News and Articles
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. Bioethics education is crucial for addressing ethical challenges in healthcare and medicine. The intersection of AI and medicine [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Jonathan D. Moreno Ph.D. Keynote Speaker
Jonathan D. Moreno Ph.D. is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is a Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) professor. At Penn, he is also a Professor of Medical [...]
Jeanne F. Loring Ph.D. Keynote Speaker
Co-Founder, Aspen Neuroscience 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 [...]
Frederick L. Licciardi M.D. Keynote Speaker
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 [...]
Bryn Williams-Jones Ph.D. Keynote Speaker
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 which public health interventions were [...]
Bioethics Education Summer School Online, July 24 – 29 2023
Call for Applications: Summer School Online : July 24 – 29 2023 Bioethics Education International (BEI) invites participants (students and professionals) across the globe to attend the summer school to be held from July [...]
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 [...]
Prof Cheah Phaik Yeong
A visionary in her field, Penang-born Professor Cheah Phaik Yeong achieved distinction when she became professor of global health at the University of Oxford, whose work revolves around research related to the health of populations [...]
2022 “Bioethics, Wars and Pandemics” Testimonials
Bioethics Education International (BEI) organized “Bioethics, Wars, and Pandemics” Summer school Online, July 18-23 2022. Please check the testimonials of some participants. The event was a success and we welcomed participants from around the world [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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
Do not assume COVID pandemic reaching ‘end game’, warns WHO
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday that it was dangerous to assume the Omicron variant would herald the end of COVID-19's acutest phase, exhorting nations to stay focused to beat [...]
No, Vaccinated People Are Not ‘Just as Likely’ to Spread the Coronavirus as Unvaccinated People
For many fully vaccinated Americans, the Delta surge spoiled what should’ve been a glorious summer. Those who had cast their masks aside months ago were asked to dust them off. Many are still taking no [...]
Vaccine Refusers Risk Compassion Fatigue
On social media, I’ve been seeing sentiments that I never thought I’d see anyone express in a public forum. People who choose to be unvaccinated should not be offered lung transplants. What if people with [...]
Full FDA approval of Pfizer Covid shot will enable vaccine requirements
Full federal approval of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine will empower businesses and universities to require vaccinations and tip hesitant Americans toward getting the jab, the surgeon general, Dr Vivek Murthy, said on Sunday. Click here to [...]
Covid: trial to study effect of immune system on reinfection
The immune response needed to protect people against reinfection with the coronavirus will be explored in a new human challenge trial, researchers have revealed. Read more here
Merck’s Little Brown Pill Could Transform the Fight Against Covid
The story of what might become the next major breakthrough in Covid-19 treatment starts on a hotel hallway floor in January 2020, months before you were worried about the virus, weeks before you likely knew [...]
In “Challenge Trials,” Participants Put Their Bodies on the Line
Jimmy Bernot watched with interest as the nurse carefully transferred a small amount of liquid containing dozens of hookworm larvae onto a piece of gauze, and then placed it on his wrist. Bernot couldn’t see [...]
CNN On GPS: Are vaccine passports inevitable? Fareed Zakaria
On GPS: Are vaccine passports inevitable? Fareed Zakaria, GPS NYU Professor of medical ethics Arthur Caplan joins Fareed to lay out the benefits and pitfalls of demanding proof of vaccination at borders. Source: CNN [...]
Around 30%’ of eligible NY medical workers refusing COVID-19 vaccine: official
Nearly a third of New York health care workers so far eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine are taking a wait-and-see approach, eschewing the shots at least for the time being, city and state officials said Tuesday. Click [...]
Study suggests Pfizer vaccine works against virus variant
New research suggests Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine can protect against a mutation found in the two more-contagious variants of the coronavirus that have erupted in Britain and South Africa. Click here to read more
Rich Countries Have ‘Bought Up’ COVID-19 Vaccine Supply, Art Caplan Says
The CEO of the world's biggest vaccine producer, Serum Institute, warns that there will not be enough COVID-19 vaccines for the global population until 2024. Medical ethicist Art Caplan spoke with Boston Public Radio on Wednesday about why [...]
First shipments of Pfizer vaccine to be delivered December 15
The first shipments of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine will be delivered on December 15, according to an Operation Warp Speed document obtained by CNN on Tuesday. The document, provided to governors ahead of a call with [...]
Bioethicists worry the rich and powerful will get special access to experimental Covid treatments
When President Donald Trump confirmed Oct. 2 that he was diagnosed with Covid-19, he received a cocktail of therapies — some of which hadn’t yet been approved for general use. Click here to read the [...]
Make pre-approval Covid-19 vaccines available through expanded access, not an EUA
BioNTech, based in Mainz, Germany, announced positive results Monday about the Covid-19 vaccine it is developing with Pfizer. Click here to read more.
The ‘very, very bad look’ of remdesivir, the first FDA-approved COVID-19 drug
October was a good month for Gilead Sciences, the giant manufacturer of antivirals headquartered in Foster City, California. On 8 October, the company inked an agreement to supply the European Union with its drug remdesivir [...]
Learning From the Past? Globalization and Coronavirus Spread
Ana Lita, PhD GBI Co-Founder and Executive Director As we are currently facing the COVID - 19 pandemic, it is evident that we all need more factual information about how to prepare and possibly manage a disaster of this magnitude. At the Global Bioethics Initiative, we want to help address the information gaps and [...]
Testimonials: GBI & MORU Summer School – Bangkok | August 5 – 9, 2019
I am thankful to have had the chance to attend the summer school in Bangkok organized by the Global Bioethics Initiative (GBI), in collaboration with the Department of Bioethics & Engagement, Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine [...]
2020 GBI Summer School to go Online as a Virtual Event
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to provide a level of certainty in planning for our Summer School in 2020, we have decided to deliver this program online as a virtual event. Dates will [...]
February 2020 – Some Reflections on the Novel Coronavirus Outbreak
It was on the last day in 2019 that the news about the novel Coronavirus outbreak was first reported from Wuhan, China. On 31 December 2019, a cluster of pneumonia of unknown etiology was reported [...]
Cultural Diversity Galore at Global Bioethics Initiative, Manhattan Summer School, (July 8 -19), 2019
Cultural factors play an important role in moulding the ethical perceptions of an individual. Daft et al. (2010) define culture as a “set of common values, norms, beliefs, and ideas shared by members of the [...]
Compelling Topics Explored at the GBI Manhattan 2019 Summer School: An Overview of the Lectures
In view of the rapid breakthroughs being made in the realm of science, medicine and pharmacy, coupled together with the innovations in the health technology arena, it has become imperative to view these developments through [...]
Participant Testimonials: GBI Summer School Field Trips – Manhattan | July 8 – 19, 2019
The United Nations Headquarters On July 11, 2019, members of the Global Bioethics Summer Program visited the United Nations. The visit included a stop at the Permanent Memorial to Honour the Victims of Slavery [...]
Participant Testimonials: GBI Summer School – Manhattan | July 8 – 19, 2019
As science and technology continue their quest to improve the health of mankind, the application of ethics in healthcare has become more crucial than ever before. I have had the wonderful opportunity to attend the [...]
Children Without Borders: Crossing Borders to Overcome Infertility
Infertility, or the inability to conceive children after 12 months of sexual intercourse without birth control or the inability to carry a pregnancy to full term, affects around 10 percent of women aged 15 to 44 in the [...]
Bangkok Premiere of Under the Mask.. Drama Film on Real Testimony of Tuberculosis (TB) Patients
MORU (Mahidol Oxford Tropical Research Unit) , SMRU (Shoklo Malaria Research Unit) and FilmAid Foundation invite you to the Bangkok Premiere of Under the Mask on the 17th June. This drama film is based on [...]
DR Congo: ‘No time to lose’ Says Newly Appointed UN Ebola Response Coordinator
"Amidst a surge in new cases, the epidemic has claimed more than 1,200 lives and threatens to spread to other provinces in the east, as well as neighbouring countries. A third of those infected have [...]
A Death in Butembo: Violence Claims Lives of Aid Workers and Endangers Mitigation Efforts
By Michael Bloom, GBI intern, MA Bioethics candidate at New York University Last month, Doctors Without Borders (DWB) saw attacks on two of their Ebola treatment centers in the North Kivu province. Shortly afterward, there was a [...]
Ebola in the DRC: 20 Cases Reported in One Day
World Health Organization: "The rise in number of Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases observed in the North Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues this week. During the last 21 days (20 [...]
How Do We Best Approach the Rapidly Escalating Ebola Epidemic in DRC?
By Kerin Shilla, B.A. Candidate - Hunter College, GBI Intern Edited by Christina Valeros, B.A. Candidate - Hunter College, GBI Intern On March 14th, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director of the World Health Organization, made [...]
DRC: Ebola Response Failing to Gain the Upper Hand on the Epidemic
By Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) 7 March 2019 – Seven months into the largest ever Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Ebola response is failing to bring the epidemic under control [...]
Vaccinating Pregnant Women Against Ebola
By Michael Bloom, GBI Intern Edited by Christina Valeros, GBI Intern Since November 2018, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) has overseen a clinical trial of experimental vaccines to [...]
Ten Ways in which He Jiankui Violated Ethics
This article originally appeared in January 2019 issue of Nature Biotechnology. Reposted with permission of the author Sheldon Krimsky.
Ebola Outbreak in the DRC: A Public Health Emergency of International Concern
by Michael Bloom, GBI Intern Edited by Christina Valeros, GBI Intern The deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recently saw a spike in the number of cases reported. As [...]
Implementing Lessons Learned?: Conflict, Humanitarian Crisis and Ebola in the DRC
Michael Bloom, Bioethics MA Candidate - NYU College of Global Public Health, GBI Intern The current outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), first reported on May 8th [...]
Who’s the Real Patient? An Examination of Suicide Rates Among Physicians
Tea Binder, B.A. Candidate - Vassar College, GBI Intern Edited By: Nada Taha Mostafa “I solemnly pledge to dedicate my life to the service of humanity. The health and well-being of my patient will be [...]
Health Risks and Ethical Considerations of Uterus Transplants
Tea Binder, B.A. Candidate - Vassar College, GBI Intern Edited by: Nada Mohamed Taha “I crave that experience… I want the morning sickness, the backaches, the feet swelling. I want to feel the baby move. [...]
A GBI intern’s perspective on attending the 2018 United Nations General Assembly events in NYC
Rasita Vinay, M. Bioethics Candidate, GBI Intern My ongoing internship with Global Bioethics Initiative (GBI), a not-for-profit international organisation in consultative status with the United Nations ECOSOC, has given me exposure to some pressing global [...]
6 Things You Need to Know About the United Nations General Assembly!
Every year, in September, global leaders and change-makers gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York for two weeks, to discuss the burning issues of our time and set the global agenda for the year [...]
Secretary-General of the United Nations Speaking at a UNESCO event at the UNGA on the Case of Anti-Semitism
GBI staff and interns attended several high-level events at the 73rd session of the General Assembly including the General Debate. The Power of Education for Countering Racism and Discrimination: The case of anti-Semitism 26 Sep [...]
The Impact of Gender Ambiguities on Minors
Ana Lita & Rasita Vinay Would you live your life in a body you feel is unwanted to you? Gender identity disorder, the original term coined for this mental state, was deemed unfit to label [...]
Creating Designer Babies Using Posthumous Sperm
Rasita Vinay, M. Bioethics Candidate, GBI Intern The pioneering of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in 1977 has greatly helped women around the world to overcome their infertility issues. From providing women with a chance to [...]
Participants’ Testimonials: GBI Summer School a Smashing Success | July 23 – August 3, 2018
After the first week of the GBI Summer school, I have found myself fostering an ever-increasing interest in bioethics. The variety and quality of lecturers really brings the topic to life. As a newcomer to [...]
Vive La Bioethique? France’s Bioethics Initiative
by Jonathan D. Moreno, Ph.D., Global Bioethics Initiative, Advisory Board Member David and Lyn Silfen University Professor, University of Pennsylvania Little noticed in the United States but a big deal in France, President Emmanuel Macron announced in [...]
For the Living, a Donated Face. For the Dead, a Lifelike Replacement.
NYU surgeons hope a 3-D printed reproduction will encourage people to donate the faces of dying family members for use as transplants. By ANDY NEWMAN and MARC SANTORA JAN. 5, 2018 Most medical advances benefit the living. This one [...]
First Human Head Transplant Draws Closer As Surgical Team Announces Successful Test In Human Cadaver
Michael S. Dauber, MA, GBI Visiting Scholar On November 17th, Sergio Canavero announced what he claims to be the first successful test of head transplantation in a human cadaver. Canavero gained international attention in [...]
Organ Transplants, Geography, and Wealth
By Michael S. Dauber, GBI Visiting Scholar A recent article in New Republic highlights one of the hallmark areas of ethical controversy in bioethics: designing the fairest possible system for organ transplantation. The article, written [...]
Stem Cells, Regulation, and The Unknown: How Do We Know What To Trust?
by Michael S. Dauber, MA, GBI Visiting Scholar Stem cell research holds significant promise in finding cures for diseases that have traditionally devastated the human body. Earlier this year, Global Bioethics Initiative reviewed Robin L [...]
Costa Rican Organ Trafficking and Ethical Policy: Ethics And The Expansion Of The Black Market
By Michael S. Dauber, M.A., GBI Visiting Scholar One of the most controversial contemporary bioethical issues is organ trafficking: should individuals be allowed to buy and sell organs for therapeutic purposes? In policy terms, the [...]
Recap: UN World Premiere of the Film “Trafficked”
By Jason Choi, B.A., Intern Thursday, October 5, 2017 — Global Bioethics Initiative attended the UN premiere of the new film, Trafficked, at the invitation of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, New York [...]
Call for Abstracts: Age & Longevity in the 21st Century: Science, Policy & Ethics
The three day conference, “Age and Longevity in the 21st Century: Science, Policy, and Ethics”, sponsored by Global Bioethics Initiative, offers a unique opportunity to call attention to the impact of new technologies on the global profile [...]
World Health Organization to Study Healthy Aging
The World Health Organization (WHO) (an organization that operates as part of the United Nations), has announced plans to study important issues in health and aging. Under The Global Online Consultation on Research Priority Setting for [...]
Physician-Assisted Suicide: Moral Rights, Constitutional Law and Self-Determination
By Michael S. Dauber, MA, GBI Visting Scholar The New York Court of Appeals recently rejected the argument that the state constitution violated an individual’s autonomous rights of self-determination in blocking physician-assisted suicide. The suit [...]
Paolo Macchiarini, Fraud, and Oversight: A Case of Falsified Stem Cell Research
by Michael S Dauber, GBI Visiting Scholar According to a recent story by John Rasko and Carl Power in The Guardian, surgeon Paolo Macchiarini’s research in artificial windpipes, previously hailed as pioneering medicine with the [...]
Cells Are the New Cure: The Cutting-Edge Medical Breakthroughs That Are Transforming Our Health by Robin L. Smith, MD and Max Gomez, PhD
Book Reviewed by Michael S. Dauber, MA Cells Are The New Cure, written by Robin Smith, MD, and Max Gomez, PhD, is a book about the history of medical research on cells, both human and [...]
Canadian Law that Excepts Religious Hospitals from Offering Assisted Deaths Disputed by Dying with Dignity
The Canadian not-for-profit Dying with Dignity is considering challenging provincial Ontario legislation that permits religiously affiliated hospitals to refrain from offering medically assisted death. Under current Ontario law, hospitals, hospices and long-term care centers that wish not [...]
Artificial Womb Maintains Lamb Preemie Lives, Signals Hope for Human Preemie Care
Using an artificial womb, a team of researchers affiliated with the University of Western Australia have effectively incubated premature lambs for seven days, signaling potential future advancements for human preemie care options. The American Journal of Obstetrics and [...]
Chimpanzees First Animal to Display Markers of Alzheimer’s
Researchers at Kent State University have found that aged chimpanzees develop brain characteristics that resemble those found in brains of humans with early Alzheimer's disease. Nature has suggested that the "findings from humanity's closest relatives could help researchers to [...]
CRISPR, Pigs, Organs, Ethics: Some Key Considerations
Michael S. Dauber, M.A., GBI Visiting Scholar Luhan Yang and members of her research team at eGenesis have taken a crucial step in growing organs in animals that may be used to provide organs for therapeutic transplants [...]
Few Americans Plan For End-of-Life Decisions, Even If They Are Sick
Michael S. Dauber, MA, GBI Visiting Scholar Many moral dilemmas faced by clinicians, patients, and their families arise when individuals have not made plans for the end of their lives or discussed their wishes with [...]
American CRISPR Experiments and the Future of Regulation
By Michael S. Dauber, MA, GBI Visiting Scholar According to a report in The MIT Technology Review, researchers in a lab based in Portland, Oregon have successfully created genetically modified human embryos for the first [...]
Autopsy Study Detects Neurodegenerative Disease Features in 99% of NFL Player Brains
A study of 202 deceased football players' brains has found that 87% of participants demonstrated features of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma. 99% of the National Football League (NFL) players [...]
Wisconsin Company to Implant Microchips in Consenting Employees
A company in Wisconsin is offering employees the option of being implanted with microchips that will allow them to simply swipe their hands to carry out tasks such as opening company doors, making break room purchases, and logging [...]
Tennessee Inmates Consenting to Vasectomies or Birth Control Implants Offered Reduced Time
If Tennessee inmates consent to receiving a free vasectomy or birth control implant, Judge Sam Benningfield has ruled that they can have their jail time reduced by up to thirty days. Critics are claiming that [...]
Disability Rights Advocates Sue Uber for Wheelchair Inaccessible Cars
Nonprofit organization Disability Rights Advocates has filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber, claiming that the ride service discriminates against riders with disabilities in New York City. Filed in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan [...]
Study Finds Memory Recognition Technology to be Effective Tool for Jurors in Evaluating Defendants
Published in the Journal of Law and the Biosciences, a report on "The Limited Effect of Electroencephalography Memory Recognition Evidence on Assessments of Defendant Credibility" suggests that American jurors can properly apply the results from brain-based memory recognition technology used on criminal [...]
Charlie Gard: Judge Allows Parents of Terminally Ill Infant to Consult American Doctor
A London High Court judge has ruled that terminally ill infant Charlie Gard can be examined by a doctor from the United States, amidst his parents' battle to pursue experimental therapy abroad instead of the terminated life support prescribed by his British doctors. The 11-month-old [...]
Pope Francis’ Appointments to Bioethics Board Suggest Progressive Turn
Four notable American ethicists have been appointed by Pope Francis to his bioethics advisory board, and are projected to potentially “temper the group’s conservative views on sexual morality and life issues,” according to the National Catholic [...]
Pharmaceutical Company Removes Opioid Opana from Market Due to Addictiveness
Pharmaceutical company Endo has declared that it will be retracting its opioid Opana ER, a potent and addictive pain medication, from the market in light of a June 2017 FDA withdrawal request. Citing the drug’s [...]
Texas Governor Abbott Authorizes Use of Experimental Stem Cell Therapies
The government of Texas has passed a bill permitting clinics statewide to use experimental stem cell therapies on select chronically and terminally ill patients. Signed by Governor Greg Abbott, the legislation is akin to the [...]
Participants’ Testimonials: GBI Summer School a Smashing Success, (June 19-30), 2017
The GBI Summer School proved to be even better than anticipated or described. As a newcomer to the discipline, I had expected the course to provide a broad overview of topics and speakers. Indeed, [...]
Global Bioethics, Human Rights and Public Policy Summer School, Manhattan (June 19-30), 2017 – Field Trips
by Anaeke Paschal Chinonye I am a Ph.D. of Philosophy student at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. I am the winner of a partial scholarship, which gave me the possibility to attend this unique and very interesting [...]
Global Bioethics Initiative (GBI) Launches its third International Summer School (June 19-30), 2017
June 19, 2017 (New York, NY) - GBI is commencing its third annual International Bieothics Summer School, sponsored by Pace University's College of Health Professions and New York Medical College. Led by experts in the field of [...]
Canada Today: End-of-Life Stories
In summary, this is a brief article consisting of multiple short stories. They particularly provide perspectives of patients in Canada who have faced end-of-life situations. Based on Catherine Porter’s article, there are various contextual motives [...]
The Future of Bioethics: Organ Transplantation, Genetic Testing, and Euthanasia
By Ana Lita When you think of bioethics, some of the first hot-button topics you may consider are organ transplantation, fertility and genetic engineering, and end-of-life-care. The Global Bioethics Initiative serves as a platform to address [...]
“Global Bioethics: An Introduction”- A Reflection on the Globalisation of Bioethics
By: Robyn Perry-Thomas Reaching a consensus on a comprehensive definition of global bioethics and its importance is surprisingly difficult. Yet, Professor Henk Ten Have has taken on this challenge, and much more, with ease, in [...]
Using CRISPR for Human Gene Editing – NOT for Designing Babies
By: Ashwini Nagappan Recently, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine published a report on the use of CRISPR technology for gene editing. The need for such a report stems from [...]
Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court: His Bioethical Perspectives
By: Ashwini Nagappan Neil Gorsuch was announced as President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court on 31st January 2017, leading many to examine his stance on prevailing controversial issues, such as end-of-life care and abortion. [...]
The Formation of the Global Bioethics Initiative Featured in IMPAKTER
In this series of global leaders, we will highlight an international non-profit healthcare organization that provides a bridge between patient care and the complexities of medicine. This area of healthcare is often referred to as [...]
Morals and Mandates: Who Is Responsible For The Healthcare Needs of Undocumented Immigrants?
By: Robyn Perry-Thomas On January 28th, the day after President Trump’s executive immigration order was announced, airports brimmed with voices of discontent, disbelief and dismay of its consequences. Since then, a diverse array of stakeholders [...]
Bringing Back the Dead via Chatbot: Some Concerns
By: Ashwini Nagappan If given the opportunity to talk to a deceased loved one, would you take it? Technology has advanced from Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri to personalized “chatbots,” a digital reflection of one’s [...]
Turning to the Kidney Black Market as a Last Resort
By: Ashwini Nagappan Many living-donor organ transplants involve kidneys because humans can survive with just one. Currently, many people around the world eagerly wait for a viable kidney. Unfortunately for some, the passive wait ends [...]
Human-Pig Chimeras: The Potential and Concerns Of Hybrid Human-Animal Organs
One of the great advances in modern medicine has been the success of organ transplantation. Whilst complications still arise from its use, the refinement of drugs designed to reduce organ rejection alongside other improvements, mean [...]
Stem Cell Therapy Has a Lot to Offer…It Just May Take Some Time to Get There
By: Ashwini Nagappan In conversation with the New York Times, Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, the director of Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application and researcher at the Gladstone Institutes, illuminates the complexities and [...]
Organ Donation in France: the Opt-Out System
Legislation has recently come into effect in France that now presumes consent to organ donation. France’s previous policy required doctors to consult relatives in cases where deceased individuals had no clear directives regarding organ donation, [...]
GBI excited to announce new President, Dr. Bruce Gelb
Global Bioethics Initiative is pleased to announce the election of Dr. Bruce Gelb, M.D., F.A.C.S, as President of the Board of Directors. Dr. Gelb is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center, [...]
The future of bioethics under President-elect Trump: Professor Moreno’s Thoughts
It is difficult to predict the fate of bioethics in the coming years under the new President-elect Trump, states Professor Jonathan Moreno, an Advisory Board member of Global Bioethics Initiative. He is also a Professor of [...]
After the election bioethics faces a rocky road
By Arthur Caplan Academic bioethics has never been popular with Republicans. Libertarians dislike academic bioethics because it seems too elitist and anti-free market. Religious thinkers worry it is technocratic, soulless and crassly utilitarian. Now with [...]
Novel system to get dying patients an experimental cancer drug raises hopes — and thorny questions
By KAREN WEINTRAUB @kweintraub NOVEMBER 8, 2016 The drug was still experimental, but clinical trials suggested it could be a lifesaver for patients with a lethal form of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. And [...]
The most extensive face transplant performed by surgeons at NYU Langone Medical Center
Face transplants are slowly becoming an everyday surgery in the world. Just this past August, Dr. Eduardo Rodríguez performed one. In a 26-hour operation, the most extensive face transplant operation to date, the plastic surgeon [...]
Organs for the rich and cute: Should patients campaign for their own donors?
By Ada Roberts This week the Canadian Society of Transplantation released a report officially sanctioning the practice of publicly campaigning for organ donors, a practice that made headlines last year when two Canadian parents were [...]
The Resurrection Project, New Scientist Cover Story
The Resurrection Project We can't stop death, but we can try to reverse it by Helen Thomson "We already have small biobanks for storing bones from human donors, as well as tendons, ligaments and stem [...]
Participant Testimonials Manhattan Summer School Program, July 11 – 22, 2016
In just the first week of the course, I’ve been exposed to world-class thought leaders speaking on critically emerging ethical issues of global impact in ways that transform hypothetical case studies to real-world dilemmas. [...]
Successful Launch Dubrovnik Summer School Program, August 5 – 14, 2016
Global Bioethics Initiative in partnership with the University of Zagreb School of Medicine and Inter-University Centre invited students and professionals worldwide to attend Dubrovnik International Bioethics Summer School, August 5-14, 2016 - DIBSS. Our summer school program brought [...]
One Step Closer to Tailored-Made Humans
The researcher and biologist Fredrik Lanner, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, started to edit the DNA of healthy human embryos. This is the first reported action taken in gene editing on developing human embryos [...]
Drug Prices: What Can Be Done?
In it's latest opinion, Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal, argues that everyday drugs like EpiPen, should be economically affordable to all. After Mylan, the pharmaceutical company and owner of EpiPen, raised the drug's price from $100 in 2008 to [...]
Should Big Pharma help combat the Zika virus?
In less than a year, 30 vaccines are in development to help fight the Zika virus; and two of them are already on the human trial phase. Nonetheless, it will take at least a few [...]
The Health Care Costs Debate Gets Another Chance
GlaxoSmithKline's new therapy sparks up the health care costs debate With Biotech giant GlaxoSmithKline newly developed cure for "bubble-boy" disease, the health care costs debate gets another chance to take the public arena. The highly priced drug, Strimvelis, [...]
“Honoring Stories of Illness” – Discussion with Dr. Rita Charon, Narrative Medicine Expert
On July 21, 2016, Dr. Rita Charon, M.D., Ph.D, Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and Executive Director of the Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University lectured for GBI summer school participants and guests on the principles underlying narrative medicine and [...]
Summer program participants’ testimonials, Manhattan, July 11-22, 2016
In just the first week of the course, I’ve been exposed to world-class thought leaders speaking on critically emerging ethical issues of global impact in ways that transform hypothetical case studies to real-world dilemmas. [...]
Welcoming Reception on July 12th, NYSEC
Successful Launch of the 2nd Edition Global Bioethics Summer Program in Manhattan, NYC 2016! Interested in getting involved in bioethics? Join Global Bioethics Initiative's summer program organized annually in Manhattan, NYC and Dubrovnik, Croatia, to discuss controversial issues [...]
Bioethics after Brexit
By Jonathan D. Moreno It is too soon to know how the crisis that has been created by Britain’s vote to leave the European Union will play out. But it is worth considering that the [...]
Once-Celebrated Surgeon Investigated for Manslaughter
By Genevieve Lewis Once a world renowned and celebrated surgeon, Dr. Paolo Macchiarini (MD, PhD), is being investigated by Swedish prosecutors for the manslaughter of two patients, and two possible counts of causing bodily harm. [...]
Orlando Massacre Signals a Public Health Crisis
By Genevieve Lewis On June 12th, the worst mass shooting in American history occurred at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people and injuring another 53. In light of this recent tragedy, [...]
Supreme Court’s Texas Decision is the Greatest Victory for Abortion Rights Since Roe vs. Wade
By Conor Bryant In a 5-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Texas Law HB2 was unconstitutional and “places a substantial obstacle in the path of women seeking a previability abortion,” and that [...]
Scholarship competition for Dubrovnik International Bioethics Summer School (DIBSS), 2016
We encourage interested participants to compete for a scholarship to the Dubrovnik International Summer School (DIBSS) in Croatia to study bioethics this summer! The Dubrovnik International Bioethics Summer School in Croatia is offering partial scholarships [...]
China Still Harvesting Organs from Prisoners at a Massive Scale
By Conor Bryant A new report claims that China is still engaged in the widespread and systematic harvesting of organs from prisoners, and says that people whose views conflict with the ruling Chinese Communist Party [...]
Physio games: how rehab is coming to a screen near you
By Aidan Appleby Cosmin Mihaiu, a 26-year-old Romanian, co-founded Mira Rehab, which aims to make physiotherapy less monotonous for patients. Mihaiu claims that physical therapists have tried to use the Nintendo Wii with their patients, [...]
When stars seek medical care, risk of ‘VIP Syndrome’ looms
By Aidan Appleby It is no secret that celebrities receive special treatment, even in the field of medicine. What is less known, however, is that this special treatment can often lead to a lower quality [...]
Three-person babies IVF technique is ‘safe’
By Acacia Sheppard Imagine having three parents, all genetically responsible for your existence. This phenomenon has been a reality in the UK since October 2015 and allows women with serious genetic disorders to have healthy [...]
Berkeley doctor opens right-to-die practice in California
By Jack Beaumont Since the End of Life Option Act was put into place in the state of California on June 9, 2016, Dr. Lonny Shavelson has opened the first ever legal right-to-die practice in [...]
U.S. to Invest $200 Million to Shorten Organ Transplant Wait Lists
By Conor Bryant The U.S. government, led by the Department of Defense, announced plans on Monday to invest $200 million to help shorten the waiting list for organ transplants. It is designed to support technologies [...]
Spread of Zika Virus Means that Rio de Janeiro’s 2016 Olympic Games Must Not Proceed
By Conor Bryant There are five reasons the Olympic games should not take place in Rio de Janeiro this year. The first begins back when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared Rio a “safe environment” [...]
Does the Olympics in Rio Put the World in Danger of Zika?
By Conor Bryant A letter signed by over 200 scientists called the World Health Organization (WHO) to move or postpone the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro due to the ongoing epidemic of Zika in [...]
Letter to WHO to Postpone/Move Olympic Games Rejected
Tom Roddy/Newsweek Recently, there has been talk amongst athletes and Olympic officials alike about the state of the Zika virus and whether or not is poses a significant threat to the athletes [...]
Ireland Abortion Ban Violated Woman’s Human Rights, U.N. Panel Says
By Genevieve Lewis In early June, the United Nations called on Ireland to amend its constitution in order to change the current laws regarding abortion, which were deemed a violation of human rights. The UN [...]
America’s Opioid Epidemic and its Impact on Organ Donations
By Aidan Appleby With 121,000 people in the U.S. actively awaiting organs, an increase in the number of organ donations could not have come at a better time. Unfortunately, the reason more organs are [...]
Prescription Drug Overdose Deaths in the US: An Epidemic in the Making
By Bobby Thomas According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug overdose deaths hit unprecedented numbers in 2014. Most of these deaths resulted from the misuse of prescription painkillers and heroin. In [...]
Scarcity and Poverty Make Iraqi Families Sell Organs to Survive
By Princess Chukwuneke According to the 2014 World Bank statistics, about 22.5% of Iraq’s population of 30 million live in severe poverty. Breadwinners do not earn enough to pay for rent, healthcare, or the needs of [...]
Russian Courts Ruled to Uphold Presumed Consent in Organ Donations
By Maria Coluccio Last month, the Russian Constitutional Court published a ruling that upheld the legality of harvesting organs from a cadaver without the family’s permission. The ruling was a response to a lawsuit over [...]
Dr. John Lawrence will lecture on the Medical Crisis in Syria at our summer school in Manhattan
Perspectives from Working with Doctors Without Borders On October 2nd, 2013, over 200 University of Iowa Students, Faculty and Community members gathered to learn about the medical situation in Syria during the war. Dr. [...]
Transnational Surrogacy in India: What Went Wrong?
By Princess Chukwuneke Transnational surrogacy hardly fits the win-win narrative that is perpetuated by the media over time. In this article, the author describes her interviews with different parties involved in the surrogacy process – egg donors, surrogates, [...]
Womb Transplants Can Provide New Opportunities for Women in India
By Maria Coluccio In Bengaluru, a group of infertile women await clearance for a life changing procedure that will allow them to bear life of their own. These women suffer from a rare disorder called [...]
Issue of Donor Autonomy in Ovum Donation
By Maria Coluccio At the time of birth, females have approximately 2,000,000 immature eggs and cannot produce anymore throughout their lifetime. A large majority of these eggs will die out throughout the course of a [...]
Consequences of Illegal Organ Trafficking in India
By Lara Balick On March 14th, Aamir Malik, a 27-year-old cattle trader from Pandoli village of Gujarat, India, reported to the police that he was allegedly cheated into selling his kidney to repay his debt. Malik [...]
Europe Awaits Surrogacy Report that Will Possibly Support Surrogacy Legalization
By Princess Chukwuneke Surrogacy is a hotly debated topic in Europe. The general public currently awaits the results of the March 15th meeting held in Paris by the Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development Committee [...]
The First Uterus Transplant in the United States Has Failed
By Princess Chukwuneke On February 24th, 2016, Lindsey, a 26-year-old woman from Texas, became the first in the United States to receive a uterus transplant. Still in its early stages, the uterus transplant surgery is meant to [...]
Improving the Most Promising Cancer Therapy
By Alexis Vaujany The immune system can be one of the most powerful weapons against cancer. After several unsuccessful attempts, scientists have discovered a promising and effective way to guide the immune system to kill cancer cells. [...]
New Court Ruling Challenges IVF Ban in Costa Rica
By Rimah Jaber In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a standard procedure in several countries around the world. However, since 2000, IVF has been banned in Costa Rica despite an order to lift it by an international court. [...]
Canada Takes Another Step Towards its Euthanasia Law
By Ellen Arkfeld Recently, the committee of the Canadian parliament has recommended that the federal government make assisted dying legal for conditions including mental illness. New euthanasia laws are being crafted because the Supreme Court [...]
Surrogacy May Soon be Banned in Sweden
By Princess Chukwuneke Last Wednesday, the government task force for controversial issues in Sweden concluded that surrogate pregnancies should be banned with no exceptions. According to lead investigator, Eva Wendel Rosenberg, this decision was made [...]
Surrogacy in China, as the One-Child Policy Comes to an End
By Princess Chukwuneke At the start of 2016, China amended its one-child policy that had been in motion for 30 years. Perhaps it was because surrogacy had wormed its way into family planning among the [...]
TED Talk about the Ethical Implications of Gene Editing Technologies
By Maria Coluccio In the TED Talk “We can now edit our DNA. But let’s do so wisely,” geneticist Jennifer Doudna talks about the rapidly developing field of gene editing technology and its serious [...]
World Medical Association Calls for Revision of the “Hippocratic Oath”
By Alexis Vaujany In response to the atrocities committed by Nazi doctors in WWII, the Declaration of Geneva or Physician’s Oath was drafted. Since its creation, only minor changes have been made. The World Medical [...]
Human Rights Violation or Paternalism
By Maria Coluccio "Preventing the Commercialization of Reproduction: Canada’s Assisted Human Reproduction Act (AHRA)" The world of healthcare is always growing, and healthcare technologies are evolving at a faster pace than their regulations. In 2004, [...]
Physician Assisted Suicide for Psychiatric Patients
By Ellen Arkfeld Assisted suicide for psychiatric patients has been legal in the Netherlands since 1993, a country with some of the longest standing euthanasia practices. The main argument for euthanasia in the Netherlands is [...]
Manitoba Debates Switching to Presumed Consent System for Organ Donation
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer “Manitoba has an organ and tissue donor crisis,” explains the spokesperson for Manitobians for Presumed Consent. “The demand for organ and tissues far exceeds the availability. To make matters worse, the demand [...]
The Shocking Story of the First Artificial Insemination
By Maria Coluccio Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have provided millions of individuals with the opportunity to have biological children who otherwise would have never been able to do so. In 2013, around 68,000 babies were [...]
Sperm Banks Develop Zika Virus Policy
By Raya Bidshahri The Zika virus has been spreading through Brazil, and more and more babies are being born with abnormally small heads and serious birth defects. The virus is transmitted primarily though mosquito bites, but it [...]
Court Indicts Directors of Planned Parenthood Videos
By Ellen Arkfeld In July, the Center for Medical Progress released controversial videos that appeared to show Planned Parenthood selling fetal tissue for profit. In these videos, the Center's founders, anti-abortion activists David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, obtained footage [...]
Spread of Zika Virus Reignites Abortion Debate in Brazil
By Farzana Paleker An increase in the number of babies being born with microcephaly in Zika-affected areas of Brazil has sparked a heated debate over the country’s strict abortion laws. Abortions in Brazil are illegal except in [...]
Spike in Heroin Usage Leads to Medical Dilemma for Florida Surgeons
By Farzana Paleker An uptick in the use of heroin (and the sharing of dirty needles) has resulted in a 50% increase in the number of cases of recurrent heart valve disease. This phenomenon has presented Florida [...]
New Documentary Describes How Mexican Women Were Sterilized in US Hospitals in the ’60s and ’70s
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Rene Tamjina-Pena’s latest documentary details the horrific story of several Mexican women who were sterilized in US hospitals during the 1960s and 1970s. No Mas Bebes depicts the women, often [...]
British Scientists Have Been Given Permission to Genetically Modify Human Embryos
By Raya Bidshahri The Francis Crick institute has been granted permission to genetically modify leftover embryos from IVF clinics. This is not the first time that researchers have been given approval to modify embryos. In April [...]
Amazon Smile
If you decide to shop through Amazon Smile instead of Amazon, 0.5% of your purchases will be donated to Global Bioethics Initiative. Please, click on the image below and begin shopping, if you wish. Many thanks in advance [...]
Anyone Can Edit DNA With This New DIY Kit
By Ellen Arkfeld Last year, Jennifer Duodna made headlines by developing CRISPR-cas9 technology, a genome-editing technique unprecedented in its precision, ease, and cost. With CRISPR, introducing a new gene to a genome is essentially as [...]
Belgian Campaign Recruits Creative People to Donate Egg and Sperm Cells to Ensure the Country’s Creative Hegemony
By Farzana Paleker An advertising campaign recently launched in Belgium calls on creative types to donate their sperm and eggs in an effort to guarantee the country’s creative future. Creative Belgium, an organization that aims to [...]
Unlicensed British Sperm Donor Fathers 800 Children
By Princess Chukwuneke In a time where egg and sperm donations face rigorous screening, Simon Watson, 41, appears to have found a way around it. Watson has been an unlicensed sperm donor for 16 years, [...]
Record Number of Organ Transplants Performed in US Last Year
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Last year 30,973 transplants were performed in the US, setting a record for the procedure, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. This number represents nearly a 5% increase from 2014. [...]
INVOcell Could Bring IVF Treatment to Millions
By Ellen Arkfeld In a conventional In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment, zygotes develop in an incubator before they are implanted into a woman’s uterus. This incubator is designed to mimic the human body. Recently, however, physicians [...]
Surrogacy Laws in the US Are Complex and Inconsistent
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Once upon a time, children could be conceived in only one way. But advances in medical technology have resulted in a number of ways for children to be born; one such method [...]
Design-A-Baby: Human Trait Selection Might Be Just Around the Corner
By Farzana Paleker Following an International Summit on Human Gene Editing in Washington D.C. earlier this month, scientists in the U.S. are now allowed to experiment on human genes - as long as it does [...]
How Human Genome Editing Will Change the World
By Ellen Arkfeld The days of human genome editing are rapidly approaching with the development of the editing tool CRISPR. CRISPR grants scientists unprecedented precision and ease in editing the genome. Unlike previous genetic engineering technologies, CRISPR [...]
Belgium’s Euthanasia Laws Come Under Scrutiny
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Following a Dateline Documentary that aired in September 2015, Belgium’s struggle with its controversial euthanasia legislation has exploded. The law allows people to voluntarily have their lives ended by doctors even when [...]
Uterus Transplants Could Soon Help Infertile Women Become Pregnant
By Rimah Jaber At the Cleveland Clinic, doctors are leading new transplant operations with an organ rarely donated - the uterus. To ensure success of uterus transplants, specialists from both reproductive medicine and transplant surgery [...]
Volunteer Firefighter Receives Extensive Face Transplant at NYU Langone Medical Center
By Ellen Arkfeld Congratulations to the excellent team at NYU Langone Medical Center! We are inspired by the team’s unique medical achievement of the most extensive face transplant and proud of the contribution of one [...]
Doctor Convicted of Euthanasia in France
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer 54-year-old Nicolas Bonnemaison has been convicted of killing a patient in a high-profile trial in France. He was charged with the deaths of seven elderly patients. He was found guilty on six [...]
How Should the Law Define Death?
By Ellen Arkfeld A new heart transplant technique in Australia has the potential to increase the number of heart transplants by 30 per cent. This could be extremely beneficial to patients in Australia as the [...]
Teenage Girl in London Ordered to Stay in Touch With Her Two Fathers
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer A fourteen-year-old girl who was born via in vitro fertilization was ordered by a high court in London to stay in touch with her biological father and his father’s civil partner. The [...]
Virgin Mothers: IVF and the Rise of Single Motherhood in Great Britain
By Ellen Arkfeld In recent years, doctors in the UK have noted that younger women are more frequently opting to conceive through In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). For some, this process provides the opportunity to have children [...]
California Passes Assisted Death Legislation
By Farzana Paleker California joined Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont as the fifth state to legalize physician-assisted death when Governor Jerry Brown signed the End of Life Option Act on October fifth. The legislation was propelled [...]
UNESCO Calls for Moratorium on Edits to the Human Genome That Could Be Transferred Through the Germline
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Independent experts of UNESCO’s International Bioethics Committee released a report calling for a temporary moratorium on edits to the human genome that could be inherited by future generations. A new genome editing technique [...]
International Consortium Urges for Continued Research Into Human Embryo Modifications
By Bobby Thomas The United States currently does not fund research-involving genetic editing of embryos. Yet given the rate of progress in the field of genetics, many feel the time to act is now. The [...]
Reprogramming Cancer Cells: Hope for the Future
By Richard Balagtas In what seems like a dream, the cure to cancer may soon be a reality. For the first time, scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Florida have been able to turn aggressive [...]
Planned Parenthood: Making Sense of the Controversy
By Bobby Thomas Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), or Planned Parenthood for brevity, is a nonprofit organization founded by Margaret Sanger that provides multiple health services, reproductive health care, and health education. Additionally, the [...]
The Unintended Consequences of Organ Regulation: China’s Black Market
By Nicole Fenghea China suffers from a huge organ shortage and chances for its citizens to obtain a transplant are very low. For many years their organs were acquired from executed prisoners to help meet [...]
Moreno: “How Bioethics Has Pushed America Left”
By Remy Servis In a fascinating Huffington Post article by Jonathan Moreno, Ph.D., an advisory board member for Global Bioethics Initiative, the interaction between the American conservative “right” and liberal “left” and their representations of [...]
8-Year-Old Boy Receives World’s First Pediatric Double Hand Transplant
By Remy Servis This week, a team of doctors at The Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania announced that they had completed the world’s first pediatric dual hand transplant on Zion Harvey, an eight year old from [...]
GBI Granted Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
We are pleased to inform you that Global Bioethics Initiative has been granted special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the United Nations' central platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on [...]
Thailand Surrogate Women Against Homosexual Couples Having Babies
By Agata Ferretti In Thailand, a homosexual couple is embroiled in a legal battle with the Thai government. The couple wants to leave the country with their surrogate baby daughter, because the surrogate mother, who [...]
Summer School on Bioethics 2015, a Smashing Success!
Graduations always signify turning points; we’re so glad that our participants spent these past few weeks with us, and we hope they have learned a lot! We know we have! It is our hope that [...]
Israel Unveils Progressive Compensation Program for Organ Donors
By Remy Servis In Israel, like in many other countries around the world, the sale of organs for transplantation is illegal. However, a new policy established this week by the National Transplant Center-- an organization [...]
Planned Parenthood and the ‘Aborted Tissue’ Scandal
By Agata Ferretti This week, Planned Parenthood shot into the spotlight to become one of the most scrutinized groups in America. On July 14th 2015, the anti-abortion group The Center for Medical Progress posted a [...]
United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) and the Ethical Challenges of Ebola Intervention
By Remy Servis UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) is the first-ever UN emergency health mission. It was assembled in mid-September 2014 in response to the growing Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The mission’s [...]
Ebola Claims Another Victim in Sierra Leone
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer This week, a nurse who volunteered with the charity International Medical Corps succumbed to Ebola yesterday in Sierra Leone. She worked at a treatment facility in Kambia, a coastal district that boarders [...]
Summer School Update
"In the past couple of weeks, those of us who are students at the Global Bioethics Initiative Summer School have learned quite a lot about different bioethical issues. Two lecturers that really made the students [...]
GBI Becomes a Member of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI)
We are happy to announce that we are now a member of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI). The UNAI is an initiative operating within the United Nations that promotes partnership among higher education and [...]
For Life Saving Drugs, How Much is Too Much?
By Remy Servis A recent article in US News and World Report has brought to light the true costs of increasingly expensive drugs and other pharmaceutical products that are meant for consumers with some of [...]
The Death Treatment: Who Has the Right to Die?
By Jessica Haushalter Who has the "right to die?" People with terminal illnesses, people with non-terminal illnesses, or no one at all? In our summer school program, Dr. Terry Perlin of Mount Sinai School of [...]
Summer Program Progress: Weeks One and Two a Resounding Success
By Jessica Haushalter 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 [...]
Global Bioethics Initiative Recommended in Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
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 [...]
The Church’s Stance on Brain Death and Organ Donations and Transplantations
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 [...]
Proliferating Assisted Reproduction Industry Raises Many Legal and Moral Questions
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 [...]
Italian Surgeon Sergio Canavero Details His Plans for a Head Transplant Procedure at Conference in Annapolis
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 [...]
New Study Finds That Nearly All State Policies Encouraging Voluntary Organ Donation Have Negligible Effect on Reducing the Organ Shortage
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 [...]
California Senate Passes End-of-Life Option Act
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 [...]
Scalp Transplant: An Impossibility Becoming Reality
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 [...]
New Research Suggests Innovative Methods for Increasing Organ Donations
By Grace Kim 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 [...]
Germline Genetic Intervention: Preventing Ethical Transgressions
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 [...]
Medicine’s Wild West: Stem Cell Therapies Proliferate Despite Lack of Regulation
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer When stem cells were first discovered, their potential to alleviate suffering and cure disease was considered almost unbounded. However, their application to therapies has greatly outpaced research. Certain cancers are now treatable [...]
Printing Human Organs
By Grace Kim Approximately 21 people die a day from waiting for organs, and about 4,000 people are added to the national waiting list every month. The demand for organs is dramatically increasing, but the [...]
Studies Reveal That the Conditions Under Which People are Asked to Be Organ Donors Influence Their Decisions
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Every year, thousands of people in the United States die waiting for organs. In an effort to inform legislation that might reduce the current organ shortage, researchers at several national universities undertook [...]
First Baby Born Using Innovative Stem Cell In Vitro Fertilization Technique
By Grace Kim In vitro fertilization, otherwise known as IVF, is a reproductive technology used as a means to help women get pregnant. As outlined by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, IVF requires five [...]
UK Woman Seeks to Use Her Deceased Daughter’s Eggs to Become Pregnant With Her Own Grandchild
By Caroline Song A 59-year-old woman in the United Kingdom is making history: she is looking for a sperm donor to fertilize her deceased daughter’s eggs so that she can gestate her own grandchild. Her [...]
Members of the European Parliament Call on Wealthy Constituents to Stop Purchasing Organs on the Black Market
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Many of the organ trafficking stories swirling around the web focus on supply; not much has been paid to demand. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) recently admonished the wealthy Europeans who [...]
Vienna-based Magazine Vangardist Prints Edition Using Ink Laced With HIV-Positive Blood to Raise Awareness of the Disease
By Richard Balagtas "If you're holding the 'infected' print edition in your hands right now, you'll get into contact with HIV like never before...It will make you reflect on HIV and you will think differently [...]
Johnson & Johnson Company Creates Bioethics Panel on Trial Drugs
By Rose Bowen The pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson became the first in the drug industry to create a Bioethics panel of ethicists, doctors and patient advocates to respond to requests for access to experimental [...]
The Risks of Full Body Transplant
By Michael Lausberg Italian surgeon Sergio Canavero claims to have found a procedure to realize a project in transplant surgery that may strike us as something more fitting for a science fiction movie than today’s [...]
Study Uncovers Link Between Bacterium and Lung Transplant Patient Deaths
By Caroline Song A 44-year-old male double-lung transplant patient at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, passed away following complications 40 days after his procedure. His death was brought on by hyperammonemia, a state of [...]
The Center for the Study of Bioethics and The Hastings Center to Host “Enhancing Understanding of Enhancement”
The Center for the Study of Bioethics and The Hastings Center are pleased to announce that they will be jointly hosting the international conference "Enhancing Understanding of Enhancement.” The conference will be held at the [...]
Iowa Jury Determines That Dementia Did Not Prevent Patient From Giving Consent to Sexual Contact
By Rose Bowen and Michael Lausberg In cases of sexual assault, the issue of consent is of central concern. Establishing that consent was freely and affirmatively given is not always easy. A sexual assault case [...]
The Assisted Suicide Debate Rages On
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Brittany Maynard, a twenty nine-year-old woman diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, opted to end her life last year; in doing so, she became the new face of the assisted suicide movement. Following [...]
South African Doctors Announce First Successful Penis Transplant
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Surgeons in South Africa announced this month that a 21-year-old penis transplant recipient had achieved full urinary and reproductive functionality. The surgery was performed in December 2014; doctors had anticipated that it [...]
France Debates Terminal Sedation, Assisted Death
By Richard Balagtas On Tuesday, March 10th, France’s parliament began debating a bill that would allow “doctors to keep terminally ill patients sedated until death comes.” This bill was introduced amidst a heated national debate [...]
Donor Mitochondria: The Next Step in Reproductive Technology
By Dr. Charles Debrovner Most people spend much of their adult lives trying not to have children. During the past fifty years, the ability to make reproductive decisions has expanded significantly to include a wide [...]
Thailand Passes Legislation Banning Foreign Surrogacy
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Last August, Thailand gave preliminary approval to a draft law that would make commercial surrogacy a crime; parliament voted 160 to 2 to pass the measure on February 19. The law bans [...]
New Study Suggests That the HPV Vaccine Does Not Encourage Unsafe Sexual Activity Among Women
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is very common; the Center for Disease Control estimates that nearly all sexually active males and females will contract it at some point in their lifetimes. HPV [...]
Vermont Introduces Controversial Bill for Presumed Consent to Organ Donation
By Caroline Song Lawmakers in Vermont recently filed a bill for presumed consent to organ donation. H. 57 states that “[a]ll Vermont residents 18 years of age or older shall be presumed to consent to [...]
Italian Surgeon Says First Human Head Transplant Is Just Two Years Away
By Caroline Song Italian surgeon Sergio Canavero claims that he will be able to perform a human head transplant as soon as 2017. Two major hurdles to such a surgery still exist: an inability to [...]
Perpetrator of California Egg Donor Fraud Scandal Pleads Guilty
By Richard Balagtas Many couples struggle with conception. Fortunately, advancements in medical technologies have produced alternative methods for conceiving children, including in-vitro fertilization and surrogacy. These options are often stressful for the individuals who undergo them; [...]
Brittany Maynard’s Death Inspires New York “Death With Dignity” Bill
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer After receiving a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer, Brittany Maynard moved to Oregon, a state that has a “Death With Dignity” law. She passed away in November of last year, surrounded by [...]
The Mason Institute in Edinburgh Wins Bid to Host 13th World Congress of the International Association of Bioethics
The Mason Institute won its bid to host the 13th World Congress of the International Association of Bioethics. The event will take place in Edinburgh, Scotland, from June 14-17, 2016. The Mason Institute is an [...]
GBI Announces Collaboration With the Center for the Study of Bioethics in Belgrade
We are happy to announce a collaboration between GBI and the Center for the Study of Bioethics in Belgrade. We have teamed up because we share the common goal of promoting awareness and discussion of [...]
Ohio Doctor Invents “Reverse-Transplant Tourism” To Help People Suffering From Kidney Failure
By Caroline Song Dr. Michael Rees of the University of Toledo Medical Center believes he has found a way to save the federal government money while creating an influx of kidneys; he calls his innovative [...]
Experts Debate Whether Money Should Have a Place Organ Donation
By Richard Balagtas The organ donation industry rakes in some $20 billion every year. Non-profit companies, such as Gift of Life and CORE, are key contributors. According to their 2012 tax forms, these two non-profits have [...]
Delhi Cracks Down on Cornea Donation Procedures
By Caroline Song The Delhi government has been cracking down on private hospitals’ practices of donating corneas to foreigners. In 2014, the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Rules proclaimed that Indian patients are to take [...]
Is It Immoral for Men or Transgender Women to Gestate?
By Rose Bowen Recently, a 36-year-old Swedish woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy, making her the first woman to perform this feat with a transplanted uterus. The new mother, who has asked to remain [...]
300 Patients Need Lung Transplants in Iran
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Iran’s Health Ministry recently reported that 300 patients are in need of lung transplants, and only 60 are currently on the waiting list. In an effort to procure more lungs for donation, [...]
Bioethics Summer School in Manhattan
Interested in getting an overview of bioethics? A Manhattan-based NGO, the Global Bioethics Initiative, has organised a bioethics summer school in June and July. We asked Dr Ana Lita, the organiser, to explain what’s happening. [...]
Growing Fetal Kidneys in Rats Raises Many Ethical Questions
By Caroline Song A team of researchers at Duke University has sparked an ethical debate with one of their current projects: they remove kidneys from aborted human fetuses and implant them into rats so they [...]
Guest Post: Buy Buy Baby? The Ethics of Crowdfunding Babies
By Elizabeth Yuko, Ph.D. Between adoption and advancing reproductive technologies, there are ever-increasing options for individuals and families who wish to have a baby. Recent reports indicate that the high costs associated with these processes have [...]
When Emerging Technologies Emerge–Synthetic Biology and the Future
By J. Adebukola Awosogba, M.A. It has been 43 years since the media learned of the federally funded Tuskegee Syphilis study, and just 5 years since the US apologized for conduct of unethical STD research [...]
A Successful Infant Heart Transplant Highlights the Need for Reform to Nation’s Heart Allocation System
By Caroline Song A story recently published by ABC News focuses on the Knickerbockers, a young family from Huntley, Illinois. Their son, Noah Knickerbocker, was born with an aortic valve stenosis and needed a heart [...]
Court’s Decision to Compel Chemotherapy for Teenage Cancer Patient Receives Support
By Andrew Rock The Connecticut Supreme Court recently ruled that 17-year-old Cassandra is not competent to make her own medical decisions and ordered her to continue receiving chemotherapy treatments. She will be required to receive [...]
Controversial DNA Start-up Wants to Let Customers Create Creatures
By Josephine Adebukola Awosogba The start up world has given us social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter as well as mobile grocery delivery with Instacart. Tech start ups offer the public innovation and excitement. [...]
The Future of Conception: Bioengineering the Uterus
By Richard Balagtas Katherine Don writes from a perspective shared by many women today, one concerning the difficulties associated with conception. After Don suffered from her third consecutive miscarriage, Don's mother offed to help in any way she could, [...]
Medical Researchers Create Artificial Organs on Microchips
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Dr. Mark Donowitz at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is interested in ridding the world of diarrheal disease-related deaths. Every year, more than 800,000 children succumb to diseases such as cholera, rotavirus, [...]
Illinois Passes Legislation That Provides Funding for Kidney Transplants to Undocumented Immigrants
By Caroline Song A new state law in Illinois that provides funding for undocumented immigrants to receive kidney transplants went into effect this past October. It may be the first law of its kind in [...]
Weighing the Risks of Live Donation
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Every year around 6000 people choose to make living donations; most donate kidneys to people they know, such as friends and family, but many make donations to strangers. There have been many [...]
Study Finds Low Rate of Canadian Organ Donation
By Caroline Song A study conducted by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) looked at over 100,000 deaths that occurred in hospitals from 2008 to 2012. The report found that most organ donations come [...]
Dr. Elizabeth Yuko Appointed to Global Bioethics Initiative International Advisory Board
On December 5, 2014 Fordham University Center for Ethics Education bioethicist Dr. Elizabeth Yuko has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Global Bioethics Initiative (GBI), an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to improving quality [...]
Organ Donation after Euthanasia: New Rules and Regulations in the Netherlands
By Andrew Rock Dutch medical experts are influencing policy changes for organ donation after euthanasia. The Netherlands has experienced low donation numbers through euthanasia in recent years. Physicians anticipate new legislation will significantly increase the number of organs in the donation pool. In [...]
Experts Urge US to Change Organ Donation Policies
A meeting of scholars at Princeton University resulted in the drafting of an open letter addressed to President Barack Obama, Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Attorney General Eric Holder, and leaders [...]
Why Don’t More People Want to Donate Their Organs?
By Andrew Rock Around 21 Americans die each day waiting for transplants. In New York, over 10,000 people are currently in need of an organ transplant. Though exact numbers vary by state, approximately 45% of [...]
Hand Transplant Study Sheds Light on the Nervous System’s Ability to Adapt
By Caroline Song A study conducted by Dr. Scott Frey at the University of Missouri suggests that the ability of hand transplant recipients to recover their senses of touch might be due to physiological changes [...]
More Living Donors Means More Lives Saved
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Twenty-three million Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease, and of these, 615,000 have reached end stage renal failure. More than 100,000 patients are waiting for a deceased organ transplant; however, based on [...]
Russia’s Secret Organ Procurement Procedures Might Constitute a Human Rights Violation
By Caroline Song The Moscow Times recently published an article highlighting the problems that are currently plaguing Russia’s organ procurement process. After getting into a car accident, Alina Sablina fell into a coma and subsequently passed [...]
Boston’s Longwood Area Has Been a Site of Groundbreaking Medical Innovation for 180 Years
By J. Adebukola Awosogba From 19th century farmland to the to site of the nation's first full face transplant, the Longwood Area embodies 180 years of Bostonian history. Named after the home of Nepolean Bonaparte, Longwood [...]
Vatican Official Condemns Brittany Maynard’s ‘Death with Dignity’
By Amy Xia Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman from California with terminal brain cancer, ended her life with physician prescribed medications last Saturday. She became the face of the Death with Dignity movement, with a [...]
Germany Debates Physician-Assisted Suicide Legislation
By Caroline Song Recently, a group of prominent members of the German parliament introduced for debate a set of requirements that would legalize doctor-assisted suicide in their country. These legislators believe that the laws currently [...]
Brittany Maynard Ends Her Life
By Andrew Rock Brittany Maynard, the 29-year-old woman whose recent battle with terminal brain cancer made her the new face of the right-to-die movement, ended her own life on Sunday night. She declared via Facebook, [...]
Organ Transplantation Experience in China is Ultimate Horror Story
By Amy Xia With extremely short wait times for organ transplants, China has become a popular destination for “transplant tourism.” Compared to the average wait of 4-5 years in the United States, the wait in [...]
Organ Transplant Experts Team Up with Pope Francis for the XVI European Day for Organ Donation
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Earlier this month, 80 experts from the Transplantation Committee of the Council of Europe (CD-P-TO) gathered in Rome to confer with Pope Francis over the ongoing organ trafficking crisis. Pope Francis has [...]
Organ Trafficking Makes Its Way to the Netherlands
By Zoe Siegel A recent study conducted by Erasums MC in Rotterdam revealed that organ trafficking has made its way to the Netherlands. Researchers surveyed 241 care providers who treat kidney patients. Nearly half of [...]
Korean Medical School Uses 3D Technology to Print Metal-Based Artificial Bone Implant to Save Teenager’s Life
By Caroline Song Korea JoongAng Daily, a Korean English-language newspaper, recently published an article on the innovative efforts of Yonsei Medical School. “3-D Printing in the Operating Room” tells the story of Kim, a teenage [...]
Australia Introduces Dying With Dignity Bill
By Amy Xia The end on an individual’s life is a highly emotional time; some contend that people deserve the choice of a dignified, pain-free passing. Unfortunately, end-of-life care is deeply entrenched in legal issues [...]
Dead at Noon: One Woman’s Actions Spark Lively Assisted Suicide Debate in Canada
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Gillian Bennet took her own life on August 18th of this year by ingesting a fatal dose of Nembutal on a cliff near her home. Ms. Bennet had previously been diagnosed with [...]
Creating a Market for Kidneys Has the Potential to Save Thousands of Lives
By Zoe Siegel President Reagan signed the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) 30 years ago. It was hoped that NOTA would end organ shortages by instituting legal guidelines for the transplantation of organs. However, approximately [...]
Swedish Patient Becomes First Woman to Give Live Birth Following a Womb Transplant
By Abrigul Lutfalieva Recently, a Swedish mother became the first woman to successfully give live birth after receiving a womb transplant. The baby boy was born prematurely, but he is healthy and doing well. Six [...]
Bioethicist: Why Brittany Maynard Changes the Right-to-Die Debate
By Caroline Song NBCnews.com has recently published an article titled “Bioethicist: Why Brittany Maynard Changes the Right-to-Die Debate” by Arthur Caplan. Maynard has recently been highlighted in the media due to her controversial decision to [...]
Many Hurdles Still Exist to Donating Your Body to Science
By Andrew Rock Many people making end-of-life arrangements consider donating their body to science. It is an option often lauded as practical and useful to society. However, those seeking to do so may face more [...]
University of Barcelona Plans to Launch a Postgraduate Program Aimed at Increasing Rates of Organ Donation in Europe and Africa
By Asha Persad The University of Barcelona has taken the lead in implementing a new project, called the European-Mediterranean Postgraduate Program on Organ Donation and Transplantation (EMPODaT), a postgraduate program that promotes the initiation of [...]
British Columbia Transplant Ex-CEO Cautions Canada Against Switching to an Opt-Out Organ Donation System
By Zoe Martina Siegel Recently, a campaign in Canada has been pushing for an opt-out system for organ donation – under such a policy, consent is presumed unless an individual has specifically opted out. Bill Barrable, [...]
The Organ Preservation Solutions Market Is Expected To Grow Substantially Over the Next Five Years
By Amy Xia Transparency Market Research recently published an analysis of the steadily growing organ preservation solutions market. The organ preservation solutions market plays a large role in procuring organs. Organ preservation techniques allow organs [...]
Hot Debate on Organ Distribution Proposal
By Caroline Song Healthcare professionals Network Live, HCPLive, recently published a piece by Gale Scott, on the current debate on the organ distribution process in the United States. The article titled, “Hot Debate on Organ [...]
Two Pennsylvania Bills That Would Increase the Supply of Organs Might Make it Easier to Get Away With Murder
By Abrigul Lutfalieva Pennsylvania legislators are currently considering two organ-transplant bills. If passed, Senate Bill 850 and House Bill 30 (which are basically identical according to their supporters) are expected to increase the number of [...]
The Aging Population Is a Driving Force Behind the Global Organ and Tissue Transplantation Market
By Zoe Martina Siegel According to the Global Industry Analysts (GIA), the number of organ transplant procedures performed globally is projected to reach 148,00 by the year 2020 for a number of reasons, including an [...]
Choosing Transplant Recipients: An Interview with Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel
By Andrew Rock In this interview with The Daily Circuit, Ezekiel Emanuel, Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses questions and considerations that arise when one asks one of [...]
Cadaveric Donations Might Help Reduce Organ Shortage in India
By Caroline Song The Hindu, an independent editorial, recently published an article that indicates that cadaveric donations could help alleviate the gap between organ supply and demand. The Hindu correspondent M. Vandhana spoke with Dr. [...]
Scottish Independence Might Be a Death Sentence for Those in Need of Vital Organs
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer If the Scots vote in favor of independence from the United Kingdom, Scottish patients currently on the waiting list for vital organ transplants might be sent to the back of the line. [...]
Alleged Kosovo Organ Trafficking Doctor Found in Amsterdam
By Zoe Martina Siegel In June 2011, Turkish doctor Yusuf Sonmez and his associate Moshe Harel were accused of trafficking in persons and organized crime by the EU rule-of-law mission in Kosovo. Operating out of [...]
Police Shut Down Chinese Organ Trafficking Ring in Cambodia
By Andrew Rock Last month, Cambodian police shut down an organ trafficking ring that was operating out of a Cambodian military hospital. Nine people were arrested, including the hospital director, the deputy director, three Chinese-Vietnamese [...]
Pushing for Greater Awareness of Organ Donation in Saudia Arabia
By Zoe Martina Siegel There is a push for greater knowledge regarding organ transplants and donation in Saudi Arabia. Abdul Aziz Al-Turki, the chairman of Ethar, reminded the public of how important these issues are: [...]
Russian Surgeons Take Steps to Make Face Transplants More Accessible
By Abrigul Lutfalieva Face transplantation is an important recent development in reconstructive surgery for patients who have suffered the partial or whole loss of their face due to illness or injury. Recently, the Russian Health [...]
Scientists at Wake Forest Have Conquered a Major Hurdle to Building Kidneys in the Lab
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have made a breakthrough for regenerative medicine. One of the most serious problems associated with getting artificial kidneys to function in the body of a recipient is the tendency of [...]
Donor Deficit in Australia Prompts Use of Organs From Elderly
By Andrew Rock A severe shortage of organs for transplant in Australia has led to a bizarre and ethically questionable phenomenon: doctors have begun harvesting organs from diseased patients in the “upper age limit,” those [...]
Why Costa Rica Is a Hot Spot for Illicit Organ Transplantation
By Andrew Rock The World Health Organization estimates that current organ supply meets only a tenth of its need. This persistent shortage has led many people to search for organs elsewhere, resulting in a thriving [...]
An Incentive System for Organ Donation Raises Ethical Concerns
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer A recent article in The New York Times has alerted the public to the enormous gap between supply and demand for organs worldwide. Reporter Kevin Sack revealed that not only are thousands [...]
U.K. Researchers Develop Promising Stroke Therapy Using Stem Cells
By Asha Prasad In a pilot study conducted at Imperial College London, five patients underwent an experimental treatment for stroke that utilized the participants’ own stem cells. To create the therapy, researchers extracted CD34+ cells, [...]
When Bioethics and Religion Clash, Those in Need of Organs Suffer
By Asha Prasad In many countries around the world, religious principles sometimes clash with scientific advancement. Spiritual concerns often keep people from donating organs, and sometimes from receiving them. This is not the case in [...]
Kevin Sack of The New York Times Reveals Israel’s Role in Illegal Kidney Trade
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Every year in the United States, 4,000 people die waiting for a kidney. Worldwide, the discrepancy between supply and demand is similarly dismal: the World Health Organization estimates that only about 10% [...]
Genetically Engineered Pig Hearts Transplanted Into Baboons Remain Viable for More Than One Year
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Three thousand people in the United States are currently on the waiting list for a heart transplant. Unfortunately, only about 2,000 donor hearts become available every year. Those patients awaiting transplants must [...]
Gene Therapy: Injection to Replace Heart Pumps and Transplants
By Jake Stern Scientists from Imperial College London are testing an injection that could, in the future, replace heart transplants and other cardiac surgery. The subjects of the study are two dozen patients at Harefield [...]
Ministry of Health Concerned over Sale of Iranian Kidneys
By Chiru Murage There is a call for the Ministry of Health to establish protocols preventing the sale of Iranian kidneys to foreign patients. The Ministry, however, blames society for this problem. Doctors in Iran [...]
Ghost Organs, Stem Cells and Frankenstein’s Transplant Technology
By Saara Akhtar As the interest in 3D bioprinting is sky-rocketing, it seems as though the limelight has illuminated a bigger problem for the technology that may be solved by the use of “ghost organs.” [...]
Waiting for a New Face : The Transplants Giving People Back Their Lives
By Chiru Murage Face transplants provide a new life for victims of horrific accidents, maulings, and violent crime. Because scars from such accidents can’t be hidden, face transplants give patients the ability to regain normality [...]
Euthanized Pet Gives One Last Gift
By Rebecca Moore Founded by Lisa Stehno-Bittel and Karthik Ramachandran, the Pet Organ Donation Network is an organization dedicated to preserving “research animals’ lives” and sharing “tissues and organs for transplant into dogs and cats [...]
Google Seeks to Map out the Picture of Perfect Human Health
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer There’s a new project coming out of technological powerhouse Google. Dubbed Baseline, this innovative venture’s mission is to map out the paragon of human health. The company will start by collecting genetic [...]
Bill would Extend FMLA Protections to Living Organ Donors
By Chiru Murage A new bipartisan bill titled the Living Donor Protection Act was proposed last Wednesday to Congress that would further protect the rights of living organ donors. The bill would protect living organ [...]
Lack of Education – One of the Main Causes of Lower Rates of Organ Donations in NY
By Jake Stern The health insurance company Excellus BlueCross BlueShield issued a report this week that shows New Yorkers register themselves as organ donors at less than half the rate of other Americans (22% statewide [...]
Gene that Links Stem Cells, Aging, Cancer Discovered by Researchers
By Rebecca Moore Researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have found a regulatory gene believed to be crucial in understanding the regenerative mechanisms of tissues. Known as Sox4 gene, researchers believe that this [...]
Kenya: Sex-trafficked Women and Girls Vulnerable to Organ Trafficking
By Chiru Murage INTERPOL is currently investigating a number of Kenyan organizations that have been tied to human trafficking for the purpose of the use of victims as a living supply of organs. Kenya has [...]
New York Organ Donation Registry Trails the Nation
By Jake Stern New York has one of the lowest organ donor rates (as a percentage of the population) in the country, which has raised serious concerns about current enrollment practices. According to a 2012 [...]
Four Important Facts You Need to Know About Kidney Transplants
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Generally, transplantation is the last line of defense for treating a failing organ. This is not so with kidneys. “A kidney transplant is not a last resort; it’s a first resort,” said [...]
Bioheart Announces World’s First Combination Stem Cell Treatment
By Rebecca Moore Bioheart Inc. recently announced a groundbreaking achievement in the field of cardiovascular cell technology. Using a combination of AdipoCell™ and MyoCell®, Bioheart Inc. has been able to advance its capabilities in cell [...]
Icing Organs
By Marc Beuttler Many animals in the animal kingdom have developed ways to survive being frozen alive. Take for instance the North American wood frog, which can stay alive in a state of decreased cellular [...]
Australian Parliamentarians Unite to Address Forced Organ Harvesting
By Chiru Murage A group of Australian politicians from different parties have united under the name Parliamentarians Against Forced Organ Harvesting (PAFOH) to raise awareness across the world about this emerging issue. The newly formed [...]
Aging Muscles May Just Need a Little ‘Love Hormone’
By Marc Beuttler A new study in mice suggests that the hormone oxytocin, often associated with the “warm fuzzy” feelings in psychology, counteracts age-related decline of old muscles. By injecting oxytocin under the skin of aged [...]
Genetically Engineering Almost Anything
By Marc Beuttler In 1859 Charles Darwin set down his theory of evolution, an idea that revolutionized and continues to challenge science and philosophy. Along the way we adopted and refined Mendel’s genetic studies on pea [...]
Donating a Kidney May Make it Difficult to Change or Initiate Life and Health Insurance
By Abrigul Lutfalieva A new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation suggests that actions by insurers may create unnecessary burden and stress for those choosing to donate and could negatively impact the likelihood [...]
Wait Times on National Organ Transplant Lists are Increasing
In 1989, the number of people on the waiting list for an organ was 16,000; this number has skyrocketed to more than 120,000. This increase is due in part to advancements in medical technology – [...]
Transplant Genomics Inc. Announces Exclusive License to Patent Rights Co-Owned by The Scripps Research Institute and Northwestern University
By Chiru Murage Transplant Genomics Inc. has acquired the rights to what could lead to clinical tests that would drastically improve the care of organ transplant recipients, extending their lives and reducing costs of healthcare. [...]
Face and Hand Transplants Get Official Policy
By Noushaba T. Rashid There are official rules that govern face and hand transplants. However, just because you may sign up to be an organ donor on your driver’s license does not automatically sign you [...]
The Cyborgs are Coming! US Researchers Reveal Tiny Robot that Walks Using a Strip of Lab-grown Muscle Cells
By Chiru Murage Researchers at the University of Illinois have published in the online Proceedings of the National Academy of Science about a find that could lead to a new generation of biological robots. These [...]
Cambodian Police Arrest Two Suspects for Human Organ Trafficking
Following a month-long investigation into a case involving the trafficking of five individuals for the purpose of donating kidneys in Thailand, police have two in custody. Yem Asisal and her stepfather, Nhem Phally, were apprehended [...]
New Stem Cell Treatment for Sickle Cell Disease may Eliminate Need for Immunosuppressants
The results from an eight-year study conducted by researchers from the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute shed light on a potential cure [...]
Organ Transplants: ‘Supercooling’ Keeps Organs Fresh
By Marc Beuttler The difficulty with organ transplantation is that as soon as an organ is removed from the body, the individual cells that compose it begin to die. This limits how far organs can [...]
Stem Cell Transplantation for Severe Sclerosis Associated with Improved Long-term Survival
By Caroline Song Medical Xpress, a web-based medical and health news service has recently published an article titled “Stem cell transplantation for severe sclerosis associated with long-term survival” on June 24, 2014. The article reviews [...]
With Face and Limb Transplants come Questions of Trust
By Noushaba T. Rashid Would you trust someone with your limbs and face? Just donating your kidney or liver is something of the past. Now you could donate your hands or your face. How? Why? [...]
Beta Test: Colorado Company Recycles Bones and Skin for Transplants
By Marc Beuttler When people sign up to become organ donors (usually while obtaining a new driver’s license) they also agree to donate bones, cartilage and other tissues that can be transplanted much like organs. [...]
Canada Debates Ethics of Face Transplants for Children
Since the first successful surgery in 2006, face transplant procedures have become more standardized and better understood. In fact, they are now “currently feasible” for children; this new possibility has spurred an ethical dialogue among [...]
Shortage of Organs Leading to Increased Human Trafficking, UN Human Rights Rapporteur Warns
By Marc Beuttler In a presentation to the UN Human Rights Council, the outgoing UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, highlighted the lack of adequate knowledge of human trafficking for removal [...]
Organ Trade: Top Vizag Doctor Held in Illegal Kidney Racket
By Abrigul Lutfalieva A kidney racket has been busted in Visakhapatnam and the Director of the hospital has been arrested in connection with the case. The Odisha Police arrested Seven Hills Hospitals Director Dr. N. [...]
Stem Cells: Taking a Stand Against Pseudoscience
By Noushaba T. Rashid Elena Cattaneo and Gilberto Corbellini are working hard to protect patients from fraudulent stem-cell therapies. Recently in Italy, clinical standards were threatened and the healthcare system and patients wanted to fight [...]
Asking Awake ICU Patients to Harvest Organs
By Chiru Murage Increasing medical advances have an unforeseen consequence: the supply for organ donations is increasingly outrunning the demand. In this article, Wesley J. Smith discusses a new and contested idea that would hypothetically [...]
In Ukraine, Human Organs don’t Stink
By Noushaba T. Rashid Human organs don't smell that bad in Ukraine Militia from Slavyansk found hundreds of National Guard soldiers' corpses during a night reconnaissance operation according to many social media outlets recently. These [...]
Brain Death: Independent Body should set Standards in Canada
By Evangelia Lazaris Jacquelyn Shaw is writing in response to Dr. Stephen Beed’s concerns about previous comments made on presumed consent and organ donation. She argues that the quality of brain death determination goes hand-in-hand [...]
Successful Stem Cell Transplantation in Genetically Modified Pigs
By Jake Stern Scientists at the University of Missouri in Columbia have successfully implanted human stem cells into genetically modified pigs with compromised immune systems, paving the way for future advances in research using non-human [...]
Feds’ U-turn on Drug Costs Calms Organ Transplant Patients
By Marc Beuttler The Obama administration has decided not to revoke an insurance coverage mandate for transplant recipients. The life-preserving medication these patients require can cost more than $2,000 a month, and if the proposal [...]
Arrests Made in Nepalese Kidney Trade
By Jake Stern Over the past two weeks in Nepal, fifteen organ traffickers have been arrested and charged with illegal kidney trafficking. The growing demand and dwindling supply of kidneys has forced many poor individuals [...]
Regenerative Med: 3D Human Retinal Tissue from Human Stem Cells
By Abrigul Lutfalieva Johns Hopkins University researchers created a three-dimensional complement of human retinal tissue in the laboratory, which includes functioning photoreceptor cells capable of responding to light, the first step in the process of [...]
German Museum Exhibits Van Gogh’s Ear Replica Grown from Relative’s Cells
By Rebecca Moore Thought to be an artistic exploit or act of martyrdom, Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh severed his left ear after a psychotic episode in 1888. Van Gogh’s ear has never been recovered, with [...]
Doctors Urge People to view Health Statistics with Caution
We’ve all seen and heard ads that begin with grim statistics: “Every 10 minutes a new name appears on the organ transplant waiting list.” “If you’re a woman, you have a 1 in 8 lifetime [...]
The Philippine Red Cross Seeks to Increase Organ Donations with Nationwide Campaign
The Philippine Red Cross is undertaking a nationwide organ donation campaign in an attempt to extend and save the lives of those who are on organ transplant waiting lists. Health Department records show that as [...]
Canada: Presumed Consent Misguided but Misinformation Unhelpful
By Marc Beuttler Dr. Stephen Beed, professor of medicine and critical care physician at Dalhousie University, responded yesterday to the growing debate on presumed consent policy in organ donation.After Nova Scotia’s health minister recently broached [...]
McLean Hospital Researchers See Promise in Transplanted Fetal Stem Cells for Parkinson’s
By Caroline Song In Belmont, MA, Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital researchers have found a way to create better therapies for Parkinson’s disease. Fetal dopamine cells are transplanted in the brains of individuals with Parkinson’s disease and [...]
Future Heat Stroke Treatment Found in Dental Pulp Stem Sells
By Caroline Song On June 5, 2014 the scientists in Taiwan have found that intravenous injections of stem cells derived from human exfoliated deciduous tooth pulp (SHED) have a protective effect against brain damage from [...]
Police Nab Cartel Member in Organ Trafficking Case
By Abrigul Lutfalieva Human organ trafficking is one of the emerging issues in the globalizing world. Almost all the facts about the illegal trade in organs is collected by criminal justice programs, security agencies, public [...]
Micro-financing and Organ Trafficking in Bangladesh
By Raina Jain The practice of micro-financing, which began in Bangladesh, has become a factor indirectly contributing to organ trafficking in the country. The initiative began as a means to provide loans to help small [...]
‘Foot Prints’ Raised 35K for Kidney Dialysis Patients
By Caroline Song Space Coast Daily reports on the efforts of Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) in his efforts to raise funding for kidney dialysis patients in an article titled, “Foot Prints’ Raised 35K for Kidney [...]
Students Produce 3D-Printed Artificial Kidney Prototypes
By Caroline Song David McNamee writes for Medical News Today and recently published the piece “Students produce 3D-printed artificial kidney prototypes.” Chemical engineering students at the University of Connecticut (UConn) have harnessed 3D printing to [...]
Can Policy Changes Lead to an Increase in Organ Donations?
By Caroline Song Sara James, for PBS Newshour, interviewed several individuals in Australia about organ donation. Her published segment, “Can policy changes lead to an increase in organ donations?” showcased the impact of the Australian [...]
Humanized Pig Organs to Revolutionize Transplantation
By Marc Beuttler Synthetic Genomics Inc. (SGI) and United Therapeutics Corporation are teaming up to develop humanized pig lungs. Each year, 400,000 people die from lung disease, and the aim of this partnership is to [...]
Two New Studies Indicate Promising Anti-aging Effects of Protein therapy; Cautious Optimism About Regenerative Medicine
Harvard Stem Cell Research Institute (HSCI) scientists have recently demonstrated that the protein GDF11 improves brain and skeletal muscle function in aging mice. Two studies, one led by Professor Amy Wagers, PhD, and one led [...]
Nova Scotia eyes making organ donation automatic
By Caroline Song Kelly Grant, a health reporter for The Globe and Mail, has recently published the article “Nova Scotia eye making organ donation automatic,” which looks at the Nova Scotia governments’ move towards presumed [...]
Change in kidney allocation rules should help patients
By Kayla Santos A new, federal kidney allocation system will reduce the amount of donated kidneys that are discarded by surgeons as well as better match the donor organ to the recipient. In 2012, it [...]
India experiences increase in black market organ trafficking
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer The great demand for organs worldwide has many serious consequences. Chief among them is the creation of an organ black market; as of 2014, more than 27 million people have been killed [...]
Over 400 needy Saudi patients turn to organs black market in Asia
By Noushaba T. Rashid The Saudi Gazette recently reported from Dammam that for the past 2 years, as many as 410 Saudis have turned to black market organs, mainly kidneys, for illegal transportation. Dr. Faisal [...]
Doctors step up battle to change transplant system
By Marc Beuttler Members of the Scottish parliament and other leaders are calling on the Scottish government to switch to an opt-out system of organ donation. In response to these calls for change, the British [...]
To be an organ donor, specific attitudes trump general support
By Zoe Martina Siegel 95 percent of Americans subscribe to believing in organ donation; however, only 40 percent of qualified donors actually register. Dr. Jason T. Siegel, PhD, a lead researcher of Claremont Graduate University, [...]
Studies on vaginas and nostrils indicate progress in transplantation of lab-grown organs
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Two new studies in the most recent edition of The Lancet suggest progress in the transplantation of lab-grown organs. “They both show that by using fairly simple tissue engineering techniques, you can [...]
The hospital growing noses, tear ducts and blood vessels: Scientists make custom-made body parts using stem cells
By Kayla Santos Using stem cells, scientists at London’s Royal Free hospital have been able to create body parts including noses, ears and even blood vessels. The organs have even been used in replacement surgeries [...]
Social media use in investigation of Maryland transplant rabies death raises privacy issues
By Juan Duran In this article, Public health investigators report on a case involving a kidney transplant recipient who contracted rabies after transplantation from an undetected infected donor. A novel approach using social media to [...]
Learn about organ, tissue donation at Mile Bluff on April 25
By Julie Killian About ninety percent of people in the United States are in support of organ and tissue donations, but only thirty percent are thoroughly familiar with the process it takes to become a [...]
Iran continues to witness increases in organ transplants
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Legend has it that Avicenna, the Iranian physician and philosopher, was the first person to suture nerves together. Today, Iran ranks first in kidney transplantation in the Middle East, and ranks fourth [...]
Pennsylvania State Senator Don White introduces legislation intended to increase organ donation
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer State Senator Don White, representing Pennsylvania’s 41st District, recently introduced two pieces of legislation that he hopes will lead to increases in organ donation in his state. Senate Bill 1305 would alter [...]
Bioprinting, part 2 – The ethical conundrum
By Caroline Song Richard Adhikari of TechNewsWorld, has written an article titled “Bioprinting, Part 2 – The Ethical Conundrum” where he voices raising concerns in the face of medical improvement. Within the United States, around [...]
Guidelines may change for infant organ donation in the United Kingdom
By Noushaba T. Rashid Doctors from the Great Ormond Street Hospital in the United Kingdom are arguing that the guidelines for organ donations from infants less than two months should be amended. Currently, the UK [...]
Canada takes steps to increase rates of organ donation
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer While organ donation is viewed by Canadians as an essential component of a well-functioning health care system, and while 95% of the population supports organ donation, only 50%-60% are willing to donate. [...]
Houston doctor, team build new organs
By Caroline Song KSAT, a news channel located in San Antonio, Texas, reports on a Houston based lab that has begun building new human organs using scaffolding provided by pig organs. The process involves obtaining [...]
The future of face and hand transplants
By Kayla Santos Face and hand transplants have been procedures of much debate in recent years. One of the biggest problems is determining who should be prioritized. Patients who are more likely to die without [...]
Five arrested in a major organ trafficking ring in Valencia
by Noushaba T. Rashid Spain’s first organ trafficking ring was exposed by police in Valencia, which lead to five non-Spanish men being arrested. This group allegedly offered up to €40,000 to poor migrants who did [...]
Students at UGA open a donate life branch on campus to encourage organ donation
Colleen Boyle, a junior at the University of Georgia majoring in biology and genetics, is the founder and president of Donate Life UGA. Donate Life is a national non-profit organization that seeks to increase the [...]
Woman with rare cancer fighting insurer to cover transplant
By Caroline Song Beacon Journal published the article, “Woman with rare cancer fighting insurer to cover transplant” on March 9, 2014, written by their medical writer, Cheryl Powell. The story centers on Jeanne Ralston-Astalos’s struggle [...]
Researchers are using 3D technology to produce skin grafts, bones, and viable organs
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Bioprinting expert Benjamin Harris and his team at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine have been developing several promising projects using 3D printing technology. One machine, a printer that can produce [...]
Womb transplants raise ethical concerns
By Julie Killian Dr. Mats Brannstrom from Sweden is leading research to determine whether or not women with transplanted wombs will be able to have healthy and successful pregnancies. Since 2012, nine women have received [...]
Kidney transplantation fee must be raised in Mongolia
By Caroline Song In an interview conducted by the UB POST of Mongolia, the State Honored Doctor and Professor of Chronic Kidney Disease Clinic D.Nyamsuren, who is currently the head of the Kidney Transplant Center [...]
Family believes son, 4, received fire victim’s heart
By Kayla Santos A four year old boy in desperate need of a heart transplant was finally given one thanks to the incredible generosity of a grieving family. Although the details have not yet been [...]
The epidemiology of chronic kidney disease in Sub-Saharan Africa
By Juan Duran In the Lancet, a systemic review and meta-analysis on current state of chronic kidney disease in Sub-Saharan Africa was published as a call to action for national health policies for the early [...]
Oral, esophageal cancers a higher risk in post-allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients
By Kayla Santos Research shows that patients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation had a high risk of developing cancers including esophageal, colon, oral, skin, and brain and nervous system cancers. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell [...]
Belgium close to allowing euthanasia for ill minors
By Juan Duran In 2002, the Netherlands was the first country in Europe to legalize euthanasia for adults as well as seriously sick patients 12 years of age and older. This week, Belgium, which already [...]
World Health Organization compiles data on long term kidney transplant success rates
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer Everyone knows that organ donation saves lives, but this process entails consequences, risks, and other variables that are still unknown. In light of this, many researchers have undertaken studies to better understand [...]
Manufacturing organs
By Juan Duran In the article, Manufacturing Organs: Harvard Bioscience spin-off is stepping up its production of synthetic tracheas to supply clinical trials. The author talks about a Boston-area company, the Harvard Apparatus Regenerative Technology [...]
Quebec’s ‘dying with dignity’ law would set new standards
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer The Quebec national assembly could pass Bill 52, also known as the 'Dying With Dignity' Act, as early as this week. The Act was informed by both European and American legislation concerning [...]
Those waiting for kidney transplant out number donors 2 to 1
By Julie Killian Carl Vowels is one of about 1,800 residents in Wisconsin waiting to receive a kidney for transplant since 2008, when his kidney disease turned into kidney failure. At the age of 45 [...]
Human lungs grown in three days, may shorten transplant waiting time
By Kayla Santos To date, there are approximately 1,600 people on waiting lists for lung transplants; this number has continued to grow over time. Due to a low number of donors, most of those on [...]
Brazilian doctors convicted for removing, selling contraband organs to the United States
By Julie Killian Two doctors have been sent to prison for the distribution and sale of contraband organs to the United States, law enforcement officials confirmed this past Friday. Celso Roberto Scafi and Claudio Rogerio [...]
Machine keeps donor lungs ‘breathing’ outside the body before transplants
By Kayla Santos New technology is shown to improve the health and vitality of lungs to be transplanted. The medical device company TransMedics has created a machine (the Organ Care System) that keeps lungs “breathing” [...]
Sales of human body parts
By Kayla Santos Illegal organ trade across various countries generates profits of about 600 million to 1.2 billion US dollars a year according to research conducted by Global Financial Integrity. In recent years, illegal trading [...]
Altruistic kidney donor Dimitri Linde urges others to donate too
By Kaitlyn Schaeffer In 2012, 4,903 people died while waiting for a kidney transplant. The average wait is three to five years. Today there are more than 77,000 people sitting on the waiting list with [...]
Half of Bulgarians reluctant to donate
By Julie Killian A nationwide representative survey claims that almost 60 percent of Bulgarians will not consent to donating their organs. This survey was conducted among 950 people in June 2013 and the data was [...]
Organ transplants may be issued due to residence
By Caroline Song Within the United States today, about 119,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant. In the brief expose, “Organ Transplants May be Issued Due to Residence” by Margot Kim, touches on the [...]
Kidney transplant technique advances robot-assisted surgery
By Julie Killian Surgeons from Henry Ford Hospital and Medanta Hospital in India have carried out 50 successful kidney transplants between January and October 2013, using a new procedure that detects the cooling of the [...]
Too Risky to Transplant: Patients denied transplants as donor organs are discarded
By Caroline Song In the article “Too Risky to Transplant: Patients denied transplants as donor organs are discarded,” the author writes about a growing concern in the transplant committee about the oversight of the Centers [...]
China successfully completes cross-species transplantation
By Julie Killian China has recently executed a successful transplantation of the small intestine from a transgenic pig to a crab-eating macaque at Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command. China initiated the experiment with the [...]
This is New York: Ana Lita, on the Moral Regard for Others
NEW YORK—When Ana Lita was a child in Romania she used to sing to her father’s mentally ill patients. She was afraid of patients who would attempt to touch her. “But my father told me [...]
Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting petition against Falun Gong practioners
On the 27th of November at the French National Assembly in Paris, a panel discussion on the ethical issues related to organ trafficking and transplant tourism in China was led by Member of Parliament for [...]
Did Steve Jobs cut the line in order to obtain a liver transplant?
The iconic billionaire CEO of Apple Inc., Steve Jobs, is one of the most visible organ transplant patient in the world. Jobs health problems were widely publicized and most media outlets reported on his liver [...]
G8 Dementia Summit in London, United Kingdom: A Global Change
By Julie Killian December 11, 2013 will mark the first G8 Dementia Summit in London, United Kingdom. The summit is interested in creating an international approach to dementia research and policy. Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) [...]
Bone marrow as an “organ”: New Regulation By The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
By Julie Killian The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is attempting to implement a new regulation that would redefine bone marrow as an “organ.” This new regulation is generated by the issue of compensation for bone [...]
IPS – Organ Trafficking Plagues Global Community
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 18, 2013 (IPS) – With a rise in diseases worldwide that affect the liver, kidney, heart and pancreas, organ trafficking remains a challenge for the international community—a subject that Global Bioethics Initiative (GBI), a [...]