Mothers of today, mothers of tomorrow

By Emanuele Mangione   Who are the “mothers” of today? It is common opinion that assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) changed motherhood forever, especially biological motherhood. Nowadays a child can have a single biological mother, that is someone who contributes both genetically and gestationally to their creation; two biological mothers, that is a genetic mother who […]

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Nonviolent climate protests and the medical profession – should doctors be struck off for their actions

By Rammina Yassaie. Doctors with convictions from taking part in climate-related peaceful protests are at risk of being “struck off” by the General Medical Council (GMC), as tribunals are set to determine whether they can keep their license to practice. Increasing numbers of climate-related arrests have occurred recently, with doctors engaging in non-violent direct action […]

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Beyond the robot apocalypse

By Nancy S. Jecker, Caesar A. Atuire, Jean-Christophe Bélisle-Pipon, Vardit Ravitsky, Anita Ho. In Christopher Nolan’s film, Oppenheimer, the protagonist frets that unleashing atomic energy will forever alter the world, making humankind’s annihilation possible. Some philosophers and many tech leaders fret AI has similar prospects –it imperils “humankind as a whole,” writes Nick Bostrom, and […]

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The Transformative Potential of CAR-T Therapies: Need for Deeper Consideration of Ethics & Equity of Access for Patients

By Aisling McMahon, Alanna Kells and Sinéad Masterson   CAR-T therapies (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy) have demonstrated remarkable potential for the treatment of certain blood cancers. CAR-T therapy is a cellular immunotherapy which involves the extraction of a sample of a patient’s white blood cells (T-cells) which are then modified outside the body to […]

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If we expand the criteria for what makes a medical intervention invasive, we should include ingestion, not mental distress

Paul Affleck , Julia Cons, and Simon E. Kolstoe. De Marco et al have challenged the standard account of what makes a medical intervention invasive, stimulating a set of commentaries, including our own. Whilst we have enjoyed this correspondence, we still disagree on some fundamental points. De Marco et al state it is not clear […]

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Pronatalism gone wrong? Cash rewards, state-sponsored dating, and exemption from military conscription

By J. Y. Lee. “A South Korean firm is offering to pay its workers $75,000 each time they have a baby,” a recent news headline reads. Pronatalist incentives are not new in South Korea; the South Korean government has spent 270 billion dollars since 2006 in effort to promote childbirth and reverse declining fertility rates. […]

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Medical authority and expectations of conformity: undermining person-centred maternity care

By Anna Nelson. There is an ongoing ‘maternity crisis’ in the UK, and too many women and birthing people face barriers to accessing respectful, person-centred maternity care. Charities, campaigners and journalists continue to emphasise the consequences of this state of affairs, both for individuals and for society more widely. Individuals may experience harm to their […]

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