Bioethics

Researchers “have developed a technique that allows doctors to harvest stem cells from amniotic fluid and convert them into embryonic-like cells that can grow into other types, including nerve, blood, and heart cells. Extracting the cells, called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), does not harm a baby.” WORLD



“A Canadian medical society has been increasingly discussing assisted suicide as an option for parents with terminally ill children, according to a recent survey.” OneNewsNow



“A seemingly ethical new technique for creating stem cells, described in Nature Biotechnologyin September, could be the most promising alternative approach to date.” WORLD



“Amid increasing attempts to legalize euthanasia at the state level, the nation’s second-largest network of physicians officially spoke out against it last week.” BPNews



“His parents…fought numerous legal battles for their son’s life and raised about $1.7 million for an experimental treatment in the United States that he never was permitted to receive.” BPNews



“In 2013 a contentious doctor-assisted suicide bill (Act 39) was signed into law [in Vermont]. It contains very slim protections for physicians who don’t want to participate due to matters of conscience or religious belief.”



“Taking advantage of the country’s new law, Canadian transplant surgeons have harvested organs from dozens of euthanasia patients. According to the National Post, 26 people in Ontario who died by lethal injection have donated tissue or organs.”



Oregon’s Euthanasia Bill Is Intentionally Ambiguous



“A congressional committee has taken the first step in a fast-track effort to prevent the legalization of physician-assisted suicide in the nation’s capital.” BPress



“Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other women’s groups filed suits [last week] challenging abortion laws in Alaska, Missouri and North Carolina.” Jurist