By Robin Hillenbrink. This paper was inspired by a 2019 documentary about the youngest person to ever be cryopreserved. The documentary, “Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice” , tells the story of a Thai Buddhist couple who decide to cryopreserve their 2-year-old daughter Einz, after she passes away from brain cancer. Cryopreservation, or cryonics, […]
Latest articles
The UK Supreme Court just made meaningful patient involvement in medical decision-making more difficult
By Jennifer O’Neill. This week, the United Kingdom Supreme Court (UKSC) revisited its ruling in the landmark case of Montgomery v Lanarkshire [2015]. In McCulloch v Forth Valley Health Board [2023], the Supreme Court Justices established that doctors do not need to inform patients of all possible treatment alternatives as a requirement of informed consent. […]
Ethical disclosure of information in childbirth
Kelly Irvine and Rebecca CH Brown. Contemplating what ethical care during pregnancy looks like leads to considerations of how, when and what information is provided. The provision of information is not a new concept medically or legally: it is well established that healthcare providers must ensure that patients are informed about the medical treatments available […]
Synthetic human embryo models: A new frontier in science with ethical implications
By Ricardo Diaz Milian. The world has recently seen a significant breakthrough, as researchers announced the creation of the first synthetic human embryos derived from stem cells without using sperm or eggs. The details are lacking since the work has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. However, this development clearly raises both interesting […]
From mind control to mind healing: the past, present, and uncharted future of psychedelics and the military
By Scott Hoener. Mysterious government experiments, be it the paranormal realm of the “Upside Down” in small town U.S.A., the thrilling sagas of Jason Bourne, or the bizarre cinematic depiction of U.S. government officials attempting to harness psychic abilities, have long been the subject of popular American media and culture. While viewers might find fascination […]
Diversity and inclusion initiatives for laboratory animals?
By Monika Piotrowska. Before the pandemic, an Italian colleague of mine from the biology department and his Polish wife would host elegant gatherings to celebrate the birthdays of their trilingual children. The adults would mingle around a large table that displayed an impressive array of gourmet delicacies while engaging in lively conversations. Occasionally we would […]
Ethics of college vaccine mandates: reply to Høeg et al.
By Leo Lam, Taylor Nichols, Hannah Larson. We thank Tracy Beth Høeg, et al. for their reply to our response paper ‘Ethics of college vaccine mandates, using reasonable comparisons’. Our paper showed that the risk-benefit calculation to mandate vaccines on college campuses benefits students and the community and is ethical. We performed risk-benefit analyses using […]
Beds, beds, beds — We need more addictions beds
By Austin Lam. With recent news of a major private donation to transform addictions care in Vancouver, British Columbia, I have reflected on my experiences as a resident physician taking care of patients with substance use disorders. Drawing from her personal exposure to the devastating effects of addiction through the death of her brother, Jill […]
When and why does a genetic variation become a result?
By Rachel Horton, William Macken, Robert Pitceathly and Anneke Lucassen. We’ve each got four to five million ways in which our DNA differs from the ‘standard’ or ‘reference’ genetic code. When our genome is looked at in a test, all these differences are logged. Most won’t affect our health at all, they’re just natural genetic […]
“We could use that as a tiebreaker” – Yes, but why should we?
By Borgar Jølstad and Erik Gustavsson. Health care priority setting should be based on morally relevant factors such as need, severity, and maximizing health outcomes. But sometimes we must choose between health care allocations where these primary considerations are tied. It is sometimes suggested, and implemented in practice, that in these situations other, perhaps more […]