Hurray for the Biotech world – they have developed a way to transform “one type of fully developed adult cell directly into another inside a living animal, a startling advance that could lead to cures for a variety of illnesses and sidestep the political and ethical quagmires associated with embryonic stem cell research,” reports the [...]

Alabama state employees will be required to undergo obesity screenings, along with other medical screenings, starting in January 2009. Those found to be obese will be allotted one year to lose their weight or face a $25 increase in their monthly insurance premiums, reported WebMD (article below).  The bioethicist in me questions what the effects of this new requirement are on [...]

Brain Death remains a valid criteria for defining death, states a nine page Vatican statement (2006) signed by prominent theologians and bioethicists including Cardinals Cottier, Trujillo and Martini and Bishop Sgreccia.  Nonetheless, debates continue regarding when life ends, similar to the debates of when life begins.  
As of June 2007, there were roughly 97,000 people awaiting organ transplants, in [...]

The below article linking climate change, at least part of which is thought to be human-induced, with the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters is old (2000) but nonetheless caught my attention given Bioethics International’s current work with Disaster Preparedness Ethics and Environmental Sustainability.  (J.E.M) —
Climate change is already increasing the frequency and intensity [...]

A new proposed regulation would increase awareness of, and compliance with, three separate laws protecting federally funded health care providers’ right of conscience. This proposed rule was placed on public display at the Federal Register today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
“This proposed regulation is about the legal right of a [...]

The organ donation debate has expanded: from ‘cardiac death’ versus ‘brain death’ to include ‘brain death’ versus ‘informed consent’ as the criteria for valid organ donation. Below is a CNA article on the subject —
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), questioning the criteria of “brain death” and “cardiac death” especially in [...]

“Ob-gyns should routinely screen all women between the ages of 19 and 64 for HIV, regardless of their risk factors”, according to a Committee Opinion, paper issued August 1, 2008 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
“Women represent the fastest growing population of persons infected with HIV in this country, and heterosexual [...]

The below NYTimes article provides insight into the doctor-patient relationship and the mentality and grieving process of clinicians. Worth a read! —
Not long ago, soon after we put our pet dog to sleep, I received a handwritten note from our veterinarian expressing her condolences. The letter was not brief — she described my children’s [...]

As we begin evaluating the US pharmaceutical market’s 2008 growth and performance, the below 2007 report may prove helpful. —
Sales of U.S. prescription drugs grew 3.8% to $286.5 billion in 2007, the lowest increase since a 3.3% rise in 1961, according to the annual U.S. Pharmaceutical Market Performance Review released Wednesday by IMS Health, the [...]