This Week in Bioethics

by Matthew Eppinette, CBC Executive Director on September 15, 2017

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1. Good News, Right Up Top! This appears to be a promising advancement in adult/non-embryonic stem cell research. Scientists in San Diego are developing a new method for working with the cells, using a process that is similar to the ways in which cells normally develop. The upshot is that this new technique “removes the […]

#StopSurrogacyNow: New Book Announcement “Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation”

by Jennifer Lahl, CBC President on September 14, 2017

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Our #StopSurrogacyNow campaign this week announced a new book by Dr. Renate Klein, an original signer of the #StopSurrogacyNow Statement and long-term women’s health researcher from Australia. She has written extensively on reproductive technologies and feminist theory over the last 30 years. Her book, Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation, will be published in November 2017, […]

This Week in Bioethics

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In spite of being a four-day, holiday week, this has been a busy one on the bioethics front. Here are five things that stood out this week. 1. #CyborgOlympics Brain Race The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ran a detailed item on the cyborg olympics’ brain race. It largely focuses on noninvasive brain-computer interfaces […]

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Here’s what we have planned!

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Dear Friend, Summer always seems to fly by, but we do our best to make the most of any summer lull. At CBC, we use the summer to catch up and plan out so we can hit the ground running right after Labor Day. As we look toward the fall and the end of 2017, […]

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Artificial Wombs: What’s Really Needed

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A recent article in Nature Communications announces the development of a kind of artificial womb (or extracorporeal gestational system). So far it has been used to further the development of premature lambs. Technology website Gizmodo breaks down the technical journal article in more understandable terms. The research team, led by Alan Flake from the Children’s […]

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Ethics and Embryo Editing

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In a world where it seems the news is endlessly dominated by events in and around the White House, one story this week has clearly broken through: U.S.-based researchers have succeeded in editing the genes in human embryos. This news was first reported by MIT Technology Review, but numerous other outlets — Associated Press, Scientific […]

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The Unethical Uneasiness with Human Gene Editing Technology

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It has just been announced that “the first known attempt at creating genetically modified human embryos” in the U.S. has been made. Through a new technique, often called CRISPR, germline modification can be made at the embryo stage—germline, meaning the genetically modified child would pass these changes onto future generations through his or her sperm […]

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In Case You Missed It

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Many bioethics stories cross our inboxes and screens each day. Some we write about here and in other venues, and others we simply blurb or write a short comment on via our social media outlets. Of course, not everyone is on social media or follows us there, so I thought I’d collect a few items […]

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Thank You!

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Jennifer and I want to say a very heartfelt thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! to all who gave and to all who shared our “Help Us Tell Kelly’s Surrogacy Story” Kickstarter campaign! The campaign has now ended, and thanks to you it was more than 100% funded. We leave for South Dakota on Wednesday, and we […]

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Last Week in Bioethics

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Even though summer is more-or-less in full swing, last week seemed like it was extra busy with bioethics news items. Below is a taste of some of the top items, all of which we posted on our Facebook page and Twitter feed (to keep up with all the latest, be sure to like and follow […]

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New Interview with Jennifer Lahl

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This week Jennifer is in Washington, D.C., speaking, meeting with allies, and catching up with long-time friends. She took time out from her schedule to sit down with a reporter from The Christian Post to discuss the film we’re currently working on and the larger issue of surrogacy. Here are a few excerpts from the […]

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A Sad Anniversary

Today, sadly, marks one year since physician-assisted suicide became legal in California. Perhaps this weekend you might want to watch (or re-watch) the documentary short film we made about the true impact of this law, Compassion and Choice DENIED.   Compassion and Choice DENIED explores the effects efforts to legalize physician assisted suicide have on […]

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UPDATE: Help Us Tell Kelly’s Surrogacy Story (or Want to be a movie producer? Here’s how!)

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I just wanted to give you a brief update on our important project, our Kickstarter campaign! We are very grateful! We depend on each and every one of you to help us see that this film gets made. We have been fighting tirelessly to oppose bad surrogacy laws advancing in California, New York, and New […]

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Help Us Tell Kelly’s Surrogacy Story

We’re working on a new film telling the story of Kelly’s surrogacies. We need to go to South Dakota to film at her home.   Kelly Martinez is a strong, articulate woman with a cautionary story to tell. It is a story the world needs to hear. Kelly served as a surrogate mother for three […]

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In my Inbox: “Are you aware you are a piece of trash? Or does trash not know it’s trash?”

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We really need your support today. The workload is tremendous, the stakes are high. Any gift, no matter how large or how small, will help us now. Some days can be a challenge. Days like this . . . I woke up recently to a message in my inbox from someone named Ashley: “Are you […]

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Our New Paul Ramsey Institute Cohort

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Today we are pleased to announce the 2017-2019 cohort of our Paul Ramsey Institute (PRI). As many of you already know, the Paul Ramsey Institute is our signature educational initiative to further the thought and ideas of Paul Ramsey, to educate, and to shape future generations of bioethics leaders. Our latest cohort includes Fellows from […]

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Recap of Our Trip to Spain, Surrogacy Fiction and Fact, A Call for Egg Donor Follow-up Research

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We really need your support today. The workload is tremendous, the stakes are high, and no one is leading the efforts described below like us at the CBC. Any gift, no matter how large or how small, will help us now. #StopSurrogacyNow in Spain Jennifer and I spent last week in Madrid, Spain, as part […]

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BREAKING: Follow-up, Research, and Informed Consent

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Our Jennifer Lahl along with our colleagues Jennifer Schneider and Wendy Kramer have a very important commentary piece in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine Online. The title of the piece is “Long-term breast cancer risk following ovarian stimulation in young egg donors: a call for follow-up, research and informed consent,” and it argues that because no […]

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