BIOETHICS NEWS Nº 35 [english version] by UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA DE VALENCIA and OBSERVATORIO DE BIOÉTICA + FUNDACIÓN CIENCIA, CULTURA Y VIDA HUMANA

nº 35

                                                             Contact us HERE   July 2015 -  UPDATED

REPORTS

Being raised by a father and mother does matter Recent research has dropped a bomb on the incendiary issue of children of same sex parents. In an article published in the British Journal of Education, American sociologist Paul Sullins concludes that ... It will be impossible for critics …Leer más.

Ageing and disability - XX General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life A comment on the book "Ageing and disability" corresponding to the XX General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life ... The increased life expectancy of the world  …Leer más.

NEWS

Umbilical cord blood banks. What is the ideal type? Since umbilical cord blood banks were first used for stem cell transplants, their number has been increasing permanently worldwide. There are currently three types of umbilical cord blood banks:public, private and mixed. … Leer más.

Paolo Macchiarini is exonerated from scientific fraud We previously published a news story of scientific fraud based on the comments of a medicine journal. Thus reinstate the good name of Paolo Macchiarini in his work on artificial trachea transplants... Leer más.

IN BRIEF

Life expectancy in English women has fallen for the first time Surveys by the Office for National Statistics showed an unexpected fall in life expectancy among women aged over 60 since 2011, which has not happened for … Leer más.

Does human papilloma virus vaccination encourage sexual promiscuity? An ethical issue that often arises is to determine whether human papilloma virus, HPV vaccination could encourage sexual relations between adolescents who have been vaccinated. This was tackled in an extensive study published in JAMA (175; 617-623,2015), … Leer más.

Genome sequencing to be performed in Pakistani and Blangadeshi residents in London On 13th March this year, it was announced that one hundred thousand people in London were to have their genomes sequenced.The genome sequencing study is aimed at comparing the "exomes " of Pakistani and Bangladeshi residents in London with their medical records, in order to determine genetic variants particularly linked to these populations, especially those that relate to heart disease … Leer más.

In vitro fertilisation cause increased medical risks in children A frequently asked question in social media is whether children born through in vitro fertilisation have a higher risk of suffering medical problems than those conceived naturally. A major systematic review that included 38 studies (Fertility and Sterility 13; 707-719, … Leer más.

Withdrawing life support in patients in persistant vegetative state. Is it ethical? One major ethical issue is to determine if artificial nutrition and hydration should be withdrawn from patients in a permanent vegetative state (PVS) or minimally conscious state (MCS). In a study published  … Leer más.

Genitally mutilated women and girls in the United Kingdom An estimated 170,000 women and girls who have suffered genital mutilation live in the United Kingdom (British Medical Journal 2015; 350:n167).

Older woman pregnant with quadruplets after several artificial insemination attempts A 65-year-old German woman, Annegret Raunigk, mother of 13 children and grandmother of seven, has become pregnant again, this time with quadruplets, according to various media reports this Sunday...

Abortion: Italian gynaecologists object to performing abortions More than 70% of Italian gynaecologists have a conscientious objection to performing abortions (Journal of Medical Ethics 41; 170-173, 2015).

Surrogate motherhood opposed by various feminist associations Various feminist associations have spoken out against surrogate motherhood. In this respect, a contribution of a grouping of feminist and human rights organisations to the Hague Conference, ...Leer más.

Ectopic pregnancy risk. Can it be reduced without ethical problems ? Ectopic pregnancy is a potential complication of assisted reproduction techniques. The question that arises is, can anything be done to prevent it? A recent article (Fertility and Sterility 103; 655-661, 2015) found … Leer más.

Underweight in Indian women could affect their children A fifth of children worldwide are born in India. A study conducted in 2005 found that more than one third of Indian women aged between 15 and 49 years old were underweight due to poor nutrition. These deficits in maternal nutrition … Leer más.

Prenatal detection of Down's syndrome is made technic easier A laboratory test which only requires a small sample of the mother's blood has recently been developed to detect Down's syndrome during pregnancy published (New England Journal Medical … Leer más.

Fraud in science continues: 43 articles retracted in a week Fraud in science continues. English publishing house BioMed Central, which publishes 277 scientific and medical journals, has retracted 43 articles "because the peer-review process was inappropriately influenced and compromised". The 43 articles retracted this week were published in medical journals. Most but not all were produced in China (British Medical Journal 2015; 350: h 1783).