News and Articles
From Apps to Gadgets, ‘Second Life’ Considers How Tech is Changing Having a Baby
New York Times writer Amanda Hess discusses the impact of technology on pregnancy and the initial years with an infant. She notes the benefits, but also the drawbacks of the technological reliance that can be [...]
Building Ethical Foundations in Research: Adaptation of a Research Ethics Training Program for Adolescents
Adolescents generally are not provided with adequate ethical training to assist in their understanding of participatory research. In response, researchers at The Hastings Center for Bioethics have developed an ethics training program alongside adolescents, to [...]
My Robot Therapist: The Ethics of AI Mental Health Chat-bots for Kids
Academics warn against the potential harms of AI chatbots being used for children's mental health. While the use of AI has the ability to increase access to mental health services, the lack of human connection [...]
Bioethics of Dementia Care: Obligatory Beneficence and Difficult Hospital Discharges
Based on a recent article published in the New York Times, the issues associated with the expected rise of dementia cases in the US is discussed. The social and economic status of an individual can [...]
Robotics in Africa is Trending Upwards and has a Bright Future
African countries have already embraced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and are now moving forward with further robotics development. New robotics centred programs are being set up throughout the continent, but funding and access issues remain a [...]
Science Requires Ethical Oversight – Without Federal Dollars, Society’s Health and Safety are at Risk
With mass cuts to federal funding in science and medicine, the prevention of research abuse is also being adversely affected. The results of this are likely to have profoundly negative social, legal, and ethical consequences. Read [...]
New Recommendations for Regulating Neurotechnology in Canada include Protecting Indigenous Rights
UNESCO is currently working to establish a set of ethical recommendations on the use of neurotechnology which will be adopted by its 194 member states by Fall 2025. In light of this, Canadians are seeking [...]
Is Pursuing Profit Commensurable With Providing Good Health Care?
In America there exists a conflict between providing access to equitable health care and making health care profitable. As the for-profit health care sector grows, numerous ethical dilemmas arise alongside it. Read more.
23andMe Is Potentially Selling More Than Just Genetic Data
In late March, genetic testing company 23andMe filed for bankruptcy. With the majority of their consumers having signed off on the use and sale of their genetic material, there are increasing worries about the ethical [...]
Can AI Care for your Loved Ones?
AI now has the ability to identify pain, monitor sleeping patients, and train care givers. Despite this, the need for a more human-centred approach is being emphasised. While AI can be very beneficial, it is [...]
Rice Faculty Experts Discuss Ethical Guidelines for Building Responsible AI
A recent symposium held at Rice University discussed the need for the responsible development and deployment of AI. This symposium featured talks which aligned with the university's ongoing strategic global impact plan. Read more.
Bioethics: Back to the USSR?
Bioethics research professor Henk ten Have details the three threats posed to bioethics in America under the current administration. Prohibited terms, under funding, and the stifling of the free exchanges of ideas could detrimentally impact [...]
Nuffield Council on Bioethics Raises Ethical Concerns About the Use of Polygenic Indices as Predictors in Education
The use of polygenic indices (PGI) data for the purpose of informing educational practice and policy has been warned against in a recent report from the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, due to the ethical implications [...]
Turning Lemons in Lemonade: Studying the Emotional Impact of Clinical Ethics Consultation
Medical ethics fellow Anna D. Groff discusses her personal experiences working in clinical ethics and the emotional toll that this professional role can have. Groff references difficult situations she encountered, and applied them to her [...]
RFK Jr.’s HHS Orders Lab Studying Deadly Infectious Diseases to Stop Research
On April 30 it was announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) had been ordered to halt all research activities by the Department of Human and Health Services (HHS), currently headed [...]
Musk’s High-Tech Polygamy Is a Dead End
Elon Musk has famously displayed his pro-natalist commitments by fathering 14 children with four women through both IVF and natural means. But while "techno-polygamy" seems good in theory, in practice it could lead to poorer outcomes [...]
Sam Altman’s Eye-Scanning Orb Is Now Coming to the US
Sam Altman of OpenAI and Alex Blania, a physics researcher, have announced that their venture-backed company, Tools for Humanity, is launching an eye-scanning gadget that can be used to verify a person's identity. Read More.
A Global Flourishing Study Finds that Young Adults, Well, Aren’t
New data collected from 200,000 people across the world shows that young people aren't as happy as they used to be. Read More.
10 Technologies that will Vanish from Healthcare by 2050
From pagers to physician charts, Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD, imagines what medical technologies will vanish from healthcare by 2050. Read More.
Resuscitating the Dead: NRP and Language
Ethics committees around the country are debating the line between life and death for organ procurement. New developments in organ procurement, such as Normothermic Regional Profusion (NRP), which allows for the controlled flow of oxygenated blood [...]
Abortions in Florida plunged more than in any other state in 2024, new data shows
In 2024, Florida saw the largest drop in abortions nationwide due to a new six-week ban. This significantly reduced access for both residents and people from neighboring states. Read More.
Covid Worsened Shortages of Doctors and Nurses. Five Years On, Rural Hospitals Still Struggle
Five years after the staffing shortages wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, rural hospitals are struggling to keep up with demand. Read More.
FDA OKs trial of pig livers as dialysis-like treatment for liver failure
(ABC News) – U.S. researchers will soon test whether livers from a gene-edited pig could treat people with sudden liver failure — by temporarily filtering their blood so their own organ can rest and maybe [...]
How liberal are American bioethicists?
There is growing acknowledgement of the fact that the backgrounds, ideas, and politics of American academics are out of step with the backgrounds, ideas and politics of the American public. “Tenured and tenure-track college professors [...]
Autism rates have risen to 1 in 31 school-age children, CDC reports
One in 31 children in the United States are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by their 8th birthday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. The finding, based on an analysis of medical [...]