“On June 15th, I embarked on a journey to learn more about bioethics. This was the day I started classes at the Global Bioethics Initiative Summer School Program. At this program, wonderful lecturers from various parts of the United States and the world present on a myriad of bioethical topics.
During the first week, a lecture given by Dr. James Hughes really captivated me. It made me think about bioethics-related topics …

We are pleased to inform you that the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations at its 2015 Resumed Session, held from 26 May to 3 June 2015, decided to recommend our organization to be in Special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council at the United Nations. This recommendation is subject to the approval of the Economic and Social Council, which will consider and take action on the Committee’s recommendation at …

By Grace Kim
As mentioned in previous articles, there are many factors that influence organ donors and affect the rate of organ donation, such as asking potential donors a second time or offering incentives through self-interest motivations. An important aspect to factor in organ donors and donation is religion. In many countries outside of the United States, religion is not often as separated from the state. Even in the United States, …

By Kaitlyn Schaeffer
Many couples facing fertility problems turn to the assisted reproduction industry for help – the rise in the number of people seeking in vitro solutions has resulted in an increasingly large number of frozen embryos (as many as one million) being stored across the nation. These frozen embryos occupy an ill-defined space: they are not clearly human, nor clearly not human. Decisions regarding what to do with these …

By Kaitlyn Schaeffer
Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero has big plans for the next few years: he’s preparing to transplant a head onto a donor body.
This past Friday, at a conference in Annapolis, Dr. Canavero announced to a crowd of over 100 doctors, researchers, and reporters that he believes he can accomplish this feat in two years time. He will need a team of 150 surgeons to perform the 36-hour operation. He …

By Rose Bowen
Last week, JAMA Internal Medicine published an article detailing the findings of an investigation into the effects that state policies have on organ donation and transplantation in the United States. Using data from 1988-2010, the researchers found that the majority of state policies promoting voluntary organ donation are ineffective at reducing the current organ shortage, one of our nation’s biggest public health concerns. According to the study, 124,000 …

By Kaitlyn Schaeffer
Yesterday, the California Senate passed the End-of-Life Option Act by a vote of 23 to 14. The bill, if it garners approval from the Assembly and Governor Jerry Brown, will make it legal for California residents with terminal illnesses to end their lives with doctor-prescribed medication.
The bill was modeled after Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act.
While assisted death has long been a subject of debate among Californians, Brittany Maynard …

By Remy Servis
This week, doctors at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas completed the world’s first partial skull and scalp transplant on Jim Boysen, a 55-year-old man from Austin. Since receiving a kidney-pancreas transplant 23 years ago, Mr. Boysen has been taking immunosuppressants to prevent rejection of the new organs. These drugs, while crucial to the quality of Mr. Boysen’s health after the initial transplant, began to affect the smooth muscle …

By Grace Kim
As mentioned in a previous article, approximately 21 people die a day from waiting for organs, and there is an increasing need for organ donors—a higher demand for donations than there is available.
Despite ways to try and increase the number of organ donors, attempts are backfiring. In an interview on NPR, the most common approach to appeal to organ donors is at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). …

by Remy Servis
Bionic, genetically modified “super-humans” have always seemed like a concept of the far future to our common culture’s understanding of evolution and human development. However, with research on altering the human germline becoming more and more prevalent in the scientific community, the possibility of such a being is not as far away as one would expect.
In an article released by the Office of Science and Technology Policy of …