News and Articles
Pope Leo XIV flags AI impact on kids’ intellectual and spiritual development
In a message to an artificial intelligence and ethics conference at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV warns that AI could stifle intellectual growth and advocates for regulation that will protect the next generation. He continues [...]
Japan Develops Universal Artificial Blood Compatible With All Blood Types
Professor Hiromi Sakai at Nara Medical University leads breakthrough in hematology, developing artificial blood that has longer shelf life than current options and is less prone to rejection. Read more.
The Gentle Singularity
Sam Altman discusses the new future we are in; one different from imagined but nonetheless filled with vast technological advancements. The continued use of AI and its ever expanding capabilities are quickly progressing scientific research, [...]
Protecting the Vulnerable, or Automating Harm? AI’s Double-Edged Role in Spotting Abuse
As AI is starting to be used to recognise and prevent abuse towards vulnerable populations, it needs to be monitored closely. Since AI works off of information which may be biased, it tends to target [...]
Science Badly Needs Defending Right Now. It Doesn’t Need Your Belief
The left side has pushed against the conservative-associated notion that science is inaccurate and up for debate, in a way that has only furthered this claim. The idea that one must believe in science falsely [...]
These Diabetes Drugs Are Finding New Life as an Antiaging Hack
Despite limited evidence, longevity enthusiasts are exploring SGLT2 inhibitors in their pursuit of healthier, longer lives. Some health-conscious Americans believe the next breakthrough in anti-aging might already be sitting in the medicine cabinets of millions [...]
Tiny Human Hearts Grown In Pig Embryos For The First Time
Researchers have, for the first time, successfully grown hearts containing human cells inside pig embryos. These embryos survived for 21 days, during which their small hearts began to beat. The findings were shared this week [...]
Tiny Human Hearts Grown In Pig Embryos For The First Time
Scientists have grown tiny beating human hearts inside pig embryos and kept them alive for 21 days. This breakthrough could one day help solve the organ donor shortage while also bringing up serious questions about [...]
Protecting The Vulnerable, Or Automating Harm? AI’s Double-Edged Role In Spotting Abuse
AI is being used to detect signs of abuse by scanning items such as texts, social media posts, and camera footage to step in before someone gets hurt. Without proper oversight, these tools can unfairly [...]
Why Doctors Should Look For Ways To Prescribe Hope
The mind-body connection plays a significant role in medical outcomes. Research has demonstrated that the placebo effect can enhance the efficacy of treatments through patients' expectations and beliefs. Although using deception to trigger the placebo [...]
Jonathan Moreno’s “Absolutely Essential: Bioethics and the Rules-Based International Order”
A Bioethics Education International member of the Board of Directors, Jonathan Moreno‘s new book Absolutely Essential: Bioethics and the Rules-Based International Order has been published by MIT Press. In Absolutely Essential, Jonathan Moreno explores the field of bioethics as both [...]
Call for Applications: Bioethics, AI Politics and a New World Order
Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites global participants, students, and professionals to apply for our upcoming Online Winter School, taking place December 15-20, 2025. Apply now and be part of this groundbreaking discussion! Apply Here!
Thousands of People Are Cloning Their Dead Pets. This Is The Woman They Call First
Thousands of people are spending up to $50,000 to clone their pets, hoping to bring back a piece of a beloved dog or cat they've lost. They often turn to cloning companies like Viagen who [...]
The US Has A Cloned Sheep Contraband Problem
A Montana rancher secretly cloned a rare sheep and used its genetics to breed dozens of hybrids, which were then sold to hunting ranches across the U.S. Now, the government is scrambling to track down [...]
Trump Administration Revokes Guidance Requiring Hospitals to Provide Emergency Abortions
The Trump administration has disallowed all hospitals in states with near-total abortion bans to perform emergency abortions. This ban from the current administration works against the former Biden administration's efforts to maintain access to emergency [...]
Anti-Trans Measures Don’t Just Target Transgender Men and Women
Recent executive orders issued by the current American President have limited federal recognition of transgender people. These orders also affect people who identify as non-binary, and work against academic influences in the social sciences which [...]
Psychogeography as Embodied Connection to Place
Psychogeography examines the emotional and mental impact of locations and the physical environment on individuals. Through working to understand psychogeography, urban planning can be altered to better suit the public health needs of populations. Read more.
Ambience Announces OpenAI-Powered Medical Coding Model That Outperforms Physicians
Ambience Healthcare has released an OpenAI medical coding model that performs more accurately than doctors, beating them by 27% in coding accuracy. This tool was trained on real clinical cases to reduce errors and paperwork, helping [...]
Why AI May Be Listening In on Your Next Doctor’s Appointment
AI-powered listening tools are transforming clinical interactions by capturing doctor-patient conversations and generating medical notes. This reduces the physicians workload and enhances patient engagement. While these technologies offer significant benefits, they also raise concerns regarding [...]
Robert Jarvik, 79, Dies; a Designer of the First Permanent Artificial Heart
Dr. Robert K. Jarvik, the principal designer of the first permanent artificial heart implanted in a human — a procedure that became a subject of great public fascination and fierce debate about medical ethics — [...]
Can This Nasal Spray Slow Down Alzheimer’s? One Couple Is Helping Scientists Find Out
The nasal spray contains an experimental monoclonal antibody meant to reduce the Alzheimer’s-related inflammation in Walsh’s brain. He is the first person living with Alzheimer’s to get the treatment, which is also being tested in [...]
Jonathan Moreno’s “Absolutely Essential: Bioethics and the Rules-Based International Order”
A Bioethics Education International member of the Board of Directors, Jonathan Moreno's new book Absolutely Essential: Bioethics and the Rules-Based International Order has been published by MIT Press. In Absolutely Essential, Jonathan Moreno explores the field of bioethics [...]
RFK Jr Threatens Ban on Federal Scientists Publishing in Top Journals
The United States Health Secretary is aiming to ban scientists from publishing in top research journals due to what he believes to be their corrupt nature. As an alternative, Kennedy is pushing for state run [...]
French National Assembly OKs ‘Right to Die’ Law
France is moving towards the legalisation of euthanasia and a law allowing for the right to die. Many other European countries have similarly begun to legalise euthanasia, but France is aiming towards more stringent regulations [...]
New AI-Powered Smart Robots Deployed at Mackay Memorial Hospital
Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan has begun incorporating the use of robotics for logistics, safety, and patient experience. Many other hospitals in Taiwan have similarly begun working with humanoid and other robots to improve [...]
No Hospitals: How War Collapsed One City’s Health Care System
The ongoing war in Sudan has destroyed health care centres, exacerbating the mass famine affecting the Sudanese people. Aid continues to be blocked as hunger is weaponised against both sides. Read more.
Infant Becomes World’s First Person to Undergo Personalized Gene-Editing Treatment
CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) treatment has been successfully used on a patient for the first time. Infant KJ Muldoon was born with the rare disorder Carbamoyl Phosphate Synthetase 1 deficiency (CPS1) and [...]
Medical Errors Are Still Harming Patients. AI Could Help That
Vial swap errors are a common mistake made by medical professionals, but a recent study has found that AI can reduce this risk. While the AI developed is not perfect, it is able to identify [...]
From Surgeries To Keeping Company: The Place Of Robots In Healthcare
Dr. Bertalan Mesko’s article explores how robots are increasingly integrated into healthcare, distinguishing between AI as the “brain” and robots as the “hands” performing physical tasks. He highlights innovations like robotic nursing assistants and surgical [...]
Scientists Restore Some Vitality In Dead Pig Brains — But Without Consciousness?
Researchers at Yale University have managed to restore some cell functioning in otherwise dead pig brain cells. This break through challenges our current conceptions of death as irreversible, and prompts philosophical considerations of consciousness, according [...]
When Algorithms Listen: The Ethics of AI in Psychotherapy
Ethical issues surrounding accountability and bias need to be considered when understanding the use of AI in psychotherapy. Beyond this, considerations about the lack of human connection and emotions involved in AI could also affect [...]
Do People Really Want to Know Their Risk of Getting Alzheimer’s?
A recent study conducted in the United States has highlighted the difficult emotional and ethical dilemmas in learning that you are at risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease. Since prevention of Alzheimer's Disease is limited, knowing [...]
The World Now Has its First Ever Pandemic Treaty. Will it Makes a Difference?
A new pandemic treaty has been signed by all participating member states in the World Health Organisation (WHO). The aim of the treaty is pandemic prevention and safeguarding measures to ensure effective handling of any [...]
Embedded Ethics
Bioethicist Bryn Williams Jones examines his professional experiences working in ethics. Jones emphasises the need for ethics to be embedded in the work being done, and for a normative approach to be taken, as is [...]
Inside the First U.S. Medical School to Fully Incorporate AI into its Doctor Training Program
Full access to Open AI's ChatGPT Edu has been granted to all MD and graduate students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. The AI is being incorporated into [...]
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 [...]
Towards Conversational Diagnostic Artificial Intelligence
A recent study examined the extent to which artificial intelligence can be employed in clinical settings. Research was focused on use of AIME (Articulate Intelligence Medical Explorer), a large language model (LLM)-based AI system capable [...]
‘I have been researching death for 30 years. I am now convinced it is reversible’
As he releases a book on extending life, leading researcher Sam Parnia explains why resurrection is no longer science-fiction. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes… name most major conditions, and treatment today has changed radically from decades past... [...]
Humanoids in Hospitals: A Technical Study of Humanoid Surrogates for Dexterous Medical Interventions
This new study conducted an exploratory study on the feasibility of humanoid robots performing direct clinical tasks through teleoperation. While challenges remain, humanoid robots can successfully replicate critical aspects of human medical assessments and interventions. [...]
An international standard for elderly care robots, led by China, has been released to guide the healthy development of the global elderly-care robotics industry.
China takes leading role in setting global standards for senior care robots. Read more.
Elon Musk Announces Neuralink’s First Human Implant of Blindsight Coming this Year
Elon Musk announced that his brain-computer interface implant startup Neuralink will perform its first human implant of Blindsight, a technology aimed at restoring vision in individuals who are blind, by the end of 2025. Read [...]
Ethical Challenges in AI for Health
In the latest episode of JAMA AI Conversations, Dr. Maria Villalobos-Quesada explores the critical intersection of AI, big data, and bioethics. The discussion covers: Real-world consequences of flawed AI systems, including a striking case from [...]
The (Artificial Intelligence) Therapist Can See You Now
In response to mental health care shortages in the US, the use of AI is being considered as a solution. A recent study found that an AI Chatbot developed at Dartmouth College could be more [...]
Revolutionary Rice-Sized Pacemaker: Non-Surgical, Wireless Heart Healing
What once required invasive surgery to implant a pacemaker is no longer a concern! Thanks to groundbreaking technology from engineers at Northwestern University, the world’s smallest pacemaker is now available—tiny, injectable, and dissolvable too. This [...]
The 2025 STI Forum: How Science and Innovation are Shaping a Better World
This May, world leaders, scientists, and innovators will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for the 10th annual Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Forum. Taking place from May 7–8, the Forum will focus [...]
Call for a fairer approach to authorship in publishing biomedical research
Researchers Phaik Yeong Cheah and Michael Parker urge for equal recognition of contributors which is not apart of current authorship practice in collaborative biomedical research. Read the full journal article here.
Bill Gates on Trump, AI, and a Life of Revolutionizing Tech
Bill Gates speaks to the moral and economic benefits to foreign aid and the necessity for government independence and AI regulations. His full interview also discusses his new book "Source Code" and can be watched [...]
How could AI improve global fertility care?
Experienced nurse consultant, researcher, and CEO of Enhanced Fertility, Andreia Trigo, discusses her personal experiences with infertility and the benefits that AI can have in solving issues of treatment access, increasing healthcare knowledge, and diagnostics. Watch [...]
Crossing Borders for Reproductive Care
New reproductive and genetic technologies are providing people with the opportunity almost all over the world to have children. Variations in legislation across countries, however, are giving place to the phenomenon of cross-border reproductive care, where people cross international borders to access [...]
Humanoids in Hospitals
With healthcare worker shortages, further research is being conducted on the use of humanoid robotics. Researchers at the University of California San Diego have evaluated a bimanual teleoperation system to better understand its capabilities. Read [...]
“I have been researching death for 30 years. I am now convinced it is reversible”
Associate Professor of medicine at NYU, Dr. Sam Parnia, reconsiders traditional perspectives of death as socially constraining, instead pushing that death we viewed as a "reversible state". Read Charlotte Lytton's full profile on Dr. Parnia here.
China Takes Leading Role in Setting Global Standards for Senior Care Robots
As international standards for robotic use in senior care settings are being worked towards, China is playing a key role. Read more about Chinese advancements in the humanoid robotics industry here.
Tom Frieden Addresses Public Health Workers
Former CDC Director, Dr. Tom Frieden, shares his support for the staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health workers, in light of recent cuts to federal funding. Watch [...]
Heavy Metal Bioethics
David E. Nantais uses his experiences as a bioethicist and drummer to advocate for the beneficial role that music can play in bioethics research and education. For the full essay from the Hastings Center, read [...]
Surgeon Remotely Removes Tumor
A Chinese surgeon successfully removed a lung tumor with the help of robotic technology while over 5,000 km away from the patient. Read more.
Stroke Survivor Speaks Again With the Help of an Experimental Brain-Computer Implant
Scientists have developed a device that can translate thoughts about speech into spoken word in real time. Read more.
Michigan Resident Dies From Donated Kidney Tainted With Rabies
According to local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person recently died from a rabies infection contracted from the kidney of a deceased donor. Read More.
Kansas Measles Cases Double to 23 and New Ohio Outbreak Sickens 10
A measles outbreak in Kansas doubled in less than a week to 23 cases and has a possible link to outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico. Read More.
Bill Gates: Within 10 years, AI will replace many doctors and teachers—humans won’t be needed ‘for most things’
Bill Gates predicts that AI will eventually be capable of performing most tasks without assistance from humans. He acknowledges the potential positive and negative impacts, emphasizing the need for regulation as AI continues to advance. [...]
Doctors Told Him He Was Going To Die. Then AI Saved His Life
Utilizing artificial intelligence for drug repurposing, doctors identified an alternative therapy that significantly improved a rare blood disorder for 37-year-old Joseph Coates. Read More.
NIH has cut one mRNA-vaccine grant. Will more follow?
With the NIH no longer providing funding for various mRNA vaccine research projects, researchers wonder if more cuts will follow. Advocates fear these actions may hinder advancements in mRNA vaccine development and in biomedical research [...]
In Memoriam: Tomi Kushner, PhD
Dr. Thomasine Kushner or Tomi as she liked to be called, Bioethicist at Sutter Health’s Program in Medicine and Human Values and Founder and Editor, Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics passed away peacefully on 2/7/25 [...]
Pressure for IVF success obscures ethical issues
In vitro fertilization has grown to a $3 billion industry in the U.S. that is responsible for more than 1 million babies. But implanting several embryos under pressure for success often obscures potential complications and [...]
‘Breakthrough’ deep brain stimulation device for Parkinson’s to make clinical debut
ST. PAUL, Minn., March 21 (UPI) -- Parkinson's disease patients and advocates are marking the start of a new era for treatment of the illness, as a doctors deploy a breakthrough neurological device for the [...]
Ok, confession… The cringiest thing I did as an intern?
The cringiest thing I did as an intern? I barely spoke to anyone unless they spoke to me first. No proactive coffee chats. No "Would love to learn about your work!" Slack messages. Just me, chilling [...]
The Doctor, the Biohacker, and the Quest to Treat Their Long COVID
THE DOCTOR IS HERE NOW. Matthew Light, MD, pops onscreen in his baby-blue T-shirt beneath a cardigan. He’s 42, with hair graying on the sides, a narrow nose, thick dark eyebrows. Patients from all walks [...]
New illness sweeps across America | PUPPET REGIME
A new epidemic is sweeping across America. Share with a friend to raise awareness of DDS. Read More.
2025 World Happiness Report shows U.S. in lowest-ever spot on list
The US has fallen to its lowest ever ranking on the 2025 World Happiness Report, which highlighted the impact of sharing and caring on human happiness. Read More.
How Realistic Is the Severance Procedure? Brain Surgeons Have Some Thoughts
Brain surgeons weigh in on how realistic and feasible is the identity-splitting brain implant featured in the hit TV show Severance. Read More.
Generation Xanax: The Dark Side of America’s Wonder Drug
Patients prescribed benzodiazepines like Xanax are facing debilitating withdrawal effects when trying to quit. Read More.
Four ways COVID changed virology: lessons from the most sequenced virus of all time
Kei Sato was looking for his next big challenge five years ago when it smacked him — and the world — in the face. The virologist had recently started an independent group at the University [...]
Tuberculosis Doesn’t Pause
I spent 10 years as a tuberculosis doctor working in the US and worldwide. Recent funding cuts to global TB programs aren't just stalling progress—they're actively reversing decades of advances against the world's deadliest infectious disease. Read More.
Eye-Popping WHO Report Shows Measles Surging Across the Globe
Measles isn’t just making a comeback in the United States. In a report out this week, the World Health Organization found that cases of the vaccine-preventable disease surged in Europe and Central Asia last year, [...]
Man survives with titanium heart for 100 days – a world first
An incredible medical achievement! An Australian man in his forties became the first person in the world to live with an artificial heart made of titanium for more than three months until he underwent surgery [...]
How to be a compensated connector
The ‘Build, Operate, Share’ (’BOS) is a new dynamic Socio-Economic World Order of the digital era, guiding the future to establish a paradigm shift—one where technology, capital and human potential are harnessed through potential efficiency gain to [...]
Tracing Epistemic Injustice in Global Antimicrobial Resistance Research
An article authored by BEI Advisory Board Member Phaik Yeong argues that research on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of antimicrobial-resistant infections, as well as related policies, suffers from epistemic injustices that similarly affects global health [...]
Digital Humans – Helpful Assistants or Deceptive Trust-Creators?
Digital humans, developed by Soul Machines, are AI-driven entities designed to assist in customer service, healthcare, and education by mimicking human expressions and interactions. While their creators argue that human-like AI fosters trust and efficiency, [...]
Japan Turns to AI-Driven Robots to Tackle Elderly Care Crisis
Japan is turning to AI-driven robot nurses to assist in elderly care with the AIREC humanoid robot that is designed to perform caregiving tasks like repositioning patients. Read More.
OpenAI Launches GPT-4.5 for ChatGPT—It’s Huge and Compute-Intensive
OpenAI has introduced GPT-4.5, its largest and most intensive AI model to date. This aims to enhance ChatGPT's understanding of user prompts. Read More.
Train Clinical AI To Reason Like A Team Of Doctors
Following a surge of excitement after the launch of the artificial-intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT in November 2022, governments worldwide have been striving to craft policies that will foster AI development while ensuring the technology remains [...]
AI robots may hold key to nursing Japan’s aging population
Due to a population decline and healthcare professional shortages, Japan sees its opportunity to properly care for the elderly by using robot nurses. While the Moravec paradox is against that, the intention is understandable. Read More.
Digital Humans – Helpful Assistants Or Deceptive Trust-Creators
Digital humans are increasingly being used to interact with real humans. The question is, are they helpful assistants, or is there something dishonest about their ‘employment’? Read More.
Train Clinical AI to Reason Like a Team of Doctors
Christopher R. S. Banerji, Tapabrata Chakraborti, Aya Abdelsalam Ismail, Florian Ostamnn, and Ben D. MacArthur propose that encoding conceptual reasoning in AI, mirroring established clinical decision-making processes, can support oversight and act as a blueprint [...]
Pig organs in people: The future of cross-species transplants
More than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for a new heart, kidney or some other organ. Many will die waiting. Some scientists see new hope for these people in organs from pigs [...]
AI Robots May Hold Key to Nursing Japan’s Ageing Population
An AI caregiving robot called AIREC is being developed to support Japan's care worker shortage in the face of a rapidly ageing population. Read More.
Bioethics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Navigating Opportunities, Challenges and Responsibilities
Artificial intelligence is rapidly re-shapeing the landscape of healthcare and biomedical research, prompting bioethics to evolve in response. In this talk, Dr. Effy Vayena discussed how AI introduces novel ethical challenges, urging bioethicists to broaden [...]
OpenAI Launches GPT-4.5 for ChatGPT—It’s Huge and Compute-Intensive
Internally called Orion, GPT-4.5 is OpenAI’s largest model to date, and it’s first available through the company’s $200 monthly ChatGPT subscription. Read More.
Trump Wants To Lower The Cost Of IVF. A New Executive Order Seeks Ideas To Do That
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing policy recommendations to reduce the high costs of in vitro fertilization (IVF), aiming to make it more accessible and affordable for families facing infertility challenges. Read [...]
Trillions of Viruses Live in Your Body. A.I. Is Trying to Find Them.
Artificial intelligence is being utilized to identify and analyze the trillions of viruses in the human body, aiming to enhance our understanding of their roles in health and disease. Read More.
Despite Church Prohibitions, Catholics Still Choose IVF to Have Children
For the Catholic Church, in vitro fertilization is a morally objectionable procedure because it manipulates a process that ought to be natural and involves the creation of multiple embryos – beings with moral status – [...]
Urgent CDC Data and Analyses on Influenza and Bird Flu Go Missing as Outbreaks Escalate
Crucial CDC data on influenza and bird flu outbreaks has been lacking since President Trump took office, leaving healthcare workers in the dark about best current and future practices. Read More.
The Physicians Really Are Healing Themselves, With Ozempic
Physicians are increasingly using medicines like Ozempic, originally designed for diabetes management, to achieve significant weight loss and improve metabolic health. Read More.
Slouching Toward Kakistocracy: Experts Need Not Apply
The appointment of unqualified individuals to key government positions, particularly in health agencies, threatens essential services like disease surveillance and environmental protections, which depend on expert knowledge. Read More.
Extended Reality’s Newly Found Role In Radiology
Extended Reality (XR) technologies are enhancing surgical precision by allowing surgeons to overlay a patient’s radiology scans in real life using reality headsets. Read More.
How Apple’s Vision Pro Is Redefining Surgical Training Around The World
Some medical institutions are using Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro headset to practice surgery in virtual environments, eliminating the need for costly cadavers that can exceed $10,000. Read More.
Nine Unvaccinated People Hospitalized As Texas Measles Outbreak Doubles
A measles outbreak in West Texas has escalated to 24 confirmed cases, primarily affecting unvaccinated children and adolescents therefore prompting health officials to emphasize the importance of vaccination in preventing the spread of a contagious [...]
Understanding Patients’ Voices: Patient-Centered Measurement
Leah McCliman's Patient Centered Measurement proposes a procedural theory of measuring constructs that are contingent on patient perspectives, such as quality of life and satisfaction with treatment. This involves continuous adjustment and feedback based on [...]
The Legalities of Text Donations: Compliance and Regulations
Texting as a tool in the intricate business communications model must adhere to the relevant regulations. Read More
Nine unvaccinated people hospitalized as Texas measles outbreak doubles
Undoing the vaccine on its face is befuddling, which creates an aura of self-defeating by the decades ago conquered ailments. Read more
Supporting Patients and Students Who Are Immigrants: What to Do and Why Most Bioethicists Won’t Do It
Lending meaningful support to immigrant students and patients in challenging moments. Read More.
Supporting Patients and Students Who Are Immigrants: What to Do and Why Most Bioethicists Won’t Do It
Immigrant communities are experiencing increased fear due to anti-immigrant policies, negatively impacting their lifestyle access to healthcare. Health care providers and bioethicists are encouraged to advocate for more protective measures like clear communication and know-your-rights [...]
Surgeons Transplant Engineered Pig Kidney Into Fourth Patient
Surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital have successfully transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a 66-year-old man with kidney failure, marking only the fourth such procedure ever done. Read More.
C.D.C. Posts, Then Deletes, Data on Bird Flu Spread Between Cats and People
The CDC briefly posted, then removed, data suggesting possible bird flu transmission between cats and humans, raising new questions about the virus's spread. Read More
The United Nations Commemorates Holocaust Survivors and Auschwitz-Birkenau’s Liberation
The United Nations hosted Holocaust survivors and their families to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, noting that their bravery in sharing their stories helps preserve the truth about the Holocaust. Read more.
WHO Worker Crowd-Funds for UN Agency after Trump Pulls US Out
A WHO staff member has organized a social media campaign to raise $1 billion for the organization in order to soften the blow of the United States' withdrawal. Read More.
Groundbreaking Ebola Vaccination Trial Launches Today in Uganda
The first ever vaccine trial for a Sudan species of Ebola was launched today. Read More.
Spy vs. AI How Artificial Intelligence Will Remake Espionage
AI has the potential to revolutionize the intelligence industry, from cutting labor costs to processing larger amounts of data faster, while also presenting its own security risks. This emphasizes the need for American investment in [...]
The Final Countdown to Medical Aid in Dying in New York
Two bills regarding medical aid in dying have been awaiting final action in New York Legislature, potentially making New York the 11th state that makes this option available. Read More.
New Chinese Large Language Model Caused Significant Panic on Wall Street
DeepSeek, a new Chinese large language model, has brought the stocks of US tech companies significantly down. It competes with and in certain areas even outperforms the American ChatGPT, threatening to change the current landscape [...]
Bioethics Gone AWOL: The Dangers of Creating Designer Children
Genetic engineering in children raises significant ethical concerns, including the risks of inadequate scientific oversight. Read more.
Would You Get Sick in the Name of Science?
Increasing interest in human challenge trials requires courageous volunteers who are intentionally exposed to pathogens in order to develop and test new treatments and vaccines. Read more.
The Devastating Legacy of Lies in Alzheimer’s Science
Due to fraudulence and misconduct in research, advances in Alzheimer's Disease treatments have been hindered. Read More. Other Posts
United Nations Confirms US Will Leave World Health Organization in 2026
The United Nations confirmed that the United States will officially withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) in January, 2026. Read More. Other Posts
NHS Trial to Test if Brain Implant Can Change Mood by Modifying Brain Activity
Deccan Herald reports that the NHS is set to conduct a trial on a new brain implant that could change a patient's mood. Read More.
Generative AI Code May Fast-Track AGI
MIT Technology Review reports that much of generative AI is used for developing code, and that these AI code helpers could mean a fast-track to AGI. Read More.
Caregiving Strain is a Factor in Murder-Suicides Among Older Adults
The Wall Street Journal reports researchers have found that the strain of caregiving likely is a factor in murder-suicides among older adults. Read More.
7 Promising Examples AI Could Do In Healthcare In The Future
The Medical Futurist Institute shared seven examples of how AI could shape future medicine. Read More.
Is Neurotechnology Developing Faster Than Its Ethical and Legal Guardrails?
The Dana Foundation released a report exploring the ethical and legal implications of developing neurotechnology, such as brain-computer interfaces, focusing on issues of equity and access. Read More.
Instagram Begins Randomly Showing Users AI-Generated Images of Themselves
404 Media reports that Instagram has begun testing a feature which fills a user's feed with AI generated photos of themselves. The description of the feature reads: "imagine yourself reflecting on life in an endless [...]
Ex-CDC Chief Warns of Impending Bird Flu Pandemic
An interview published by The Daily Signal with the CDC's former director reveals that bird flu could be more devastating than the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More.
AI Jesus and Human Flourishing
A recent article published by The Hastings Center explores what role human beings will have in a world of ever-advancing AI. Read More.
Say Their Names: Unclaimed Bodies and Untrustworthiness in Medical Science
A recent NBC investigative series titled “Dealing the Dead” revealed that thousands of unclaimed bodies were used by the University of North Texas Health Science Center for scientific research and medical education, and to generate profit. Read [...]
Brian Bird: Euthanasia is a national tragedy — and it’s only getting worse
A new report from Health Canada confirms that more than 60,000 lives have been lost to “medical assistance in dying” in Canada between 2016 and 2023. Euthanasia was supposed be the exception to the rule, but Canada [...]
Bioethics and Artificial Intelligence
Read some of the latest news in bioethics and artificial intelligence from around the world, from journal reviews to new legislation and case studies. Read More
You Can Now Call ChatGPT on the Phone
If you are ever feeling lonely and just need someone to talk to, OpenAI has you covered. The company today announced that anyone can now call ChatGPT by phone for 15 minutes free every month. Read [...]
The Ethics of Automating Therapy
The mental health crisis and loneliness epidemic have sparked a growing interest in leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbots as a potential solution. This report examines the benefits and risks of incorporating chatbots in mental [...]
Can AI Answer Your Questions Better Than Your Doctor?
Already, a rapidly growing list of medical applications of AI includes drafting doctor's notes and suggesting diagnose. How could even the most advanced machine outperform a physician in demonstrating this important and particularly human virtue? Read More!
Bioethics of AI: The Intersection of AI and Medicine
Call for Applications: "Bioethics of AI: The Intersection of AI and Medicine” Online Winter School December 16-21, 2024 Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the event online. [...]
New Covid-19 Subvariant Could Lead to a Surge in Cases
A new Covid-19 variant has been discovered in Germany and could lead to global surges in cases. Read more!
Artificial Doctoring: Therapeutic Relationship in the Evolving AI Health Landscape
anRespect for patient autonomy and data privacy are generally accepted as important bioethical values. As industrialized countries embrace expanding forms of personal and health monitoring, questions abound about how AI may alter people’s access to [...]
Healthcare labor shortage predicted by 2028, with uneven state impacts: report
An aging population with heightened care needs and lagging labor trends will create a shortage of over 100,000 critical healthcare workers around the close of the decade, according to a recent study from consultancy Mercer. Read more!
How AI Threatens Democracy
We, as human societies have the responsibility to address the harm AI could inflict on us. We also have the technological opportunity to harness AI to enhance our democracy in a way that strengthens our [...]
Trustworthy AI, Bioethics, and the Rules-Based International Order
Although it is not widely noted, the notion of “trustworthy AI” presupposes some ethical standards that are rooted in the concept of liberal democracy. The rules-based international order that was established after World War II [...]
Bioethics of AI: The Intersection of AI and Medicine
Looking for a bioethics educational opportunity? Bioethics Education International (BEI) is now accepting applications for their online winter school. Bioethics of AI: The Intersection of AI and Medicine Dec 16- 21. Scholarship Deadline: Sept 15
The Ethics of Automated Warfare and Artificial Intelligence
The most complex international governance challenges surrounding AI today involve its defense and security applications — from killer swarms of drones to the computer-assisted enhancement of military command-and-control processes. Read more.
U.S. Sees Over 1,000 New COVID-19 Deaths in a Week
BREAKING: U.S. Sees Over 1,000 New COVID-19 Deaths in a Week The United States has reported more than 1,000 new COVID-19 deaths this week, the highest weekly death toll since March, according to BNO News. [...]
Gaza: First polio case confirmed in war-shattered enclave
The UN health agency has confirmed via genomic sequencing that a young girl's infection was linked to the poliovirus type 2 variant, detected in environmental samples collected in June from Gaza wastewater. Read more.
The Humanoid Revolution: 1 Robot to Every 3 Humans?
The movie I, Robot portrayed a future set in 2035 where there was 1 robot to every 3 humans - humanoids in every home and workspace, even on the streets. Breakthroughs as of this August [...]
NIH scientists develop AI tool to predict how cancer patients will respond to immunotherapy
Researchers at the NIH have developed an artificial AI tool that uses data, such as that from a simple blood test, to predict whether someone’s cancer will respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors, an immunotherapy drug [...]
Can AI Improve Democracy?
Liberal and social democracy are in crisis. Democracy has always been in some crisis over the last century, but this time is different. Democracy is a very recent experiment in human governance and may be [...]
AI-powered Quantification Could Accelerate Trial Enrollment
AI-assisted scoring recategorized 18% of cases from the ‘treatment ineligible’ PD-L1 negative group to PD-L1 positive group, allowing more people to be included in trials that could benefit them. Read more
Artificial intelligence is helping revolutionize healthcare as we know it
Rooted in the simulation of human intelligence by computer systems and machines, AI has the potential to transform how humans learn, work and interact with one another in every aspect of life. It’s also primed [...]
Africa CDC Declares Mpox Outbreak a Public Health Emergency
The African Union’s health watchdog has declared a public health emergency over the growing mpox outbreak on the continent, reporting the move is a “clarion call for action”. Read more
More than half of US states reporting ‘very high’ COVID activity levels: CDC
More than half of U.S. states are reporting "very high" levels of COVID activity as the virus continues to spread and increase in many parts of the country, according to the latest wastewater data from the Centers [...]
Top 7 A.I. Examples in Healthcare
Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic idea. It's already here, and it has turned out to be a powerful, disruptive force in healthcare fueling some of the most innovative diagnostic tools of today. Read more
Bioethics Must Address War as a Public Health Crisis
For most of human history, war has been a major cause of injury and death worldwide, causing harms well beyond the battlefield. Today’s wars kill far more civilians than soldiers. The Hastings Center provides an in depth look [...]
I hung out with a humanoid robot. She seemed flattered and eager to please.
As interest in humanoid robots grows, researchers and manufacturers are investing heavily in their development. Jyoti Mann describes his up close encounter with a cutting edge humanoid robot named Ameca. Read more!
Technology in a Turbulent World
In the Davos session, 'Technology in a Turbulent World,' OpenAI CEO Sam Altman comments on the future direction of AI. He predicts that AI will increase productivity, be able to explain reasoning, among other things. Read [...]
Should we bring generative AI into the classroom?
What happens when generative AI is used to design a course? Find out what happens when Andrew Maynard, a professor at the Arizona State University, did just that. Read more!
Where docs beat AI: Showing their work
The National Institutes of Health and Weill Cornell Medicine researchers compared the performance of physicians and AI models using 207 clinical "quizzes." While the AI model scored higher on the closed-book test, doctors scored higher [...]
Ethical Implication of AI in Diagnosis and Treatment
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the landscape of healthcare, particularly in the realms of diagnosis and treatment. As AI systems become more sophisticated, they offer unprecedented opportunities to enhance diagnostic accuracy, personalize treatment plans, and [...]
AI In Medicine: 3 Future Scenarios From Utopia To Dystopia
Ever find yourself pondering about the future of healthcare, with artificial intelligence either as our best mate or our malevolent overlord? We all do. And let's face it, the reality is somewhere in between those [...]
Transhumanist but Transphobic?
Right-wing authoritarians broadly hate all the changes that modernity has wrought on traditional sex/gender relations, from women's equality and gay rights to voluntary childlessness and nonbinary identities. Read more here!
With ‘Digital Twins,’ The Doctor Will See You Now
Amanda Randles wants to copy your body. If the computer scientist had her way, she’d have enough data — and processing power — to effectively clone you on her computer, run the clock forward, and see [...]
Ethical Implications of AI in Diagnosis and Treatment
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the landscape of healthcare, particularly in the realms of diagnosis and treatment. As AI systems become more sophisticated, they offer unprecedented opportunities to enhance diagnostic accuracy, personalize treatment plans, and [...]
Humanity at the Crossroads: Ethical Implications of AI in Medicine
With the breakthrough of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in modern life, there has been increasing pressure to incorporate this technology into medicine and healthcare. Fields such as radiology, emergency medicine, and telehealth have made significant strides [...]
Colorado bird flu cases show how extreme heat may be complicating efforts to control the virus
Searing heat may have played a role in the infections of five workers who fell ill last week while culling a large flock of chickens infected with the H5N1 virus in Colorado, health officials said [...]
How to Hold Mixed Human-AI Groups Responsible
It might soon be the norm for human and AI agents to work together in groups. But who should be held responsible when such groups act badly? Read more here!
The second week of #HLPF kicked off.
The second week of #HLPF kicked off. What are we discussing? Read more here!
UN deputy chief calls for major arms spending cuts and urgent action to save SDGs
Speaking on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres, Amina Mohammed called for immediate and decisive action to salvage the faltering Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and beyond are causing a devastating loss of life and diverting political attention and [...]
Air Force, Space Force unveil tool for AI experimentation
The Air Force and Space Force launched a generative AI tool on Monday, encouraging airmen and guardians to experiment with using the technology for tasks like summarizing reports, IT assistance and coding. Read more here!
Greater focus needed on how existing international law can prevent the increasing militarization of outer space
There is a pressing need for countries and international organizations to understand better how existing international law can help them address serious concerns about the militarization of outer space, a new study says. Read more [...]
“Bioethics of AI: The Intersection of AI and Medicine” Online Winter School December 16-21, 2024
Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the event online. Bioethics education is crucial for addressing ethical challenges in healthcare and medicine. The intersection of AI and medicine [...]
UN hears testimony from former child soldier on brutal reality of war
Speaking anonymously and through an interpreter, the 16-year-old called on ambassadors to reinforce protection and security in conflict zones to ensure children like him never have to play an active part in the horrors of [...]
Generative AI Can’t Cite Its Sources
Silicon Valley appears, once again, to be getting the better of America’s newspapers and magazines. Tech companies are injecting every corner of the web with AI language models, which may pose an existential threat to [...]
Heat-Related Illnesses Spiked in Some Regions This Past Week, C.D.C. Data Shows
Regions that had “extremely high” rates of such illnesses included swaths of New England, the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic, all areas that have been hit the hardest by the heat wave. Read more here!
Abortion Debate Shifts as Election Nears: ‘Now It’s About Pregnancy’
Two years after Roe was struck down, the conversation has focused on the complications that can come with pregnancy and fertility, helping to drive more support for abortion rights. Read more here!
How Extreme Heat Affects Your Body
Heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths & can worsen underlying health issues. Read more here!
Two Heroes Unite at the International Bioethics Conference
Dr. Leon Kass and Bishop Robert Barron joined forces at a Bioethics Conference, stressing the fusion of science and ethics to tackle biotechnology challenges. Their collaboration underscores the necessity of integrating moral principles with scientific [...]
Can US and China overcome mutual mistrust to agree rules on military use of artificial intelligence?
The United States and China will struggle to work together on regulating the military use of artificial intelligence because of a lack of trust and their race for supremacy in the field, analysts have warned. [...]
Sudan crisis: UN health agency alerts over attack on key hospital
Further deadly violence in Sudan’s besieged El Fasher city has forced a major hospital to shut over the weekend after soldiers stormed the facility, prompting alarm on Monday from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) [...]
Neuralink rival sets brain-chip record with 4,096 electrodes on human brain
Precision expects its minimally invasive brain implant to hit the market next year. Read more here!
This AI-powered “black box” could make surgery safer
A new smart monitoring system could help doctors avoid mistakes—but it’s also alarming some surgeons and leading to sabotage. Read more here!
Caring for Patients in Armed Conflict: Narratives from the Front Lines
Many healthcare workers in wars are forced to operate in dangerous conditions as the frequency of violence and obstruction of health care increases dramatically.In the Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics symposium, “Healthcare Under Fire: Stories from [...]
3 Sperm Donors From Same Family in Quebec Have Sired 600 Children
The article reports on an extraordinary case in Quebec where three sperm donors from the same family have collectively fathered around 600 children, raising concerns about genetic complications and the need for stricter regulation in [...]
How liberal are American bioethicists?
American academics, including bioethicists, differ significantly from the general public in religion, politics, and ethnicity, with bioethicists being predominantly white and liberal. Despite these differences, they generally align with public opinion on assisted dying but [...]
AI Meets Bioethics Literature: How Did It Do?
As new artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, GPT-4, and DALL-E become increasingly powerful, much attention has been focused on AI’s potential to perform tasks traditionally done by humans, such as drafting reports, diagnosing patients, and [...]
We cannot sleepwalk into a dystopian AI future
The intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and medicine holds tremendous promise for transforming healthcare, but also raises important ethical considerations. As AI technologies continue to evolve and improve, they are being increasingly used in various [...]
The 77th world health assembly: A decisive moment for the future of global health cooperation
The 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva focuses on important global health issues like pandemic preparedness and antimicrobial resistance, aiming to enhance cooperation and improve health systems. Member States will work on international agreements and [...]
CDC urges states and cities to keep flu surveillance at peak levels due to bird influenza threat
The CDC urged continued peak-season flu surveillance throughout the summer due to concerns about the potential human-to-human spread of H5N1 bird flu, mostly consisting of outbreaks among domestic dairy cattle. There has been extensive testing [...]
Single Brain Implant Restores Bilingual Communication to Paralyzed Man
One of those clinical trials, based at the University of California, San Francisco, has now inadvertently revealed something about how the brain handles language, because one of the patients enrolled in the trial was bilingual, [...]
Finland starts its education against fake news early – in daycare
From interpreting memes to spotting manipulated images, here’s how #Finland teaches kids to detect #disinformation. Read more here!
Oxfam warns of severe risk of epidemic outbreak in Gaza
The charity has said that Israeli attacks on water and sanitation infrastructure have pushed the Gaza Strip to the brink of an epidemic outbreak. Read more here!
Just One Human Is Infected by Bird Flu in the US. More Cases Are Likely
(Bloomberg) -- It’s spreading rapidly among cows. It’s also infecting skunks, mountain lions, and red foxes. Read more here!
Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute shuts its doors
A powerhouse at Oxford generating controversial bioethical ideas has closed its doors. The Future of HumanityInstitute, headed by Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom, opened in 2005 and was wound up earlier this month. Read more here!
Google DeepMind unveils next generation of drug discovery AI model
LONDON (Reuters) - Google Deepmind has unveiled the third major version of its "AlphaFold" artificial intelligence model, designed to help scientists design drugs and target disease more effectively. Read more here!
Testimonials: Spring School Online March 25-30, 2024
Read more here!
Meta’s A.I. Assistant Is Fun to Use, but It Can’t Be Trusted
In the last few days, you may have noticed something new inside Meta’s apps, including Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp: an artificially intelligent chatbot. Within those apps, you can chat with Meta AI and type in questions [...]
BIOETHICS LEADERS SHOULD DEMAND A PERMANENT CEASEFIRE IN GAZA
In a recent essay repositioning bioethics to face future challenges, the newly-appointed president and CEO of the Hastings Center for Bioethics Research Dr. Vardit Ravitsky Read more here!
An AI Startup Made a Hyperrealistic Deepfake of Me That’s So Good It’s Scary
(MIT Technology Review) – I’m stressed and running late, because what do you wear for the rest of eternity? This makes it sound like I’m dying, but it’s the opposite. I am, in a way, [...]
Bioethicists Want to Rule the World!
Alright, the headline is a tad hyperbolic. But just a tad. Bioethics has always been about granting “experts” in the field tremendous influence over public policy. And now, one of the most prominent practitioners in [...]
We should react to atrocities in Gaza, says bioethicists
The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is creating tensions within the bioethics community. In an article in the Canadian blog Impact Ethics, three bioethicists have called for their profession to speak out against the [...]
Top 23 Bioethical Issues In Biological Advancements
Bioethical Issues: Bioethics refers to the study and evaluation of the decisions done in scientific research and medicine to touch upon the health and lives of people, as well as the society and environment. Bioethics is a [...]
Pandemic experts express concern over avian influenza spread to humans
Dr Jeremy Farrar, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the avian influenza virus - which is also known as H5N1 - has had an “extremely high” mortality rate among the several [...]
World IVF market is already US$25 billion
According to Vision Research Reports, the size of the global IVF market was estimated at US$25.3 billion in 2023. By 2023 it will be US$43.6 billion. The market research group believes that growth is being driven by increasing infertility [...]
AI Ethics: Why it matters! by Adarsh Srivastava, PGDISAD, Head of Data & Analytics Quality Assurance at Roche Diagnostics
I recently had the privilege to give a session in Bioethics Spring School on the crucial intersection of AI Ethics during spring school on "Wars, diseases and bioethics" Exploring the nexus of war, diseases, and [...]
Keynote speaker: Frederick Licciardi, MD, Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Did you know that one of our keynote speakers, fertility specialist Dr. Frederick Licciardi, is also an incredible singer and songwriter!! Read more here!
Dr. Frederick Licciardi lectured at “Wars, Diseases, and Bioethics” Spring School Online, Review by Dr. Chiedozie Ike
Science and the arts have always shared a strong bond. Many of the world's scientists (and bioethicists) have been storytellers, poets, film actors, or singers. I have been curious about this connection since I [...]
A Unique, Eye-opening experience: A physician’s perspective by Rola Itani, MD
Being granted a scholarship to participate in the Bioethics Education International Spring School 2024 was not just a unique and invaluable opportunity, but a testament to the belief and support of the scholarship committee. As [...]
Current and Future Lessons from the COVID Pandemic
The current COVID pandemic appears to be under control, Yet, these past three years have been both challenging and exciting. The rapid development of effective mRNA COVID vaccines is a major scientific breakthrough that will [...]
Scientific Foundation for the Ethical Discussion of Fertility Treatments
The term “Reproductive Technologies” encompasses a wide range of therapies used to help those women and couples who cannot conceive a child. Since it’s inception, the field has been an epicenter of ethical controversy. Read [...]
Bioethics in the Public Space: Lessons from the Covid Years
The Covid-19 pandemic created an exceptional public health situation in which health professionals, governments and the general public were faced with significant uncertainty regarding how best to proceed, and Read more here!
Holding On to Our Humanity in an Age of Social Robots
Socially interactive robots are becoming increasingly AI-enabled and equipped to serve as our friends, companions, therapists, caregivers, teachers and even lovers. This development has profound personal, social, cultural and ethical ramifications as both a welcome [...]
Preserving Integrity in Science
Being a professional scientific researcher is much like being a professional musician, artist, or journalist. It is possible to make money doing it, but it isn’t a profession that people join to get rich. Read [...]
When We Cannot Cure: Thoughts on the Ultimate Challenge to the Bond of Patient and Doctor
The physicians of the Hippocratic era called medicine “The Art.” They knew that the care of their fellows was an act of creativity. They also recognized that each patient and his or her physician form [...]
“Absolutely Essential”: Bioethics and the Rules-Based International Order
The field that came to be known as bioethics in the late 1960s is an integral part of the liberal international order intentionally developed in the aftermath of the catastrophe of World War II. Following [...]
Is Universal Health Coverage an Answer to the Health Injustices in Africa?
More than a decade ago, South Africa planned to introduce a universal health coverage (UHC) through a national health insurance (NHI). The purpose of introducing UHC was to address healthcare injustices and improve the health [...]
Reflections on Generative AI, Bioethics and Health? Threats, Risks and Opportunities for Humanity
The rapid advancements in generative artificial intelligence (gAI) have rekindled discussions on the intricate relationship between technology and humanity. Current technology ethics have Read more here!
Frontlines Bioethics: War, Disease, Politics and the Impact on Humanity
This presentation examines the role of bioethics in the face of the harrowing realities of war and the prevalence of diseases that often accompany it. Read more here!
Gaza and the End of the Rules-Based Order
After more than four months of conflict, Israel’s campaign of retaliation against Hamas has been characterized by a pattern of war crimes and violations of international law. Israel’s stated justification for its war in Gaza [...]
Bioethics in the Second Cold War
The field that came to be known as bioethics in the late 1960’s is an integral part of the liberal international order intentionally developed in the aftermath of the catastrophe of World War II. Following [...]
A Timely Review of Ethical Medical Practice in Israel
War tests the fundamental ethical obligations of medical practice. In the middle of conflicts, it can be difficult for physicians to be fair and equitable while providing treatment that offers benefits, avoids harm, and respects [...]
Bodily autonomy, as my grandmother’s struggle showed me, is indeed a universal human right
We can protect that by supporting the End-of-Life Options Act in the Minnesota Legislature. Read more here!
Gene-edited pig kidney transplanted into a living patient for the first time
In a new test of xenotransplantation, a medical team at Massachusetts General Hospital announced Thursday that, for the first time, it had transplanted a kidney from a CRISPR gene-edited pig into a living patient. Surgeons [...]
I interviewed Chat GPT on AI, ethics, and morality.
This article is the first in a series on Artificial Intelligence and the ethics of AL. I started with this interview of Chat GPT to ask hard questions on morality and ethics. For years, I’ve [...]
Conflicts in Gaza and around the world create a perfect storm for infectious disease outbreaks
The global history of conflicts has revealed that infectious diseases resulting from displacement, overcrowding, healthcare collapse, destruction of critical water and sanitation infrastructure, and malnutrition can cause death rates equal or beyond those Read more [...]
‘It’s a bit chaotic’: Hospitals struggle to validate AI-generated clinical summaries
Rob Bart remembers what it felt like, the moment of discovery. As an intern at Duke University Medical Center in the ’90s, he’d sometimes be tasked with poring through a patient’s medical history to uncover [...]
Frozen legacy: The battle for posthumous parenthood in Ukraine
Yehor Terekhov and his wife Anna had always planned to have children. But when Yehor was injured on the front lines of the war in Ukraine, they decided to freeze that possibility — literally. The couple, who live [...]
Amid the battle over abortion rights, a failure to agree on how to define abortion
Every year, Lisa Campo-Engelstein tells her medical ethics class the story of Isabel: A fictional character who arrives at a health clinic seeking an abortion. Doctors determine that Isabel is 37 weeks pregnant and, what’s [...]
Professor Frederick L. Licciardi MD NYU Langone Fertility Center
One of our notable keynote speakers at "Wars, Diseases, and Bioethics" Spring School Online, March 25-30, 2024 is Dr. Frederick L. Licciardi – world leading expert in Reproductive Endocrinologist & Infertility Specialist. He is a [...]
Call for Applications: “Wars, Diseases & Bioethics” Online Spring School March 25-30 2024
Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the spring school to be held from March 25 to 30, 2024. The spring school includes lectures and seminars, film screenings, [...]
Looking for a bioethics educational opportunity this Spring ?
BEI is now accepting applications for online spring session Wars, Diseases, and Bioethics from March 25-30 2024. Graduate certificates and scholarships are available. Scholarship Application Due: March 18 Read more here!
Call for Applications: “Wars, Diseases & Bioethics” Online Spring School March 25-30 2024
Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the spring school to be held from March 25 to 30, 2024. The spring school includes lectures and seminars, film screenings, [...]
FDA approves human trials for Parkinson’s treatment
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- The FDA recently approved human trials for Parkinson's treatment for patients. Biologist Jeanne Loring researched these treatments to help patients with Parkinson's in La Jolla. The treatment research includes taking stem [...]
Resurrecting loved ones as AI ‘ghosts’ could harm your mental health
Resurrecting deceased loved ones using AI could harm mental health, create dependence on the technology and even spur a new religion, researchers have warned. Read more here!
Call for Applications: “Wars, Diseases & Bioethics” Online Spring School March 25-30 2024
Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the spring school to be held from March 25 to 30, 2024. The spring school includes lectures and seminars, film screenings, [...]
Call for Applications: “Wars, Diseases & Bioethics” Online Spring School March 25-30 2024
Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the spring school to be held from March 25 to 30, 2024. The spring school includes lectures and seminars, film screenings, [...]
Holding On to Our Humanity in an Age of Social Robots
Socially interactive robots are becoming increasingly AI-enabled and equipped to serve as our friends, companions, therapists, caregivers, teachers and even lovers. This development has profound personal, social, cultural and ethical ramifications as both a welcome [...]
Reflections on Generative AI, Bioethics and Health? Threats, Risks and Opportunities for Humanity
The rapid advancements in generative artificial intelligence (gAI) have rekindled discussions on the intricate relationship between technology and humanity. Current technology ethics have Read more here!
20 Emerging Technologies That Will Change The World
This video explores 20 emerging technologies and their future. Other related terms: ai, artificial intelligence, future business tech, future technology, future tech, future business technologies, future technologies, artificial general intelligence, future city, radical life extension, crisp, [...]
The Reason Why Tesla Develop Tesla Bot Gen 2! An indispensable Homemaker in 2024!
Introduction: 🌐🤖 Welcome to the Future: Tesla's Optimus Revolution! In this groundbreaking article, we delve into the extraordinary world of Tesla's revolutionary humanoid robot, Optimus. Read more here!
AI Ethics: Why it matters!
In the rapidly advancing realm of AI and ML systems across diverse sectors, the exponential growth in their development has ushered in enhanced efficiency. As we navigate the ethical implications of AI and ML, it becomes [...]
Equal access to fertility care is needed to prevent a depopulation crisis
Decades of policy aimed at curbing population growth has left many countries at the precipice of an unprecedented population decline. Policy makers and employers must work to reverse this trend to avoid catastrophe, but also [...]
Alabama Supreme Court Rules Frozen Embryos Are ‘Children’ Under State Law
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that frozen embryos created during fertility treatments can be considered children under state law. The decision, issued in a pair of wrongful death cases brought by couples who [...]
2 more Alabama clinics pause IVF fertility treatment after court ruling
Two Alabama fertility clinics announced they will stop providing in vitro fertilization treatment days after the state's Supreme Court issued a decision that said frozen embryos are considered children in the state.Alabama Fertility Specialists and the Center [...]
Gaza: “What type of world do we live in when health workers are at risk of being bombed as they carry out their life saving work?” – chief, Tedros Ghebreyesus
What type of world do we live where people cannot get food and water or when people who cannot even walk are not able to receive care? What type of world do we live in [...]
UNSG spokesperson Stéphane : Peace as the cornerstone of collective efforts in challenging times.
Understanding the United Nations and taking action in our own communities is crucial for defending shared ideals and building a better world. The importance of peace as the cornerstone of collective efforts in challenging times. Read [...]
Why It’s So Hard to Get Kids Vaccinated Against COVID-19
When medical treatments or vaccines are hard to get, it's usually because of too much demand and not enough supply. But in the case of COVID-19 vaccines for kids, it’s the other way around: low [...]
The Neuralink Patient Behind the Musk
The sole virtue of Elon Musk’s report on X, formerly known as Twitter, of the first in-human brain implant by his company, Neuralink, is its brevity: “The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering [...]
Robots and the people who love them, with Eve Herold
EVE HEROLD is an award-winning science writer and consultant in the scientific and medical nonprofit space. A longtime communications and policy executive for scientific organizations, she currently serves as Director of Policy Research and Education [...]
The 9th International Day of Women and Girls in Science Assembly
Recognizing the role of women and girls in science as agents of change, including in view of accelerating progress towards the achievement of SDGs 16 and 17, the 9th International Day of Women and Girls [...]
International Day of Women and Girls in Science
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrated on 11 February, is implemented by UNESCO and UN-Women, in collaboration institutions and civil society partners that aim to promote women and girls in science. This Day [...]
A chatbot helped more people access mental-health services
The Limbic chatbot, which screens people seeking help for mental-health problems, led to a significant increase in referrals among minority communities in England. An AI chatbot helped increase the number of patients referred for mental-health services through [...]
Stories from the UN Archive: Biggest moments in UN history
South African leader Nelson Mandela speaks out about crushing apartheid. US Secretary of State Colin Powell holds up a vial in the UN Security Council. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg asks “How dare you?” This #ThrowbackThursday, [...]
Keynote Speaker: Jeanne F. Loring Ph.D.
Dr. Jeanne Loring is a world-renowned stem cell scientist and co-founder of Aspen Neuroscience. Dr. Loring’s work provided the expertise and intellectual property in genomics, iPSCs, and neurobiology that enables Aspen’s autologous therapy approach. Read [...]
Adarsh Srivastava PGDISAD
AI Ethics: Why it matters! In the rapidly advancing realm of AI and ML systems across diverse sectors, the exponential growth in their development has ushered in enhanced efficiency. As we navigate the ethical implications [...]
Will Patients Have To Pay For Using AI In Their Healthcare?
As AI finds its way into everyday clinical settings, a critical question emerges: will patients be asked to pay extra if AI is used in their care? Will patients have to pay more for using [...]
In India, an algorithm declares them dead; they have to prove they’re alive
This story was produced with support from the Pulitzer Center’s AI Accountability Network. Rohtak and New Delhi, India: Dhuli Chand was 102 years old on September 8, 2022, when he led a wedding procession in Rohtak, [...]
Roche AI Ethics Principles
What's your guide for ethical AI? Technology without an ethical compass is problematic. Check out our new Roche guiding document, Roche AI Ethics Principles (Dec 2023): https://lnkd.in/dmHwAFpQ Following diligent benchmarking, Bioethics@Roche and the Data and [...]
200 siblings and counting. And all very sick.
How would it feel to discover that your father is a sperm donor, that you have at least 200 half-siblings, and that all of them have serious health problems? A profile in USA Today of a 24-year-old [...]
The Origins of International Holocaust Remembrance Day
In 2005, the United Nations declared January 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In the resolution, it is stated that every member of the UN should honor the six million Jews as well as those members [...]
Celebrity Media Live Stream：2024 United Nations Holocaust Memorial Ceremony
2024 Observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust The memorial ceremony takes place on Friday 26 January 2024 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST, in the [...]
Keynote Speaker: Frederick Licciardi M.D.
Scientific Foundation for the Ethical Discussion of Fertility Treatments. The term “Reproductive Technologies” encompasses a wide range of therapies used to help those women and couples who cannot conceive a child. Since it’s inception, [...]
How Long Does It Take to Get COVID-19? Here’s What a New Study Says
With COVID-19 spreading as widely as it is right now, you run the risk of meeting an infected person every time you go into a public place. But every trip to the pharmacy or meal in [...]
Keynote Speaker: Bryn Williams-Jones PhD
We are honored to have Bryn Williams-Jones PhD, professor of Bioethics and Director of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine in the School of Public Health (ESPUM) at the University of Montreal, with [...]
WHO Clip on Israel to Approve Requests for Humanitarian Aid
WHO calls on Israel to approve their requests for humanitarian aid. View the clip here!
Lookahead to 2024: January to June
In 2024, the UN will once again be at the heart of international efforts to tackle the world's most urgent challenges, from bolstering the global economy, to supporting climate action and keeping the peace [...]
Top 6 Medical Trends To Watch for 2024 by Bertalan Meskó
As we step into the new year, the landscape of healthcare is poised for groundbreaking transformations. In this article, Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD, Director of The Medical Futurist Institute, presents a compelling overview of [...]
Security Council discusses crisis in the Middle East; UN chief warns of conflict’s ‘further spillover’
The UN Secretary-General on Friday voiced grave concerns over “further spillover” of the conflict in Gaza, as the Security Council discussed the situation in the Middle East against the backdrop of escalating violence between [...]
Bioethics in Wartime by Eric Cohen
Amid World War II, C. S. Lewis addressed a class of Oxford students on “Learning in War-Time.” With so much uncertainty, so many peers dying in the trenches, so much suffering and destruction, why [...]
‘Act On the Lessons of Covid-19’, Gutteres says on Epidemic Preparedness Day
The world must prepare for the next pandemic and act on lessons learned from COVID-19, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message on Wednesday to mark the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness. The [...]
2023 marked by achievements and ‘avoidable suffering’: WHO Chief
The past year saw significant milestones and challenges in global public health but also immense and avoidable suffering, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. Reflecting on 2023, which also [...]
ICRC Clip Regarding Armed Conflicts Worldwide
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) released a clip regarding the armed conflict worldwide. Established in 1863, the ICRC is at the origin of the Geneva Conventions and the International Red Cross [...]
Keynote Speaker: Jonathan D. Moreno, Ph.D.
Apply Today to 'Wars, Diseases and Bioethics' Spring School Online' (March 25-30, 2024)! We are honored to have Professor Jonathan D. Moreno, David and Lyn Silfen University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, with his expertise [...]
Gaza hospital destroyed, WHO chief reiterates ceasefire call
The head of the UN health agency Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has spoken out against the “effective destruction” of a hospital in northern Gaza by Israeli forces over the weekend, leading to the deaths of eight [...]
UN workers delivering aid to Gaza hospital describe ‘bloodbath’ in overflowing emergency department
UN workers delivering medical supplies to the Al-Shifa Hospital in north Gaza on 16 December have described the emergency department as a “bloodbath”, with hundreds of injured people inside, and a constant flow of new patients. [...]
‘Humanitarian disaster zone’: Gaza hospital capacity decimated
The last barely functioning hospital in northern Gaza is a “humanitarian disaster zone”, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, highlighting the disastrous consequences of ongoing Israeli bombardment for critically ill and injured [...]
Infertile people, gay and trans couples yearn for progress on lab-made eggs and sperm
Diana and Paul Zucknick have tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to have children. The Austin, Texas, couple are intrigued by scientific research that may someday make it possible to create eggs and sperm from their skin [...]
Dozens killed as Israel strikes Gaza, West Bank
The main hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah received overnight (Monday into Tuesday) the bodies of at least 33 people, including 14 women and four children, who were killed in Israel’s intense [...]
War and peace: Israeli physicians treating Palestinian patients
In the midst of the bitter war between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza, there is a ray of humanitarian light. In a letter to The Lancet, three doctors from the Rambam Health Care Campus, [...]
Bowen: US uses veto but pressure for Gaza ceasefire is building
UN secretary general António Guterres has spoken about the "serious risk to the maintenance of international peace and security" in the Gaza conflict, citing the spillover of hostilities in "the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, [...]
In Gaza, disease could be even deadlier than airstrikes, WHO says
CNN — As the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, there’s growing concern about how the situation may raise the risk of disease and illness in Gaza. There could be more deaths in Gaza from disease and a broken health infrastructure [...]
Bioethics Education International Spring School Online, March 25-30 2024
Wars, Diseases & Bioethics @ Online Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the spring school to be held from March 25 to 30, 2024. The spring school includes [...]
How should doctors approach the war in Gaza?
“Do leaders in health care have any responsibilities to speak out, as health professionals, about the Israel-Hamas war?” asks an op-ed in JAMA. Yes, says Matthew K. Wynia, of the University of Colorado Center for Bioethics [...]
American Medical Association spurns assisted suicide proposals
The American Medical Association has resisted a push to adopt a position of neutrality on assisted suicide and euthanasia. In its interim meeting earlier this month, delegates voted down two resolutions which would have substantially [...]
Attacks on health care in Gaza Strip unacceptable, says WHO
4 November 2023 — WHO condemns the attacks on 3 November near Al-Shifa Hospital, Al-Quds Hospital, and the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza City and North Gaza governorates. According to reports, at Al-Shifa Hospital, ambulances were [...]
Risk of disease spread soars in Gaza as health facilities, water and sanitation systems disrupted
8 November 2023 – As deaths and injuries in Gaza continue to rise due to intensified hostilities, intense overcrowding and disrupted health, water, and sanitation systems pose an added danger: the rapid spread of infectious [...]
Gaza’s collapsing health system shows struggles of medical care in war
The Gaza Strip’s health-care system stands on the brink of collapse as bombings damage hospitals and ambulances and as generators run out of fuel, highlighting how quality medical care is a casualty of war. Read more here!
Gaza’s kidney patients face dialysis crisis at jam-packed hospitals
Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip – Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, the only hospital still functioning in the central Gaza Strip, reached full capacity days ago. Injured people lie on the hospital floors, medical tents and mattresses holding [...]
Gaza War 2023
GENEVA (19 October 2023) – UN experts* today expressed outrage against the deadly strike at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, which killed more than 470 civilians on Tuesday (17) and trapped hundreds under [...]
OPCW confirms: All declared chemical weapons stockpiles verified as irreversibly destroyed
The United States of America, the last possessor State, completed the destruction of its declared chemical weapons stockpile Read more here!
We bridge science, policy and impact.
Today was the first meeting of my new Scientific Advisory Board – assessing the risks and opportunities of AI, biotech & climate. We are committed to bridging the science-policy divide. Less bureaucracy and more science [...]
Scientists race to understand highly mutated coronavirus variant spotted in four countries, including the US
Scientists race to understand highly mutated coronavirus variant spotted in four countries, including the US. Read more here!
2023 Wars, Pandemics, and Bioethics Summer School Online Testimonials
Bioethics Education International (BEI) invited participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the summer school held from July 24 to 29, 2023. The summer school included lectures and seminars, film screenings, and special [...]
2023 Wars, Pandemics, and Bioethics Summer School Online Testimonials
Bioethics Education International (BEI) invited participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the summer school held from July 24 to 29, 2023. The summer school included lectures and seminars, film screenings, and special [...]
Bioethics and War
by Henk Ten Have In bioethics, the issue of war has not been treated as a major concern. The field can do more to articulate the responsibilities of health practitioners and scientists, arguing that Red [...]
Bioethics Education International Summer School 2023 Online
Wars, Pandemics & Bioethics @ Online Jul 24 – Jul 29 Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the summer school to be held from July 24 to 29, [...]
UNHCR Calls for Concerted Action as Forced Displacement Hits New High of 110 Million
The full-scale war in Ukraine, alongside other conflicts and climate-driven upheaval, meant more people than ever remained uprooted from their homes last year, heightening the urgency for immediate, collective action to alleviate the global crisis, [...]
Keynote Speaker: Thalia Arawi, Ph.D.
Apply Today to ‘Wars, Pandemics and Bioethics’ Summer School Online (July 24-29, 2023)! Dr. Thalia Arawi is the Founding Director of the Salim El-Hoss Bioethics and Professionalism Program (SHBPP) at the American University of Beirut [...]
Keynote Speaker: Phaik Yeong Cheah, Ph.D.
Apply Today to 'Wars, Pandemics and Bioethics' Summer School Online (July 24-29, 2023)! And gain insights from one of our, distinguished keynote speakers, Phaik Yeong Cheah. A Global health expert from University of Oxford, she [...]
Keynote Speaker: Jonathan D. Moreno, Ph.D.
Apply Today to 'Wars, Pandemics and Bioethics' Summer School Online (July 24-29, 2023)! We are honored to have Professor Jonathan D. Moreno, David and Lyn Silfen University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, with his [...]
We Have Met the Enemy and It Is Us
by Arthur Kaplan In 1978, I was doing a rotation at New York Presbyterian Hospital of Columbia University. I was there as a “special student,” having gotten permission from some higher ups to learn something [...]
Bioethics Education International Summer School 2023 Online
Wars, Pandemics & Bioethics @ Online Jul 24 – Jul 29 all-day Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the summer school to be held from July 24 to 29, [...]
How can organizations prepare for generative AI?
How can different organizations and individuals implement AI effectively and properly appreciate its risk? This article examines how businesses can ensure the ethical deployment of generative AI. Read more here!
Russian attack on Ukrainian clinic kills two and wounds 30, Kyiv says
KYIV, May 26 (Reuters) - A Russian missile hit a clinic in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Friday, killing two people and wounding 30 in an attack that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called a [...]
“Animal Liberation Now!” – Peter Singer – Sentientism
Peter Singer is often referred to as the “world’s most influential living philosopher.” He is the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specialises in applied ethics, approaching the subject from a [...]
Medical Interpretation in the U.S. is Inadequate and Harming Patients
Over the past few decades, many major cities in the United States have become more diverse and gained more residents with limited English proficiency. Health care systems have attempted to accommodate these residents, but their medical interpreter [...]
Brain implants help paralysed man to walk again
A paralyzed man has been able to walk simply by thinking about it thanks to electronic brain implants, a medical first he says has changed his life. Read more here!
Canadian prisoners are choosing euthanasia but the public is none the wiser
Canada is the only country which regards euthanasia for people incarcerated in prisons as a human right. Nine prisoners have received euthanasia in the seven years since legalisation – more than any other country. But [...]
Covid-resistant bats could be key to fighting the next pandemic
The only mammals that fly are not affected by coronaviruses. Scientists are trying to work out why. Read more here!
Making an Advance Research Directive: An Interview Study with Adults Aged 55 and Older with Interests in Dementia Research
Many people with dementia are interested in taking part in research, including when they no longer have capacity to provide informed consent. Advance research directives (ARD) enable people to document their wishes about research participation [...]
What Remains of the Constitutional Right to Refuse Treatment?
The Supreme Court’s 1990 decision in Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, recognized an individual constitutional right to decline life-sustaining medical treatment. The Court reinforced that right a few years later. But last year’s [...]
Sudan crisis: Hospitals damaged and overwhelmed
The ongoing fighting in Sudan has already destroyed numerous medical facilities and forced many doctors and other health care workers to flee. Those who can bear to remain have been overwhelmed with patients. Read more [...]
Thousands of foreign-trained nurses can now practise in Canada as provinces change licensing rules
Several provinces in Canada are passing regulations to change licensing rules which will allow thousands of foreign-trained nurses to practice in their provinces. For more information click here!
China Could Permit IVF for Single Women
China is considering granting single women access to in-viro fertilization methodology as a means to slow country aging, For more information, click here!
Ukraine Could Ban International Surrogacy
The Ukrainian parliament has proposed a ban on surrogacy for foreigners to mitigate harms to Ukrainian women. Click here to read more!
Bioethics Education Summer School Online, July 24 – 29 2023
Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites participants, students, and professionals across the globe to attend the Online Summer School to be held on July 24 -29, 2023. CURRICULUM The summer program includes a series of lectures and [...]
NATO Should Start Preparing Troops For a Nuclear Battlefield
Our own history can help prepare for the physical and psychological effects should Russia use tactical nukes in the next conflict. Read more here!
Ukraine’s health system ‘devastated’ by Russia’s invasion
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., described the damage to the country’s health system and asked leaders for their support. Read more here!
ChatGPT Will See You Now: Doctors Using AI to Answer Patient Questions
Pilot program aims to see if AI will cut time that medical staff spend replying to online inquiries. Read more here!
Are repeat COVID infections dangerous? What the science says
Researchers disagree over how bad it is to be reinfected, and whether COVID-19 can cause lasting changes to the immune system. Read the full article here!
In Oklahoma, a woman was told to wait until she’s ‘crashing’ for abortion care
The molar pregnancy Jaci Statton had would never become a baby. It was cancerous, though. At the last hospital in Oklahoma she went to during her ordeal last month, Statton says staff told her and her husband that [...]
China’s revised regulation on human genome editing: the good news and the bad news
Remember the scandalous revelation of the world’s first births of genome-modified twins (Lulu and Nana) by Dr He Jiankui in 2018? Recently, China revised its regulation on human genome editing. While this is undoubtedly a positive [...]
Will AI be useful for bioethics?
Will ChatGPT become a bioethical tool? Possibly, but not at the moment. A forum in The Hastings Center focused on this issue. Jon F. Merz, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania, asked ChatGPT about [...]
News Abortion: UN is urged to intervene in “human rights crisis” in US after ending of rights
Five international charities have called on the United Nations to act over what they have described as the “human rights crisis” in the United States in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 abortion ruling [...]
Doomsday to Utopia: Meet AI’s Rival Factions
Inside Silicon Valley’s AI sector, fierce divisions are growing over the impact of a new wave of artificial intelligence: While some argue it’s imperative to race ahead, others say the technology presents an existential risk. [...]
STDs Continue to Climb in the US
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are surging in the United States, with notable increases seen in case counts of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Overall, STIs grew by 7% in 2021, reaching 2.5 million cases, according to [...]
Latest ruling on pill shifts US abortion landscape again
A federal appeals court late Wednesday kept an abortion pill available, clarifying the U.S. abortion landscape but not settling it. The court preserved but narrowed access to an abortion pill across the U.S. It was [...]
AI Meets Bioethics Literature: How Did It Do?
In the span of a few months, new artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, GPT-4, and DALL-E have taken the excitement over Big Data to a new level. Much of the attention has been focused on [...]
Nature’s foray into politics may have backfired
In the 2020 election, a swag of high-profile science journals, including Nature, Science, The Lancet, and the New England Journal of Medicine, endorsed Joe Biden as the next President. Their decision to take a stand may have backfired. According [...]
Russia Is Waging War on Ukraine’s Hospitals
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion started in February 2022, the whole of life in Ukraine has been impacted, including its health care system. Hospitals have been destroyed and damaged, medical facilities have been looted, and landmines have been [...]
Cease and desist: Dutch sperm donor who has fathered 550 children is being sued
A Dutch woman and a foundation for children of sperm donors are suing a Dutch man for fathering too many children. Forty-one-year-old Jonathan Jacob Meijer, a musician living in Kenya, is the biological father of at [...]
Nigerian power couple convicted in London over organ trafficking plot
In May last year, a young Nigerian man stumbled into a police station into the English town of Staines, in Surrey, and appealed for help. He had been sleeping rough and was disoriented. His story [...]
The virtues and the vices of the outrageous
A Norwegian bioethicist, Anna Smajdor, recently set out a case for “Whole Body Gestational Donation” – using the wombs of brain-dead women as surrogate mothers – in a leading journal. The response was predictable. As [...]
Asia-Pacific IVF market could reach US$46 billion by 2031
According to a market survey by Allied Market Research, IVF is booming in the Asia-Pacific region. The market size was about $9.3 billion in 2021 but is expected to reach $42 billion by 2031. Read more [...]
How the War in Ukraine Ends
Historian Stephen Kotkin, a former scholar at Princeton and a current professor at Stanford, has studied the history of Soviet empire and Stalin extensively. Beyond his scholarly work, he is well connected to Washington, Moscow, [...]
Mortality rates for American kids are rising for the first time in 50 years
US President Joe Biden is so concerned about the future of American children that he inserted a mandate for affordable child care into a major bill authorising subsidies for vital semiconductor manufacturers. “Lack of childcare is a [...]
Bioethics after Ukraine
In a thoughtful essay in The Hastings Center blog, Jonathan Moreno, a leading bioethicist, reflects on how bioethics will change after the war in Ukraine. Russia will be wounded, isolated, and angry. There could be a [...]
It’s Official: No More Crispr Babies–for Now
After several days of experts chewing on the scientific, ethical, and governance issues associated with human genome editing, the summit’s organizing committee put out its closing statement. Heritable human genome editing—editing embryos that are then implanted [...]
Republicans push wave of bills that would bring homicide charges for abortion
For decades, the mainstream anti-abortion movement promised that it did not believe women who have abortions should be criminally charged. But now, Republican lawmakers in several US states have introduced legislation proposing homicide and other [...]
Judge appears open to blocking medication abortion drug after hearing in Texas
Today's key hearing: A federal judge in Texas asked questions during a high-stakes hearing Wednesday that suggested he is seriously considering blocking the US government’s approval of the drug used for medication abortions and the FDA's moves to relax the [...]
Best Buy-Atrium deal offers glimpse of tech’s future in home health
Best Buy isn’t the first name that comes to mind when people think of health care. But a new partnership between the electronics retailer and Atrium Health, part of the nonprofit health system Advocate Health, [...]
International Coalition to Stop Designer Babies
Signatories of the International Declaration Organisations of the International Coalition to Stop Designer Babies Read more here.
Stop designer babes, says international coalition
A number of groups from around the world have joined forces to create an International Coalition to Stop Designer Babies. They are lobbying against human genome editing and have issued a demand for an international convention [...]
Is Chinese Bioethics Ready to Move Forward from the Crispr Baby Scandal?
China has published a new version of ethical regulations against research through their "Measures for the Ethical Reviews of Life Science and Medical Research Involving Humans." The update was an attempt to move on from [...]
At genome-editing summit, experts worry that rule changes on embryo research in China fall short
At the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing in London, Chinese scientists conveyed that regulations in China as strengthened to prevent the incident of "CRISPR babies" experiment from happening again. The "CRIPSPR babies" experiment, [...]
Seeking an ethical way to support pro-abortion doctors in anti-abortion states
Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, the argument has been made that a doctor's conscience should not be a part of modern medical care. Such an argument was a reference to the duty of the [...]
Daunting medical issues for earthquake survivors are just beginning
As international medical teams stream into the earthquake-ravaged areas of Turkey and Syria, the injuries they are encountering are horrific but no surprise: broken bones, arms and legs crushed by collapsed buildings, infected gashes. But that’s only [...]
Doctors aren’t burned out from overwork. We’re demoralized by our health system.
Doctors have long diagnosed many of our sickest patients with “demoralization syndrome,” a condition commonly associated with terminal illness that’s characterized by a sense of helplessness and loss of purpose. American physicians are now increasingly [...]
How is the World Health Organization funded, and why does it rely so much on Bill Gates?
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – which still stands strong despite its two co-founders splitting up after 27 years of marriage – said last month it was “not right” for the charity to take [...]
Pacific NW parents welcome twins from embryos frozen nearly 30 years ago
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Two babies born to a Pacific Northwest couple now hold the record as the longest-ever frozen embryos to ever result in a successful live birth, according to the National Embryo Donation Center. [...]
Who’s most likely to save us from the next pandemic? The answer may surprise you
"So we're just gonna go in a freezer," says Tulio de Oliveira. We're at the institute that he directs, the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation at Stellenbosch University near Cape Town, South Africa. And [...]
Meet Molly, the baby who came from an embryo frozen when her mom was a year old
The embryo that led to Molly Everette Gibson’s birth in October started its journey in 1992, when it was frozen and placed in a cryogenic freezer in the Midwest. It remained in frigid hibernation until [...]
Gentle giant’s skeleton removed from museum
Charles Byrne, a celebrity known as "The Irish Giant" in late 18th-century London, was a part of "freakshows" due to his large statue. Aware of the public view of his appearance, Byrne wished to be [...]
Emailing Your Doctor May Carry a Fee
Since the pandemic and the subsequent limitation to in-person interactions, electronic health communications, and telemedicine have exponentially increased in the past few years. Due to the increasing number of correspondences between physicians and patients through [...]
New Lawsuit Challenges State Bans on Abortion Pills
GenBioPro, a company that produces abortion drugs, recently filed a lawsuit arguing that the federal Food and Drug Administration's approval of the pill takes precedence over state laws' abortion bans. Along with GenBioPro's lawsuit, many [...]
When Students Change Gender Identity and Parents Don’t Know
New York Times recently published an article regarding the recent tension educators is facing -- should they tell parents when students are socially transitioning at school? Currently, many schools in the United States allow students [...]
F.D.A. Outlines a Plan for Annual Covid Boosters
After a scientific meeting on Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration is proposing to simplify the administration of COVID vaccine shots. Instead of the original vaccines, FDA proposes to offer bivalent doses for primary and [...]
What One Doctor Learns When He Becomes a Patient
In 'Finally,' British neurosurgeon and writer Henry Marsh gets a lesson in empathy. Dr. Henry Marsh, a neurosurgeon diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer at age 71, writes in his book of his experience as a [...]
Global Push to Treat H.I.V. Leaves Children Behind
Sub-Saharan Africa has made steady progress in delivering lifesaving medication to adults, but young patients are harder to reach and 100,000 are dying of AIDS each year. In the past two decades, efforts have been [...]
Cyborg cells could be tools for health and environment
Biomedical engineers have created semi-living 'cyborg cells.' Retaining the capabilities of living cells, but unable to replicate, the cyborg cells could have a wide range of applications, from producing therapeutic drugs to cleaning up pollution. [...]
Scientists Identify How a Biological Pathway Leads Stem Cells to Die or Regenerate
A new study led by Cedars-Sinai and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has determined that altering a cellular process can lead stem cells—cells from which other cells in the body develop—to die or regenerate. The [...]
‘People aren’t taking this seriously’: experts say US Covid surge is big risk
In the fourth year of the pandemic, Covid-19 is once again spreading across America and being driven by the recent holidays, fewer precautions and the continuing evolution of Omicron subvariants of the virus. New sub-variants [...]
The gift that doesn’t keep on giving: non-existence
The philosophy of anti-natalism refuses to die. In the latest issue of Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, Finnish bioethicist Matti Häyry renews the argument for reproductive abstinence. The headline over the article gives the game away: [...]
Ethical ancient DNA research must involve descendant communities, say researchers
The analysis of ancient DNA allows scientists to trace human evolution and make important discoveries about modern populations. The data revealed by ancient DNA sampling can be valuable, but the human remains that carry this [...]
How much should people worry about Covid’s newly-dominant XBB.1.5 variant? Our medical analyst explains
A new Covid-19 variant, XBB.1.5, is spreading rapidly throughout the United States. In December 2022, the proportion of new Covid-19 infections due to this Omicron offshoot have increased from 4% to 18%, according to a January [...]
Womb with a view: EctoLife baby farm eliminates pregnancy and labor
The EctoLife Artificial Womb Facility envisages a controversial new way to be pregnant, with the baby growing in an idealized, but completely inhuman environment: transparent "growth pods" arranged by their hundreds in human baby [...]
Why the U.S. Nursing Shortage Keeps Getting Worse
Nurses in both the U.S. and U.K. flexed their bargaining muscle over the last few weeks amid increasing pressure on the countries’ respective health care system due to COVID-19. About 7,000 nurses from two [...]
The reproducibility issues that haunt health-care AI
Health-care systems are rolling out artificial-intelligence tools for diagnosis and monitoring. But how reliable are the models? Each day, around 350 people in the United States die from lung cancer. Many of those deaths could [...]
Would You Zap Yourself With Electricity to Get Into Shape?
WALL STREET JOURNAL--The result is a more efficient way to build muscle mass and strength, say proponents, who claim that one 20-minute session of whole-body zapping achieves the same benefits as two and half hours of [...]
Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 4 January 2023
WHO--Globally, more than 3 million new cases and 10 000 deaths have been reported in the week of 26 December 2022 to 1 January 2023. This represents a reduction in weekly cases and deaths of [...]
EU, Beijing heading for collision over China’s COVID crisis
The European Union and China on Tuesday moved closer to a political standoff over the COVID-19 crisis, with Beijing vehemently rejecting travel restrictions some EU nations have started to impose that could be expanded in coming days. [...]
Former Colorado funeral home owner sentenced to 20 yrs for selling body parts
Jan 3 (Reuters) - A former Colorado funeral home owner was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Tuesday for defrauding relatives of the dead by dissecting 560 corpses and selling body parts [...]
Russian attacks have struck Ukrainian health-care facilities and providers 715 times
Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyand first lady Olena Zelenska are calling on the international community to pledge new funds to help the country survive the winter, with the top priorities being restoring access to care and [...]
New long COVID rehab programme gives treatment hope to millions of sufferers
Millions of people across Europe are living with long COVID, a condition that has the lingering effects of a COVID-19 infection and is having a major impact on people’s lives. As it is caused by [...]
China races to bolster health system as COVID surge sparks global concern
Cities across China scrambled to install hospital beds and build fever screening clinics on Tuesday as authorities reported five more deaths and international concern grew about Beijing's surprise decision to let the virus run free. China [...]
From ALS treatment to a historic transplant: The biggest medical breakthroughs of 2022
When COVID-19 arrived in the United States, it was all hands on deck. The country’s brightest scientific minds dropped whatever they were doing to join the effort against SARS-CoV-2, developing novel vaccines and treatments [...]
A combination vaccine for flu and COVID-19 is in the works. Here’s what to know.
As the holiday season draws near, more Americans may be sporting two Band-Aids after receiving both their flu shot and the new COVID-19 bivalent booster. Vaccine developers are looking to relieve people from the unpleasantness of getting two shots by creating one [...]
Flu and RSV hit hard and early; now, Covid-19 is starting to rise
Just when you thought it was safe for a holiday visit with your Auntie Mary and her fragile health, RSV and the flu reared their heads – and now Covid-19 numbers are creeping up again. [...]
Base editing: Revolutionary therapy clears girl’s incurable cancer
A teenage girl's incurable cancer has been cleared from her body in the first use of a revolutionary new type of medicine.All other treatments for Alyssa's leukaemia had failed.So doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital [...]
A lonely euthanasia death on Vancouver Island
In assisted dying, it would be unethical to carry out clinical trials. How could you design an experiment in which one person received counselling and another a lethal injection? So often we have to fall [...]
France to begin national conversation on assisted suicide laws
France will begin a national conversation this week on whether laws about end of life -- assisted suicide -- should be changed. The consultative process involves 150 French people, drawn by lot, who will debate the [...]
WHO and the EU renew partnership for Universal Health Coverage
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission yesterday agreed on reinforcing a decade-long collaboration to accelerate the achievement of universal health coverage. The letter of intent foresees an additional contribution from the European [...]
Statement – Winter in Ukraine: people’s health cannot be held hostage
The devastating energy crisis, the deepening mental health emergency, constraints on humanitarian access and the risk of viral infections will make this winter a formidable test for the Ukrainian health system and the Ukrainian people, [...]
Europe accuses US of profiting from war
The growing dispute over Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — a huge tax, climate and health care package — has put fears over a transatlantic trade war high on the political agenda again. EU trade [...]
WHO Ukraine health emergencies and countries hosting refugees
WHO is working through our offices in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, and with partners, to respond to the health emergency triggered by the war. We are delivering specialized medical supplies, coordinating the deployment of medical [...]
Zaporizhzhia strike kills newborn baby at Ukraine hospital
A newborn baby has been killed in a Russian missile strike on a maternity unit in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, emergency services say. The baby's mother, who was the only woman in the facility at [...]
Silicon Valley obsessives turn to pro-natalism
This month, the 8 billionth child entered the world. Demographers believe that the world’s population is moving towards 10 billion. But at some point, the curve will begin to move downwards. People everywhere (except sub-Saharan [...]
Ethics Consult: Fertilize Human Egg With Neanderthal Sperm? — You make the call
Welcome to Ethics Consult -- an opportunity to discuss, debate (respectfully), and learn together. We select an ethical dilemma from a true, but anonymized, patient care case. You vote on your decision in the case [...]
In a First, Rich Countries Agree to Pay for Climate Damages in Poor Nations
After 30 years of deadlock, a new U.N. climate agreement aims to pay developing countries for loss and damage caused by global warming. But huge questions remain about how it would work. SHARM EL [...]
25th anniversary of Oregon’s ‘Death With Dignity Act’
Oregon is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the state’s Death with Dignity Act. Governor Kate Brown officially declared October 27 “End-of-Life Options Day” in Oregon. According to official data, since the law was passed in 1997, 3,280 [...]
Does legalising assisted suicide really decrease non-assisted suicide?
Legalising assisted suicide and euthanasia increases the risk of suicide, according to recent research by the UK’s Anscombe Bioethics Centre. This contradicts the conventional wisdom about jurisdictions where euthanasia or assisted suicide have been legalised. [...]
Popular Culture and Bioethics: Severance
Severance, a popular Emmy Award-winning show streaming on Apple TV+, is a rich cultural artifact. It concerns a team of office workers at a morally questionable company that performs brain surgery on employees to sever [...]
What is the limit for posthumous sperm donation?
A baby has been born in the United Kingdom from 26-year-old sperm. His 47-year-old father, Peter Hickles, describes it as a miracle. “ The fact that he was basically ready to go just before Euro 96 [...]
Biden pins election hopes on abortion rights
President Joe Biden has made abortion a cornerstone of his mid-term campaigning. In a speech at a Democratic National Committee event in Washington last week, he promised the first bill he will send to Congress [...]
Hospitalizations on the rise in New York City as new COVID strains spread rapidly
Hospitalizations are rising again in New York City with the spread of new COVID-19 subvariants that are better at evading immunity. Cases of flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, are also increasing.Read more here. [...]
Prof Cheah Phaik Yeong
Professor Cheah Phaik Yeong is a member of our advisory board and has lectured at our summer school. A visionary in her field, Penang-born Professor Cheah Phaik Yeong achieved distinction when she became a [...]
Will there be a COVID winter wave? What scientists say
Evidence is building that the northern hemisphere is on course for a surge of COVID-19 cases this autumn and winter. New immune-evading strains of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, behaviour changes, and waning immunity mean that [...]
Bioethics – Merck Sustainability Report 2020
Bioethics guides us in how to use the rapidly advancing power of life science and the resulting technologies responsibly and ethically to the ultimate benefit of society, humans and other living beings. However, factors such [...]
Dark cloud over celebrity surgeon in New Hampshire
The award-winning Boston Globe Spotlight team of investigative reporters has targeted a New Hampshire cardiothoracic surgeon. In a series of articles, the Globe claims that Dr Yvon Baribeau had more settlements over surgical deaths than [...]
When did Hollywood actress Anne Heche really die?
After a fiery car crash on August 5, Anne Heche, a Hollywood actress who starred in TV shows and films over 30 years, died on Thursday, August 11, according to the Los Angeles Times, and [...]
Queen Elizabeth II’s forgotten link to the euthanasia debate
The death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday has dominated headlines for the last few days. BioEdge’s editor was searching for a bioethical angle and recalled an article that he wrote in 2011. It revolved [...]
Birx says early pandemic warnings came from Europe: ‘That in itself should be an indictment of our system’
Dr. Deborah Birx, who served as White House coronavirus response coordinator during the Trump administration, said on Sunday that the fact that early data on the COVID-19 pandemic came from Europe should be an “indictment [...]
How US dollars put anti-abortion groups at the heart of Romanian healthcare
It was the middle of summer, and the smell of ripening mirabelle plums filled the streets of Bucharest. Irina Mateescu was almost 18 and living with her grandparents. She had good grades, a boyfriend, and [...]
Novartis reports two children died from acute liver failure after treatment with Zolgensma gene therapy
Two children have died from acute liver failure after being administered Zolgensma, a pricey gene therapy sold by Novartis to treat a rare disease.Read more here.
From reproduction to the right to die: bioethics now
The term ‘bioethics’ was coined in 1926, yet the field itself did not emerge until the 1970s. Although my 1975 university thesis (Prospects for Genetic Therapy in Man) reviewed ethical concerns, it took a [...]
2022 “Bioethics, Wars and Pandemics” Testimonials
Bioethics Education International (BEI) organized “Bioethics, Wars, and Pandemics” Summer School Online, July 18-23 2022. The event was a success and we welcomed participants from around the world with very diverse cultural and educational backgrounds.
Whatever happened to transhumanism?
In 2004 the prominent political scientist Francis Fukuyama described transhumanism as “the world’s most dangerous idea”. In 2011 transhumanism was featured on the cover of Time magazine, under the headline: “2045, the year man becomes [...]
The pigs had been dead for an hour. Scientists made their hearts beat again.
Hours after pumping synthetic fluids through the bodies of dead pigs, a team of researchers from Yale University observed their hearts beginning to beat faintly. Blood circulation was restored, and some cellular functions were revived [...]
U.S. declares monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency
The Biden administration declared the ongoing monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency on Thursday, a move that comes amid growing case counts and a groundswell of criticism over the way the administration has handled the [...]
What Pro-Lifers Should Learn From Kansas
I found myself unshocked by the abortion vote in Kansas, and I don’t understand the shock of others. America has come to poll consistently in favor of abortion in the first trimester with support declining [...]
The Virus Hunters Trying to Prevent the Next Pandemic
Nobody saw SARS-CoV-2 coming. In the early days of the pandemic, researchers were scrambling to collect samples from people who had mysteriously developed fevers, coughs, and breathing problems. Pretty soon, they realized that the disease-causing [...]
Fauci holds up BA.5 booster as best approach to handling COVID this fall
Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said on Monday that a COVID-19 vaccine booster specific to the BA.5 omicron subvariant — which is currently dominant in the U.S. — is the “best guess” for [...]
Dobbs and IVF: a clear and present danger, say doctors
The overturning of Roe v. Wade has created great uncertainty for IVF doctors in the United States, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Although the Dobbs decision does not affect IVF directly, it returns [...]
“Bioethics, Wars, and Pandemics” Testimonials
Bioethics Education International (BEI) organized "Bioethics, Wars, and Pandemics" Summer school Online, July 28-23 2022. Please check the testimonials of some participants. The event was a success and we welcomed participants from around the world [...]
Poorer nations need assurances of dedicated vaccine supplies before the next pandemic
Anyone wondering whether Covid-19 vaccines are making a difference to this deadly and persistent pandemic can be in no doubt: they are. Millions of lives around the world have been saved thanks to the rollout [...]
Monkeypox: WHO declares global health emergency over ‘extraordinary’ outbreak
More than 16,000 cases have now been reported across 74 countries, according to the World Health Organisation.Watch a video to learn more here.
New York City COVID-19 cases surge as unvaccinated take the brunt
COVID-19 cases are continuing to surge in New York City and unvaccinated residents are bearing the brunt. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that, as of Wednesday, the Big Apple has [...]
Polio case confirmed in New York state, health-care providers told to look for more infections
The New York State Health Department confirmed a case of polio on Thursday, the first known infection in the U.S. in nearly a decade. A resident of Rockland County, a suburb of New York City, [...]
Lecturer: Joseph Lowy MD at “Bioethics, Wars & Pandemics” Summer School
Tuesday, July 19th, 2022 1:00 PM-3:00 PM: End-of-Life and Pallitative Care, Joseph Lowy MD, NYU Langone Medical Center, Clinical Professor in Department of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, Director of Palliative Care Service NYU Division of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative [...]
Lecturer: Francis P. Crawley MA at “Bioethics, Wars & Pandemics” Summer School
Tuesday, July 19th, 2022 9:00 AM-11:00 AM: Reconsidering the Nuremburg Code, the Declaration of Helsinki, and CIOMS guidelines in the context of the war in Ukraine, Francis P. Crawley MA, Executive Director of the Good Clinical [...]
Dr. Anthony Fauci shares the latest on COVID variant, monkeypox and mask-wearing
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the White House, spoke with ABC News’ Phil Lipof to answer questions about the new COVID-19 variant, the spread of monkeypox and mask mandates. For the first time [...]
Lecturer: John Loike PhD at “Bioethics, Wars & Pandemics” Summer School
Monday, July 18th, 20221:00 PM-3:00 PM: The Gene Editing Revolution: A CRISPR Perspective, John Loike PhD, Director of the Master of Science Degree and the Graduate Certificate program in Bioethics and Humanities at the New York Medical College, Adjunct [...]
Keynote Speaker: Michael Gross PhD at “Bioethics, Wars & Pandemics” Summer School
Monday, July 18th, 20229:00 AM-11:00 AM: Bioethics, Military Necessity, and International Humanitarian Law, Michael Gross PhD, Professor of Political Science, The University of Haifa, Israel. Read more about our lecturers here
Boston University installs emergency birth control vending machine
A vending machine at Boston University that dispenses emergency contraception is going viral after students advocated for the easy-access to contraception on campus. This comes as reproductive rights remain uncertain following the overturning of Roe [...]
Pharmacies can’t discriminate on reproductive health scripts
The Biden administration is warning pharmacies not to discriminate against women who may seek reproductive health prescriptions, including some that might be involved in ending a pregnancy.The Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday that [...]
Experiencing Racism: Health Care Professionals Speak Out
“My emotions and insecurities were at an all-time high, so much so that I was no longer comfortable coming into work. Do my coworkers also joke about my culture, my skin tone? Do my patients [...]
Infertility Patients and Doctors Fear Abortion Bans Could Restrict I.V.F.
The new state bans don’t explicitly cover embryos created outside the womb, but legal experts say overturning Roe could make it easier to place controls on genetic testing, storage and disposal of them. Read more [...]
We are still living with COVID-19.
People are still getting ill & dying from #COVID19 every week. Your health is precious. Protect yourself & others by taking 6 simple steps: 1️⃣ Get vaccinated 2️⃣ Keep a safe distance 3️⃣ #WearAMask 4️⃣ [...]
Now That BA.5 Is Dominant, Stopping It Will Be Difficult
Around the world, the latest Omicron subvariant, BA.5, is quickly becoming the dominant strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It just took the top spot in the U.S.: As of the last week of June, BA.5 made [...]
Doctors weren’t considered in Dobbs, but now they’re on abortion’s legal front lines
Historically, doctors have played a big role in abortion's legality. Back in the 1860s, physicians with the newly-formed American Medical Association worked to outlaw abortion in the U.S.A century later, they were doing the opposite.In the 1950s [...]
A Doctor’s Medical Training and Experience Level
If you know anyone who has studied to become a doctor, or if you watch TV shows that take place in medical settings, you’ve probably heard terms like "intern," "resident," or "attending." While they are [...]
After Roe, What’s Next for End-of-Life Care?
As concerning as the Supreme Court’s reversal of the constitutional right to abortion was in the Dobbs v. Jackson decision were the comments of Justice Clarence Thomas. In a concurring opinion he took aim at the unenumerated rights that [...]
Monkeypox in Africa: the science the world ignored
After monkeypox cases exploded last month in countries such as Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom — where outbreaks don’t usually occur — a rapid, global response followed, including the distribution of vaccines in some countries. But monkeypox [...]
What causes long COVID? Canadian researchers think they’ve found a key clue
Olympic gold medallist Alex Kopacz may be used to being out of breath when pushing a bobsled, but last year after he was hospitalized for COVID-19, he experienced a very different kind of breathlessness.He was [...]
Abortions can continue in Texas after judge temporarily blocks pre-Roe ban
A Harris County judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a pre-Roe abortion ban in Texas that was being enforced while the state's "trigger" law is yet to take effect.Driving the news: Abortion providers had sued state officials to stop the pre-Roe ban from [...]
There’s another War Between the States coming over abortion
The Supreme Court’s abortion decision is likely to set off a wave of legal and political disputes among states and the federal government unlike anything seen since the years before the Civil War, legal experts say. [...]
Bioethics Without Roe
The 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade has played a subtle but critical role in the history of bioethics in America. The finding of a constitutional right to abortion coincided with the first several years [...]
With Roe Gone, Here’s How to Save Abortion Rights
The Supreme Court confirmed what was long suspected: Roe v. Wade is dead. No time for mourning, let’s get to work on what we must do to save our fundamental reproductive rights.First, let’s take a moment [...]
Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade: Full coverage
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The justices ruled 6-3 to uphold the Mississippi law which bans abortion after fifteen weeks, and overturned Roe v. Wade with a 5-4 vote. [...]
Dozens of elected prosecutors say they will refuse to prosecute abortion care
Dozens of elected prosecutors said Friday they would refuse to prosecute those seeking, assisting or providing abortions after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion.Prosecutors from 29 states, territories and Washington, D.C., [...]
‘It’s important to fight’: US cities erupt in protest as Roe v Wade falls
Massive protests swept across the US in response to the supreme court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion.Soon after the decision was released on Friday, reversing federal reproductive protections that have been in place [...]
‘Bioethics, Wars & Pandemics’, Online Summer School, 18-23 July 2022
Join us for this unique educational opportunity! Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites worldwide students and professionals to attend the 2022 Bioethics Summer School Online “Bioethics, Wars and Pandemics,” which will take place July 18-23, [...]
In war, medical ethics becomes immediate and vital
Conflict zones can be the most unpredictable and demanding environments in which to practice medicine as material deprivation, physical danger and health worker shortages have to be navigated in real time. They also disproportionately affect [...]
World Refugee Day 2022: Addressing the health needs of refugees across the Region
On 20 June we celebrate World Refugee Day, recognizing the strength and courage of the estimated 100 million people around the world who have had to flee their homes.Read more here.The health of refugees everywhere must be [...]
FDA advisers approve COVID-19 vaccine shots for kids under 5
COVID-19 shots for U.S. infants, toddlers and preschoolers moved a step closer Wednesday.The Food and Drug Administration’s outside vaccine advisers gave a thumbs-up to Moderna’s two shots for the littlest kids. The panel is set [...]
New report on the impact of artificial intelligence on the doctor-patient relationship
The Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO) issued a new report on the impact of artificial intelligence on the doctor-patient relationship, prepared by Brent Mittelstadt, Senior Research Fellow [...]
COVID-19 cases are on the rise, again.
Watch video here.
Monkeypox to get a new name, says WHO
It comes after more than 30 scientists wrote last week about the "urgent need for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatising" name for the virus and the disease it causes.Continued reference to the virus as African is both inaccurate [...]
Monkeypox outbreak “poses a real risk” to public health, WHO says
The monkeypox outbreak "poses a real risk" to public health, said the World Health Organization's European chief Wednesday.Driving the news: "The magnitude of this outbreak poses a real risk; the longer the virus circulates, the more it will [...]
CDC issues new guidance on monkeypox symptoms as U.S. cases balloon
The U.S. has reported 72 cases of monkeypox across 18 states in the last month, making it the country's largest monkeypox outbreak ever.That total has grown significantly since the beginning of June, when just 19 cases [...]
Urgent Health Needs Extend Beyond Ukraine’s Borders
A crisis is emerging in the shadow of conflict across Ukraine, one that extends beyond the country’s borders. Ukraine’s already stressed healthcare system is buckling under the weight of expectation and medical needs as people [...]
Mysteries Linger About Covid’s Origins, W.H.O. Report Says
In its first report, a team of international scientists assembled by the World Health Organization to advise on the origins of the coronavirus said on Thursday that bats likely carried an ancestor of the coronavirus [...]
New York fund apologizes for role in Tuskegee syphilis study
For almost 40 years starting in the 1930s, as government researchers purposely let hundreds of Black men die of syphilis in Alabama so they could study the disease, a foundation in New York covered [...]
‘March for Our Lives’ protests against gun violence sweep nation following hundreds of mass shootings
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in hundreds of protests across the country Saturday to push lawmakers to take action on gun violence in the wake of recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, [...]
Omicron, Delta, Alpha, and More: What To Know About the Coronavirus Variants
One thing we know for sure about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is that it is changing constantly. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve seen a number of prominent variants, including Alpha, Beta, [...]
Thousands rally in US against gun violence after Uvalde massacre
Thousands of people have rallied on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and across the US, as part of a renewed push for nationwide gun controls following the recent massacre of students and teachers at [...]
Gun laws: More than 700 people shot dead in the US since the Texas school shooting
Two weeks on from the tragic murder of 19 children and two staff at a primary school in Uvalde, Texas, a special committee has been launched at the US House of Representatives to investigate. Sky [...]
New versions of omicron variant gaining ground in US
Omicron COVID-19 subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 represent an increasing number of new infections in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), though it’s unclear what the impact will be. Read [...]
Horn of Africa braces for ‘explosion of child deaths’ as hunger crisis deepens
To illustrate continuing deep concern about emergency levels of malnutrition in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa, UN Children’s Fund UNICEF reported meeting parents who had to bury their emaciated children by the roadside, as they trekked [...]
Bioethics in the Second Cold War by Jonathan D Moreno PhD
The field that came to be known as bioethics in the late 1960’s is an integral part of the liberal international order intentionally developed in the aftermath of the catastrophe of World War II. [...]
DHS terror threat bulletin warns online forums are encouraging copycat Uvalde attacks
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a terror threat bulletin Tuesday warning that online forums harboring domestic violent extremist content and conspiracy theories have encouraged copycat attacks in the wake of the mass shooting at [...]
Russia-Ukraine war at 100 days: Compassion fatigue is here
Doctors call it “compassion fatigue”.It can be the inevitable cost of devoting a career to caring for patients, of tending to their pain – physical and emotional – of trying to relieve suffering.After some time, [...]
Monkeypox Cases Prompt Additional Contracts for Bavarian Nordic Vaccine
Bavarian Nordic’s smallpox vaccine is approved for use against monkeypox by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada.Bavarian Nordic A/S announced today the signing of a number of supply contracts with undisclosed countries [...]
100 days of war has put Ukraine’s health system under severe pressure : WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday said Ukraine’s health system is under severe pressure after one hundred days of war. It also said it has increased its presence in Ukraine and in the countries [...]
Ohio law would arm teachers after 24 hours of training
The US state of Ohio is set to enact a law that allows teachers and other staff to be armed with guns in schools once they have completed up to 24 hours of initial [...]
Monkeypox has likely spread undetected ‘for some time’: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that hundreds of monkeypox cases have surfaced beyond the African countries where the disease is typically found, warning that the virus has likely been spreading under the radar.“Investigations [...]
Pediatric Gun Deaths Are a Massive Problem in the U.S.
School shootings feel random in their location yet predictable in their occurrence. Killers target elementary, high school and college students in urban, suburban and rural communities. The children killed are Hispanic, white, [...]
Texas School Shooting: It’s Way Past Time We Treat Gun Violence as a Health Crisis
In the United States, there are more than 100 gun deaths each day and about 38,000 each year. Despite the number of deaths, lingering health impacts from gunshot wounds, and the psychological impact a gun death [...]
Our Narrative of Mass Shootings Is Killing Us
Civilization’s oldest stories are war stories. From the Epic of Gilgamesh to The Iliad and The Aeneid, our attractions to war and to storytelling have often been entwined. We tell ourselves stories to impose order on chaotic events in our [...]
Firearm Violence Prevention CDC
Firearm violence is a serious public health problem that impacts the health and safety of Americans. Important gaps remain in our knowledge about the problem and ways to prevent it. Addressing these gaps is [...]
U.S. gun homicides reached highest level in 25 years during Covid pandemic, CDC says
Gun homicides in the U.S. reached their highest level in more than 25 years during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more here
Blaming mass shootings on the nation’s mental health crisis is ‘harmful’, advocates say
Tuesday marked yet another tragic day in America, after a gunman opened fire at an elementary school in rural Texas, leaving 19 children and two teachers dead, and dozens of family members and friends in mourning. Read [...]
Call for Applications: “Bioethics, Wars and Pandemics” Summer School Online (July 18 – 23) 2022
Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the summer school to be held from July 18 to 23, 2022. The summer school includes lectures and seminars, film screenings, and special [...]
Political realities have stopped legislative action after school shootings
The shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday was the second-deadliest school shooting since 1970. But in the aftermath of Columbine, Parkland, Sandy Hook and the nearly 1,000 other school shootings since 2012, advocates for nationwide gun control measures, [...]
Davos 2022: Can lessons learned from the COVID pandemic prevent the next global health crisis?
While COVID-19 has not yet officially been declared over, this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos is already analysing the black box data from the pandemic to find ways to future-proof the world [...]
The ‘five pandemics’ driving 1 million U.S. Covid deaths
Officially, the U.S. will almost certainly reach an awful milestone in the next two weeks: its one millionth recorded Covid-19 death.In reality, this milestone was likely unofficially crossed days or weeks ago, and we’ll never know [...]
Statement for healthcare professionals: How COVID-19 vaccines are regulated for safety and effectiveness
Healthcare professionals and public health authorities have a central role in discussing vaccination against COVID-19 with their patients. Vaccines play a critical role in preventing deaths, hospitalisation caused by infectious diseases. Emerging data on effectiveness [...]
WHO calls for probe into more than 200 Russian attacks on health facilities in Ukraine
The World Health Organization on Tuesday called for investigations into Russian attacks on health-care facilities and ambulances in Ukraine.The global health agency has documented 226 attacks since Russia invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24, according [...]
Long working hours increasing deaths from heart disease and stroke: WHO, ILO
Long working hours led to 745 000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29 per cent increase since 2000, according to the latest estimates by the World Health Organization and the [...]
Guest column: Don’t be fooled by the myths about kids and COVID flourishing on social media
The practice of pediatrics has changed. Children were not supposed to die. Preventable disease and death were just that, preventable. There was no acceptable pediatric body count. At least, not before the first pandemic of [...]
Just How Do Deaths Due to COVID-19 Stack Up?
Despite a likely undercount in many places, COVID-19 is the leading killer in most of Latin America and Western Europe.Read more here
Bioethics Without Roe
The 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade has played a subtle but critical role in the history of bioethics in America. The finding of a constitutional right to abortion coincided with the first several years [...]
Couple from Mali celebrates the first birthday of their nonuplets
The day after the leak of the US Supreme Court’s draft of a repudiation of Roe v. Wade, Mohammed VI Arby, Oumar Arby, Elhadji Arby, Bah Arby, Kadidia Arby, Fatouma Arby, Hawa Arby, Adama Arby and [...]
The mists lift over a post-Roe landscape
This week the online magazine Politico published a leaked draft opinion from the US Supreme Court which would overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision which framed abortion as a constitution right. It’s obviously the biggest bioethics story [...]
UK man brings high court case to have dead wife’s baby with surrogate
A man whose wife died while pregnant with twins after fertility treatment is fighting for the right to use their last remaining frozen embryo to try to have a baby with a surrogate, in a [...]
Health for All Film Festival Awards ceremony 2022
Since the Health for All Film Festival was founded in 2020, almost 3500 short films have been submitted for its three editions.Read more here
WHO launches first ever global report on infection prevention and control
The COVID-19 pandemic and other recent large disease outbreaks have highlighted the extent to which health care settings can contribute to the spread of infections, harming patients, health workers and visitors, if insufficient attention is [...]
Abortion laws worldwide: In what countries is abortion legal?
The U.S. is not alone in having a heated debate about abortion, and laws on the procedure differ in countries around the world.Read more here
Omicron as severe as other COVID variants -large U.S. study
May 5 (Reuters) - The Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV2 virus is intrinsically as severe as previous variants, according to a preprint version of a large U.S. study that counters assumptions in other studies that it was [...]
Louisiana Republicans advance bill to make abortion a crime of murder
Since supreme court draft ruling was published, Democrats have warned of a likely torrent of challenges to established rights.Read more here
Russia-Ukraine War: WHO Reports 162 Attacks On Ukraine’s Healthcare Centres; 73 Fatalities
As the Russia-Ukraine war has intensified, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday revealed that it has recorded nearly 162 attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine since Russia commenced its assault on February 24. Further, [...]
Two years of COVID: The battle to accept airborne transmission
In the early days of the pandemic, did health authorities get it wrong on airborne transmission?Read more here
COVID in China: Lockdown preparations amid questionable medical treatments
Beijing has ordered mass coronavirus testing for nearly all of its 21 million residents. Only 70 cases have been found in China's capital since last Friday. Beijing health authorities insist the virus can still be [...]
Should peer reviewers be paid to review academic papers?
Aczel and colleagues estimated that the total time that reviewers worked on peer reviews globally was over 100 million hours in 2020. The peer review system in academic publishing is not only time consuming and costly [...]
WHO: Over 70 killed in attacks on Ukraine health facilities
More than 70 people have been killed and at least 52 injured in attacks on Ukrainian health facilities and personnel since Russia began its unprovoked invasion, according to World Health Organization data on Friday.Read more here [...]
David Nott: The war surgeon helping doctors save lives in Ukraine
On Thursday, trauma surgeon David Nott was in London - a long way from Ukraine. But that didn't stop him from helping to save the leg of a man who'd been caught by a blast [...]
Russian Uragan rockets hit hospital in Donetsk region
Russian troops have employed BM-27 Uragan multiple rocket launcher systems to target the regional traumatology hospital in Lyman, Donetsk Region.Read more here
Vaccines, antibodies, antivirals: How some immunocompromised can cut Covid risk
As more and more Americans doff their masks, immunocompromised individuals may be concerned about their risk levels among largely unmasked crowds.The latest change came Monday, when a federal judge struck down the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention’s [...]
What is the BA.2 or “stealth” Omicron subvariant?
The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently monitoring the original Omicron variant, BA.1, along with several additional subvariants BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3. The subvariant BA.2 has been referred to as “stealth” Omicron because it has genetic [...]
Medical neutrality must be observed in Ukraine
The World Medical Association (WMA) and the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) express deep concern about the conflict in Ukraine initiated by the Russian Federation and strongly stress that the international principle of medical [...]
Report: Only 16% of patients at Israel’s field hospital in Ukraine are refugees
Some three weeks after it opened, Israel’s field hospital in western Ukraine is barely treating war refugees and mostly handling general care of locals, according to a new report.Read more here
China tightens controls as Shanghai reports record Covid cases
Shanghai reported a record number of symptomatic Covid-19 cases on Saturday and other areas across China tightened controls as the country kept up its “dynamic clearance” approach that aims to stamp out the highly transmissible Omicron variant.Read [...]
Millions of Disabled People’s Lives at Risk in Ukraine, U.N. Committee Says
GENEVA (Reuters) - A U.N. committee said on Thursday that the lives of some 2.7 million people with disabilities are at risk in Ukraine, citing reports that many are trapped or abandoned in their homes, [...]
The Dahlia Center and the Travelling “Stem Cell” Road Show
This is a phenomenon that I’ve been following for years, but I’ve been waiting to nail it down better before writing about it. I call it the traveling “stem cell” roadshow. Let me explain.Before I [...]
Zika virus a mutation away from becoming more infectious and harmful, say scientists
There were dozens of cases in the Indian city of Kanpur in November last year and a significant outbreak in Brazil in 2015. The mosquito-borne Zika virus is a single mutation away from becoming more infectious and [...]
Oklahoma governor signs near-total abortion ban, threatens prison for providers
April 12 (Reuters) - Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt on Tuesday signed a bill that makes it illegal to perform an abortion in the state except in medical emergencies, penalizing those who do with up to [...]
WHO records 100th attack on health care in Ukraine
A grim milestone has been crossed today in the war in Ukraine – more than 100 attacks on health care verified by WHO since the start of the war on 24 February. The attacks so [...]
UN General Assembly votes to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Thursday calling for Russia to be suspended from the Human Rights Council. Read more here
Attacks on Health Care in the War in Ukraine: International Law and the Need for Accountability
As of March 31, 2022, the World Health Organization’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA) reported at least 82 attacks on health care in Ukraine, resulting in 72 deaths and 43 injuries. Most [...]
How the War in Ukraine Is Causing Indirect Deaths
The Russian attacks on Ukraine are having a devastating impact on civilians. But the health consequences extend far beyond the effects of bombing and shelling.Read more here
Ukraine war: WHO says attacks on health facilities are rising daily
There have been more than 70 separate attacks on hospitals, ambulances and doctors in Ukraine with the number increasing on a "daily basis", says the World Health Organization (WHO).Read more here
Resilience and the Twin Medical Catastrophes of War and Pandemic
As I sit here in my office at the Slovak Medical University in Bratislava, my colleagues are experiencing great moral anguish because of Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine. Simultaneously, we are also confronting the Omicron [...]
Why Covax, the best hope for vaccinating the world, was doomed to fall short
It was, many experts thought, a noble and necessary effort.The goal: to combat a deadly coronavirus that in early 2020 was already spreading around the world.Read more here
UN General Assembly demands Russia end Ukraine war
The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution demanding aid access and civilian protection in Ukraine – and criticising Russia for creating a ‘dire’ humanitarian situation.Read more here
As Covid Cases Rise Globally, WHO Lists 3 Misleading Claims On Omicron
WHO's COVID-19 Technical Lead Maria Van Kerkhove pointed out that misinformation such as the pandemic is over, Omicron is mild and that it is the last variant, are allowing the virus to thrive.Read more here [...]
Overwhelmed by Omicron, Hong Kong Runs Out of Space for Its Dead
HONG KONG—People are dying from Covid-19 in Hong Kong at a rate that surpasses most of the world’s worst pandemic peaks, with almost 300 deaths a day overwhelming the city’s ability to cope.Read more here [...]
Bioethics in the Second Cold War
Jonathan D. Moreno, PhD, (@pennprof) is the David and Lyn Sllfen Professor of Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania and the Bioethics Education VP.The field that came to be known as bioethics in the late [...]
‘Not alone’: Canadian doctors help train Ukrainian counterparts
Training videos aim to help healthcare workers not specialised in trauma care carry out basic, life-saving procedures amid war.Read more here
Ukraine Is a World Leader in Surrogacy, but Babies Are Now Stranded in a War Zone
In the basement beneath one apartment block in Kyiv, 19 newborns lie in plastic cots, their cries mingling with the blare of air-raid sirens warning of incoming Russian strikes.Read more here
War creeps closer to Kyiv’s surrogacy industry
Surrogacy became much more complicated on February 24 in Ukraine. With the Russian invasion, it was evident that Kyiv would become a war zone. But the babies, the surrogate mothers and the intended parents needed [...]
COVID in Europe: Omicron wave ‘moving east’ doubling cases in some countries, WHO warns
The number of COVID-19 cases has more than doubled in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia, and Ukraine over the past week, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) European office warned on Tuesday.Read more here [...]
Covid-19 cases continue to rise in China’s worst outbreak since Wuhan
(CNN)China reported thousands of new local Covid-19 cases Sunday as the Omicron variant drove the worst outbreak in the country since Wuhan in early 2020, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).Read more here [...]
Mariupol Maternity Hospital Third To Be Destroyed In Ukraine: UN
Jaime Nadal, Ukraine lead for the UNFPA, revealed that the hospital in Mariupol is "not the only one" that has fallen under assault. Read more here
UN political affairs chief warns of ‘utter devastation’ facing Ukraine cities by Russian forces
With the war in Ukraine now in its third week, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo warned the Security Council on Friday that direct attacks against civilians and civilian objects are prohibited under international law, [...]
Health care under siege: Voices from the war in Ukraine
As the war in Ukraine enters its third week, the scale of the devastation is placing the health of all Ukrainians—and the country's health care system itself—in peril.Read more here
Invasion of Ukraine: Neighbours struggle with refugee influx; UN expresses ‘horror’ at Mariupol hospital attack
The exodus of millions of Ukrainians from their country following the Russian invasion could overwhelm neighboring countries, UN humanitarians warned on Wednesday, as the head of the UN Children’s Fund, expressed her horror over the [...]
Russian doctors plead for end to war
Thousands of Russian doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers have signed an open letter to President Vladimir Putin urging him to put an end to war in Ukraine. Read more here
Many faith leaders wary of religious exemptions for vaccine
From the Vatican, Pope Francis has defended the vaccines as “the most reasonable solution to the pandemic.” The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America declared categorically that its followers would not be offered religious exemptions. Robert [...]