1. California Governor Signs Physician Assisted Suicide Law

On Monday, Governor Jerry Brown signed California’s physician assisted suicide bill into law—stating that he would like to have the option if he were terminally ill. This decision is both selfish and reckless, and undermines the entire profession of medicine, which is aimed at healing and has a sworn commitment to do no harm. Be sure to read our full statement here.

2. New Study Evidences that Physician Assisted Suicide Increases General Suicide Rates

On the same day that California legalized physician assisted suicide, a groundbreaking study was published in the Southern Medical Journal that concluded that the legalization of the practice leads to an increase of 6.3% of total suicides within a population. As the researchers concluded, “This suggests either that PAS does not inhibit (nor acts as an alternative to) non-assisted suicide, or that it acts in this way in some individuals but is associated with an increased inclination to suicide in other individuals.” In other words, everyone loses when physician assisted suicide is introduced to a state.

3. World Surrogacy Day Celebrated in India

On October 3rd, Indians gathered to mark World Surrogacy Day—both to celebrate the women who serve as surrogates and the children born from it, but to also advocate for greater regulation and protection. Here at the CBC, we find this notion absolutely absurd—that you could celebrate something that is fundamentally flawed (that those celebrating even recognize as such!). As long as surrogacy is permitted, vulnerable parties will be harmed, injured, and exploited. And there’s nothing to celebrate about that!

4. Man Recovers from Blood Cancer Utilizing Adult Stem Cell Treatment

An Arizona man now has a clean bill of health after undergoing adult stem cell treatment to cure Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). A new video chronicling his story is available here. To date over one million patients have been benefited from similar treatment—adding more evidence to the fact that adult stem cells are effective at saving lives and eliminate the need for embryonic stem cells.

5. CBC in the News: 4th Year of Paul Ramsey Institute Begins This Week

This weekend we welcome the second cohort of Ramsey Fellows to San Francisco for our Paul Ramsey Institute (PRI).The PRI is a vital part of our education programming at the CBC. Here we train and produce future leaders—physicians, scientists, scholars, policymakers, and advocates—who will promote and advance ethical biotechnology and bioethical research within their respective fields. Please take a moment to read about our alumni and current fellows—who are already busy making news!

This Week in Bioethics Archive

Image by Marfis75 via flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

 

 

Author Profile

Christopher White, Ramsey Institute Project Director