Mind the anticipatory gap: factoring future moral change into the governance of human genome editing

By John Danaher. Human genome editing is a potentially transformative emerging technology. Current clinical trials of CRISPR, for example, suggest it can be used as a therapeutic to treat a wide range of hereditary and acquired diseases. More speculatively, it could also be used as an enhancer, improving the capacities of generally normal or healthy […]

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Making visible the invisible elements of clinical ethics consultation

By Clare Delany, Sharon Feldman, Barbara Kameniar, and Lynn Gillam. In our article, ‘Making clinical ethics facilitation visible and accessible: Seven steps of the Critical Dialogue method of Ethics Consultation’, we detail our method of clinical ethics facilitation, broken down into seven steps. We also share the rationale for the various steps, and provide concrete […]

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There is no health on a dead planet

By Rammina Yassaie and Lucy Brooks Our paper “Reassessing ‘Good’ Medical Practice and the Climate Crisis” takes an ethical dive into the roles and responsibilities of the medical profession and the medical regulator, in light of the climate and ecological crisis and its profound implications for health. The health sector has been called to action […]

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Interdisciplinary collaboration to identify and address ethical issues arising from the development of irreversible, high risk medical treatments

By Alex Harris & Frederic Gilbert. There are increasing numbers of clinical trials assessing high risk, irreversible treatments.  While a clinical trial aims to assess the safety and efficacy of a clinical intervention, participants enrolled in trials of high risk, irreversible treatments may be left with significant ongoing or emerging burdens after exiting the trial. […]

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Thoraco-Abdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion: Can the dead “beheaded” donor be killed?

By Christos Lazaridis. Thoraco-abdominal normothermic regional perfusion (TA-NRP) is a relatively novel technique for donation after the circulatory determination of death (DCDD). In short, after declaration of death by circulatory criteria (as in conventional DCDD), the circulation to the brain is surgically excluded followed by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and perfusion of the thoracoabdominal organs. […]

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Confronting ableism: Reflections on the ethical failings of academic health research

By Joanne Hunt and Charlotte Blease. Health research, much like healthcare, is often plagued by persistent ableism. These two issues are likely connected. Disabled people across the globe experience a multitude of institutional, physical and attitudinal barriers to healthcare. Beyond inaccessible clinical environments and equipment, people with disabilities are confronted with clinical ambivalence, discriminatory attitudes […]

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