertoire of ambulatory tricks by communicating seamlessly with a humanbrain. (Los AngelesTimes)

SARS doctor pleads for assisted suicide.
The infectious disease doc who helped Toronto through the SARScrisis ten years ago made a video before his death pleading for Canada tolegalize assisted. (The ChronicleHerald)

Number of Dutch killed by physicianassisted suicide rises by 13 per cent.
Voluntaryeuthanasia, where a doctor is present while a patient kills him- or herself (usuallyby drinking a strong barbiturate potion) has been legal in the Netherlands foreleven years. Requests have risen steadily since then. (The Telegraph)

Cancer: More Good news.  National CancerInstitute statistics show that in the U.S. an overall five-year cancer survivalrate for children under 19 with cancer has increased from 62 percent in themid-1970s to 84 percent today. For the most common type of childhood cancer,acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the cure rate is now over 90 percent. Woohoo! (ABC News)

Gene therapy offers hope forpatients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Scientistssay the technique or related ones might also point the way to treatments forother inherited diseases, including Huntington’s. (New York Times)

Bioethics in the News

U.S. measles cases in 2013 may be most in 17 years

The CDC says this year may be the worst for measles in more than a decade. Health officials blame people who refuse to vaccinate their children. (CNN)

Selling the Fantasy of Fertility 

Two former fertility patients tackle the hype related to IVF advertising. The success rates still aren't all that great, even after years of finessing process. (Op-ed, New York TImes) 

Childhood death rates down by 50% since 1990

Still, a staggering 6.6 million children under the age of 5 still died last year, according to UNICEF. A report said nearly half of these were in five countries: Nigeria, Congo, India, Pakistan and China. (Associated Press)

Sex-selection abortions cause of missing girls in India

The U.S. created sex-selection abortions as a population-control strategy, and the result is millions of missing girls in India, China and elsewhere, says a Congressional human rights panel. (Business Standard)

Most doctors oppose physician-assisted suicide, poll finds
A New England Journal of Medicine poll questioned readers about a hypothetical case of physician-assisted suicide and received more than 2,000 valid responses. Roughly two-thirds worldwide, —including 67 percent of replies from the U.S., —said they disapprove of physician-assisted suicide. (Medical Xpress)

Faulty stem cell regulation may contribute to cognitive deficits associated with Down syndrome
The learning and physical disabilities that affect people with Down syndrome may be due at least in part to defective stem cell regulation throughout the body, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.  (Medical Xpress)

Stem cells: Living adult tissue transformed back into embryo state

The living tissue inside an animal has been regressed back into an embryonic state for the first time, Spanish researchers say. But the journal Nature showed the technique led to tumors in mice. (BBC)

Physicians push off-label ketamine as rapid depression treatment, part 1
Ketamine, the anesthetic and illegal club drug, is now being repurposed as the first rapid-acting antidepressant drug and has been lauded as possibly the biggest advance in the treatment of depression in 50 years. (Scientific American)

Stem-cell bank reach for fountain of youth
Got $63,000 to spare? Maybe you want to freeze a backup of your adult self for potential use decades later. (Vancouver Sun)

Nanotechnology solutions to combat superbugs
The emergence of superbugs has made it imperative to search for novel methods, which can combat the microbial resistance. Thus, application of nanotechnology in pharmaceuticals and microbiology is gaining importance to prevent the catastrophic consequences of antibiotic resistance.  (Nanowerk)

The next step for end-of-life care
The hourly revenue generated by a physician discussing plans for care is $87. That same physician, when conducting a procedure such as a colonoscopy or a cataract extraction, will make more than $300 per hour. Renewed support for a bill that would better compensate U.S. doctors for providing end-of-life counseling highlights the value of these conversations; for patients, physicians, and the healthcare system. (The Atlantic)

Researchers uncover genetic cause of childhood leukemia
A genetic link specific to risk of childhood leukemia has now been identified, according to a team at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and other institutions. The discovery was reported online today in the journal Nature Genetics. (Medical Xpress)

Abortion: A decision that doesn’t serve the public interest 

A decision not to prosecute two abortion doctors who offered gender-specific terminations raises a host of questions about sexism. (The Telegraph)

Contraception Bill Misses Mark

Have you been watching the healthcare issue as it relates to violationof conscience? 

The Department of Health and Human Services issued final rules oncontraceptive coverage in the Affordable Care Act at the end of June. TheNational Association of Evangelicals (NAE) has closely followed the policy’sdevelopment and advocated for strong religious freedom protections for thosewho object on religious grounds to include contraception in their companyhealth plans.

“The final rule still leaves many religious employers unprotected,”said Leith Anderson, NAE President. “The government should not compel any ofits citizens to violate their consciences.”

While most Christians are okay with the use of contraception, manyshare concerns that some of the drugs to be granted required coverage by healthinsurance policies are abortifacients. Manypeople of conscience also believe that the limited definition of “religiousemployer” in the rule sets a dangerous precedent. 

The final rule exempts churches from the mandate.Religious non-profits that object to the mandate may offer insurance policiesthat do not include contraceptive services. But the insurance companies orthird party administrators are required to provide the beneficiaries of thosepolicies free contraceptive services. Religious organizations that arestructured on a for-profit basis do not even receive this accommodation.

“With the administration digging in its heels andCongress unlikely to act, it is up to the courts to restore the constitutionalprotection guaranteed to all Americans under the First Amendment,” Andersonsaid. “We are encouraged that many of the lawsuits filed on behalf of religiousemployers are receiving a favorable hearing.”

TheNAE has joined friend-of-the-court briefs in several related cases,including Wheaton College and BelmontAbbey College v. Kathleen Sebelius, Stormans v. Selecky, O’brien v.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Gilardi v. U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services.  

Big Bioethics News Week

FDA shuts down 1,677 onlinepharmacies
 The FDA said it has shut down1,677 sites for selling counterfeit or substandard medication, or for sellingdrugs without appropriate safeguards. (CNN)

Britain is planning to become the first country in the world tooffer controversial “three-parent” fertility treatments to families who want to avoid passing on incurable diseases.The methods, currently only at the research stage, would involve transferringgenetically modified embryos into women, raising serious ethical questions. (Reuters)

Japan has given the green light to the world’s first clinicaltrial using stem cells harvested from a patient’s own body, officials said Thursday, testing a treatment that may offerhope to millions of people robbed of their sight. (AFP)

Hobby Lobby may be exempt from arequirement in U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2010 healthcare overhaulto provide free contraception coveragein its employee health insurance plans, a federal appeals courtruled. (Reuters)

Circulating blood cells collected from the tail of a donor mousewere used to produce the clone. The femalemouse lived a normal lifespan and could give birth. (BBC)

The NIH announced Wednesday that it will retire about 310government-owned chimpanzees from researchover the next few years, and keep only 50 others essentially on retainer. (ABC News)

HIV-positive mothers who take anti­retroviral therapies whilepregnant can be prevented from transmitting the virus to their babies 99% of the time. But what about infants whosemothers do not receive the drugs? Energized by the case of the ‘Mississippibaby’ who seemed to be cured of HIV after aggressive treatment was begun withinhours of birth,  researchers are hopingto show that these infants, too, can get off to a healthy start. (Nature)

A biotech entrepreneur in SanCarlos, California, who had trained as a clinical geneticist in the 1980s, wentfrom doctor to doctor looking for a diagnosis. He bought lab equipment so thathe could study his daughter’s DNA himself and in the process, he became a symbol for the do-it-yourselfbiology movement. (Nature)

UN: HIV in children down by half ormore in 7 African countries
 That’s right. The UnitedNations revealed Tuesday that seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa have seennew HIV infections among children drop by half or more since 2009. (UPI)

New advancements in embryoscreening technique result in improved safety and chance for success in IVF 
Delaying embryonic screening for chromosomal abnormalitiesuntil the fifth day of development, the blastocyst stage, significantly improvesimplantation rates and leads to more successful pregnancies. (Sacramento Bee)

The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that generic drug manufacturers could not be sued by patients who claim thatdrugs they took were defective. The decision is a significant victory forthe generic drug industry, but further narrows the recourse for people who areinjured by such drugs. (New York Times)

Bioethics: Making Headlines

Lots of interesting developments inthe field of bioethics this week. Take a look at these top stories, reported bythe Deerfield, Illinois, Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity:

Most detailed 3D map of human brain
 Adeceased 65-year-old woman has provided scientists with the material for thefirst super high-resolution, three-dimensional digital model of the humanbrain. (The Telegraph)

FDA approves morning after pill for women of childbearing age
 TheU.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Plan B emergencycontraceptive without a prescription for all women of childbearing age,officials say. (UPI)

In new tools to combat epidemics, the key is context
 Now a newproject called BioMosaic is building a more comprehensive picture offoreign-borne disease threats in the United States, by merging three separatedata tools into a single app for guiding decisions at the time of an outbreak.(New York Times)

HPV vaccine is credited in fall of teenagers’ infection rate
 Theprevalence of dangerous strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) the mostcommon sexually transmitted infection in the US and a principal cause ofcervical cancer, has dropped by half among teenage girls in recent years, astriking measure of success for a vaccine against the virus that was introducedonly in seven years ago. (New York Times)

Egypt girl’s death puts spotlight on genitial mutilation
 The deathof a 13-year-old girl during a genital mutilation procedure has brought theissue back into the spotlight in Egypt. While some Egyptians fight for eradicationof the practice, others justify it in on religious grounds. (BBC)

New study tracks emotional health of “surrogate kids” 
Over thepast decade the number of births involving surrogacy with donor eggs and spermhas surged. What, experts wondered, does this mean for the mental and emotionalhealth of the growing number of kids who may or may not know the truth abouttheir distinctive origins? (Today)

Japan experts mull rules on chimeric embryos
 Japaneseexperts were on Tuesday set to discuss rules for experiments with animal-humanembryos, as scientists seek permission for tests that could see human organsproduced inside the growing body of an animal. (Fox News) Another news story suggested that human organs could be grown in animalswithin a year.  (The Telegraph)

Abortion restrictions in states
 Forty-onestates have enacted abortion restrictions at different stages of pregnancy. (New York Times)

High court rules ‘pay-for-delay’ drug deals can face antitrustsuits
 A brand-name drug maker can be sued for violating antitrustlaws if it agrees to pay a potential competitor to delay selling a genericversion, the Supreme Court ruled. (Los Angeles Times)

Be prepared for the big genome leak
 Mostpeople in the US could soon know someone whose genome is held in a researchdatabase. Concerns are growing about our ability to control access to thatinformation. But many scientists feel that restricting access to genomic datafetters research. How long will it be until an idealistic and technicallyliterate researcher deliberately releases genome and trait information publiclyin the name of open science? (Nature)

Directed in vitro (IVF) technique may increase insulinresistance among offspring
 A special type of IVF may increase the riskfor insulin resistance among high-tech babies. (E! Science News)

IVF: First baby born using ’safer’ method
 In aworld first, a healthy baby has been born using a “safer” method of theinfertility treatment IVF, using a natural hormone to kick-start his mother’sovaries. (BBC)

Bioethics News This Week

The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity reportsthese news stories for the week:

Studies cast doubt on cancer drug as Alzheimer’streatment
Four independent research groups report that they failed to fullyreplicate the striking results published in a journal last year supporting thehypothesis that Bexarotene, a cancer drug, has potential to treat Alzheimer’s disease.  (Scientific American)

California puts tentative price on health policiesunder new law
California announced Thursday that 13 insurers hadbeen chosen to sell policies through the insurance marketplace— orexchange. (New York Times)

Mom technically dead, gives birth. 
Three-month-oldElayna Nigrelli has redefined what it means to be a miracle baby. She was bornwhile her mother was technically dead. The mom was later revived, and now bothmother and child are fine. (CNN)

A medical first: Doctors save Ohio boy by‘laser-printing’ an airway tube so he can breathe
Soundslike something out of speculative fiction, huh? Doctors have apparently usedplastic particles and a 3-D laser printer to create an airway splint to savethe life of a baby boy who used to stop breathing nearly every day. It’s thelatest advance from the booming field of regenerative medicine, making bodyparts in the lab. (AP)

Stem-cell cloner acknowledges errors ingroundbreaking paper
A blockbuster paper that reported the creation ofhuman stem cell lines via cloning has come under fire. An anonymous onlinecommenter found four problems in the paper, which was published online 15 Mayin the journal Cell. (Nature)



Stem-cell treatment restores sightto blind man
 An experimental stem-cell treatment has restored the sight ofa man blinded by the degeneration of his retinal cells. The man, who is takingpart in a trial examining the safety of using human embryonic stem cells(hESCs) to reverse two common causes of blindness, can now see well enough tobe allowed to drive. (New Scientist)

Vermont becomes third US state to legalize assistedsuicide
The Democratic Governor of Vermont signed into law a bill thatlawmakers adopted last week. Vermont follows Oregon and Washington inlegalizing assisted suicide. (AFP)

South America contraception up to 79%, middleAfrica 19%
The poorest countries in the world lag behinddeveloping countries in meeting the demand for modern contraception, U.S. researcherssay. (UPI)