Bioethics in the News

Thanks to the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity for combing through the news and bringing these to the attention of readers:

CHINA OFFICIAL’S MANDATORY ‘TWO CHILDREN’ PROPOSAL DRAWS REBUKE
(Medical Xpress) – China should roll back its one-child policy and instead mandate that all couples have two children, a family planning official has said, drawing criticism Friday from a ruling Communist Party newspaper.   Read More

STEM-CELL TREATMENT BEATS MEDICINE IN SEVERE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
(Bloomberg) – Stem-cell transplants were more effective than the standard medicine used to treat people with severe multiple sclerosis, a trial found.   Read More

DYING DUTCH: EUTHANASIA SPREADS ACROSS EUROPE
(Newsweek) – In 2013, according to the latest data, 4,829 people across the country chose to have a doctor end their lives. That’s one in every 28 deaths in the Netherlands.  Read More

CANCER PATIENTS, DOCTOR SUE TO ALLOW PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED DEATH FOR TERMINALLY ILL
(Los Angeles Times) – A group of cancer patients and physicians filed a lawsuit Wednesday to clarify the ability of mentally competent, terminally ill patients in California to obtain prescription drugs from their physician to hasten their death.   Read More

WORLD HAILS UK VOTE ON THREE-PERSON EMBRYOS
(Nature) – Following a February vote in the UK House of Commons, the world may once again look to Britain to push the envelope in fertility treatments, 37 years after IVF was pioneered there.   Read More

Bioethics In the News

Let's Limit Embryo Transfers:  
A new fertility-treatment study has found that women who receive three or more embryos have no better odds of giving birth than those who receive only  two embryos. (Washington Post)


FDA Warning: About Illegal Stem Cell Treatments
The FDA announced this week that patients' hopes for cures leave them vulnerable prey for providers of illegal and potentially harmful stem cell treatments. (Medical Daily)


Surrogacy: A Growing International Injustice
International surrogacy is a growing business thanks to Westerners hiring poor women in developing countries to carry their babies. But media attention could change that. (Slate)


Skipping the Banks, Making Online Deals
Women are increasingly making online connections with men willing to donate sperm for free, skirting the expensive option of using a sperm bank with all its regulations, tests, and verifications. (ABC News)