The blog Discrimination and Disadvantage is in the midst of an on-line symposium on Melinda Hall’s new book The Bioethics of Enhancement: Transhumanism, Disability, and Biopolitics. Commentaries by Shelley Tremain as well as Jane Dryden and Ladelle McWhorter are already up, with one more … Continue reading
Surprising absolutely no one who follows the history of intersex treatment in the United States, BBC Radio 4 has a recent story about the history of intersex treatment in the UK with the provocative headline “Intersex Patients ‘Routinely Lied To … Continue reading
Every once in awhile a venue surprises you: Teen Vogue has been doing good critical reporting on social justice issues and American politics, and Cosmopolitan–long the home of beauty tips and how to please your man–has just published an article … Continue reading
Amidst the flurry of news in the last week over artificial wombs–a primitive artificial placental sack, or “biobag”, sustained sheep fetuses for four weeks–most of the coverage focused on the value in caring for premature infants. I was reminded of Judith … Continue reading
A recent article by Natalia Megas in The Guardian profiles three women who chose late abortions and who had very much wanted to be pregnant. It is a moving exploration of the seriousness of abortion as a moral issue, and an important set … Continue reading
EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece’s posting was delayed by technical errors. However, the analysis of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) is still pressing and relevant. While the bill was pulled from a planned House vote in the US Congress on … Continue reading
On January 23, 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump reinstated Reagan’s so-called Mexico City Policy, also known as the “global gag rule.” In the process, he also added text that makes a substantive change going farther than any U.S. national-level anti-abortion … Continue reading
Give me your tired, your poor Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door. – Emma Lazarus I’m writing … Continue reading
Philosopher Derek Parfit was known for many things, though chiefly for his work on identity which is of great interest to medical ethicists. How can one say that one is the same thing over time? And how does this bear … Continue reading
What is happening to our world? Where has our sense of justice and justness gone? It seems like Brexit and The Donald are sounding the death knell of solidarity. They did not cause it; they are, rather, the dead canaries … Continue reading
Since Trump’s electoral college victory became apparent early Wednesday morning and especially since Secretary Clinton’s concession speech, many bioethicists–and many more American residents–have been wondering what a Trump Presidency means for the Affordable Care Act, AKA “Obamacare.” While the ACA … Continue reading
The American Academy of Pediatrics announced last week that it was radically changing its guidelines for treatment of overweight and obesity in children and teens. Specifically, it recommends DEemphasizing dieting and weight loss while avoiding any kind of public shaming … Continue reading
