Dr. Sandra Glahn

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Stem cells, end-of-life, and predispositions to violence

It’s been quite a week in the field of medical ethics. Take a look atthese articles gathered by the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity:
A federalappeals court upheld a lower court’s ruling that dismissed a lawsuit claiming NIHfunding for research on human embryonic stem cells violates a law banningfederal funds for research that harms or destroys human embryos. ( ScienceInsider)
Britain’s HighCourt on Thursday rejected an attempt by a man wanting to overturn thecountry’s euthanasia law. ( Businessweek)
The family of aMuslim man left in an apparently vegetative state after a heart attack fiveweeks ago caused severe brain damage have begun an appeal to ensure he will begiven life-saving treatment, against the advice of clinicians, if his conditionworsens. ( Guardian)
An article explores whether post-market drug trials need more ethics. ( Scientific American)
Many U.S.organizations recruiting egg donors online don’t adhere to ethical guidelines.  ( Fox News)
A Pennsylvaniawoman whose autistic adult son was not recommended for a heart transplant wantsto bring more attention to the decision-making process so that those withailments or disabilities are not passed over without careful consideration. ( Washington Post)
A federalappeals court reaffirmed the right of Myriad Genetics to patent two geneslinked to breast and ovarian cancer. (NY Times)
Judges wholearned that a convicted assailant was genetically predisposed to violenceimposed lighter sentences in a hypothetical case than they otherwise would have. ( NY Times)