Greenflame » Bioethics/Biotech

ACART and use of frozen eggs in fertility treatment

stepheng — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:05:49 +0000

ACART, the Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology, has just released its recommendations to the Ministry of Health to broaden the use of frozen eggs in fertility treatment. (See ‘Babies from the grave’ a step closer - Stuff.co.nz)

They have released a discussion document relating to their advice to the Minister, and is asking for comments from the wider public. Submissions close 5 September 2008 and you can get the document from Consultation on the Use of Frozen Eggs in Fertility Treatment: Discussion document.

The City of God

stepheng — Thu, 29 May 2008 10:47:45 +0000

Flying visit to Wellington yesterday for an Interchurch Bioethics Council meeting.

Nice to be back in the Heavenly City, if only for 10 hours or so. Stimulating meeting too.

More resources at: Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand // Media: Ecumenical & Interchurch - Interchurch Bioethics Council Resources.

Human-animal hybrid legislation in the UK

stepheng — Sat, 24 May 2008 10:36:13 +0000

Recent UK legislation relating to embryology included provision of the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos (which combine human and animal genetic material) for therapeutic research purposes. (See UK parliament backs human-animal embryo research | HEALTH | NEWS | tvnz.co.nz)

What do you think?

Do you think it is acceptable to create human-animal embryos for therapeutic purposes?

Religion and nanotechnology

stepheng — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:53:05 +0000

Interesting short article commenting on research presented at the recent American Association for the Advancement of Science conference which identifies religion as far more significant a factor in the US than in Europe. In part, it’s due to the conflation of nanotechnology with other things like biotechnology and the sense the people are ‘playing God’ when seeking to manipulate a nano-scale world.

See Religion colors Americans’ views of nanotechnology

Post the bioethics conference

stepheng — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:20:31 +0000

The New Zealand Bioethics Conference: Wellbeing and Technology last weekend was nice and stimulating. Some good plenary sessions, entertaining (and somewhat disturbing) public lectures, a wide variety of papers, and interesting people. These included:

A really interesting talk from Brad Partridge, PhD student from the University of Queensland, who’s looking at public perceptions of life extension technologies, including responses from transhumanist and conservative Christian groups. Related links at: Who wants to live forever? Community attitudes to life extension - UQ News Online - The University of Queensland and Eternal life ‘not so appealing’ | NEWS.com.au
An interesting but really quite disturbing paper on people who want to reshape their bodies by intentional amputation of limbs (even to the state of paraplegia). Relevant in parts give this current discussion (Greenflame · Therapy or enhancement in sport?)
A broader range of topics and issues being discussed than I anticipated - including a common theme of social justice running through many of the talks, but kicked off by the first plenary talk by Howard Brody

Death, bioethics and transhumanism

stepheng — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 09:25:10 +0000

I can’t remember whether I’ve posted these links before (a quick search of the blog says not), but in a week’s time I’ll just back from Dunedin having attended the New Zealand Bioethics Conference: Wellbeing and Technology so it seemed apt to note them. There’s a session on transhumanism on the last day of the conference so I’ll be interested to see what the perspectives offered there include.

New Scientist magazine had a special focus on ‘death’ back in October (see Special Report on Death - New Scientist) with a bit in it on transhumanist aspirations to overcome death (or at least, short life) - Death special: The plan for eternal life - being-human - 13 October 2007 - New Scientist (including a link to the video YouTube - Quest for immortality featuring various transhumanists and ‘techno-progressives’).

Ethics links

stepheng — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 09:22:25 +0000

Firstly, a short summary piece from PBS Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly on recent developments in biotechnology and whether they change the ethical landscape. See Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly . PERSPECTIVES . Bioethics Update . January 25, 2008 | PBS

And secondly, Rod Benson (who produces the weekly summary RELIGION & ETHICS AUSTRALIA) also has a daily blog going over at Ethics Update: News, opinion and rumour on all manner of ethical, political and religious issues.

People Power for the Third Millennium: Technology, Democracy and Human Rights Symposia

stepheng — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:49:55 +0000

The “People Power for the Third Millennium: Technology, Democracy and Human Rights” symposia from The Centre for Bioethics & Public Policy in the UK looks interesting, though being held in London means I’m hoping they’ll be something published out of them for a wider audience.

The first symposium, “Robots & Rights: Will artificial intelligence change the meaning of human rights?”, was a couple of days ago, and other upcoming topics include:

Transhuman minds? Is cognitive enhancement a human right?
Privacy and Surveillance: Monitoring humans or monitoring human rights?
Arts and technology: the role of the arts in democratic policy making

Therapy or enhancement in sport?

stepheng — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:36:56 +0000

I’ve been wondering whether South African athlete Oscar Pistorius, who runs with carbon-fibre prosthetic legs, would be competing at the Beijing Olympics ever since I saw a news article about him a year to eighteen months ago. It appears now that he won’t be there, even if he makes the qualifying times.

See: Pistorius’s unfair advantage keeps him out of Olympics | Athletics | Guardian Unlimited Sport

Hat tip to Andii over at Nouslife: Pistorius’s unfair advantage -the cyborg prosthete.

It’s an interesting question - how much enhancement should an athlete be allowed? Obviously, things like spectacles and contact lenses are allowed, as are various operations to fix/improve weak spots in a physique (e.g. replacing broken tendons) or corrective eye surgery. But something like taking performance-enhancing drugs or blood-doping isn’t. It seems like it’s going to get harder to differentiate between therapy/enhancement in sport as time goes on.

NPR ran a programme on Pistorius and enhancement in sport back in May last year. You can listen to it at: NPR : Prosthetics in Sports: Disability or Advantage?

Genetic testing, discrimination and Alzheimer’s

stepheng — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 03:54:52 +0000

A few interrelated things in the past week or so about genetic testing, discrimination and Alzheimer’s.

Firstly, PBS carried this article (and video) about the ethics of testing for Alzheimer’s - Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly . COVER . Alzheimer’s Testing . December 14, 2007 | PBS.

Which, in turn, relates to this part of Radio NZ’s Nine to Noon programme on Thursday that looked at genetic discrimination in insurance cover - MP3 here.

And then this from Terry Pratchett, who notes that while he’s been diagnosed with very rare form of early onset Alzheimer’s people note that he’s not dead yet. (Are there eulogies on the net already?) - Discworld News © PJSM Prints