It's still not clear where the group stands on embryonic stem cell research, another subject that has made Komen a target of anti-abortion groups. #bioethics
(Source: Bioethics)
MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.
ABSTRACTAccording to the theory of intrinsic value and moral standing called the âsubstance view,â what makes it prima facie seriously wrong to kill adult human beings, human infants, and even human fetuses is the possession of the essential property of the basic capacity for rational moral agency â a capacity for rational moral agency in root form and thereby not remotely exercisable. In this critique, I cover three distinct reductio charges directed at the substance view's conclusion that human fetuses have the same intrinsic value and moral standing as adult human beings. After giving consideration to defenders of the substance view's replies to these charges, I then critique each of them, ultimately concluding that none is successful. Of course, in order to understand all of thes...
Although the US public remains for the most part favorably disposed to scientists, politically inspired efforts to discredit some kinds of science continue and could gain traction during what is likely to be an angry election year. Researchers, especially those working in fields that do not seem to offer the near-term promise of profitable products, have good reason to be apprehensive about their funding. Budget anxieties are driving up pressure on legislators to enact substantial cuts, and the brinksmanship on Capitol Hill suggests that ill-considered measures could be enacted through political grandstanding. Researchers worried about the future of the research enterprise should make efforts to stay informed and be ready to argue for its importance whenever the opportunity arises.
The Un...
Doctors studying to become dermatologists have, for years, shared exam questions by memorizing and writing them down after the test to become board certified.
Are Catholic bishops out of touch with American catholics or is it the other way around? Debate over mandated contraception coverage raises the issue. #bioethics
If women wind up pregnant from faulty pill packets, product liability lawsuits or "wrongful pregnancy" cases reminiscent of medical malpractice could be filed. #bioethics
Analyzing incentives in terms of power rather than as trades, Grant concludes that their use to further desired social and political goals raises some ethical concerns.Author: Tyler Cowen (Source: Science: Current Issue)
This distinctive Australian mystery bird is named for one of its life history traitsMystery Bird photographed in New South Wales, Australia. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]Image: Marie-Louise Ng, 24 December 2011 (with permission) [velociraptorize].Nikon D7000 Question: This distinctive Australian mystery bird is named for one of its life history traits. What trait is that? Can you identify this bird's taxonomic family and species?The Rules:1. Keep in mind that people live in zillions of different time zones, and some people are following on their smart phones. So let everyone play the game. Don't spoil it for everyone else by identifying the bird in the first 24 to 36 hours.2. If you know the mystery bird's identity, answer the accompanying questions and provide subtle ID ...
MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors
Recent media reports and ongoing protests over the reportedly abhorrent working conditions at factories where Apple's iPhones are produced have left socially conscious Americans with a dilemma: Is it ethical to own an iPhone? [More] (Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed)
University cites its First Amendment commitment in supporting its climate scientist Michael Mann's right to give lectureIn an uncharacteristically angry post at the New York Times's Dot Earth blog, Andy Revkin has hit out at a "shameful attack on free speech". It relates to a Facebook campaign which is calling on Pennsylvania State University to "disinvite" Professor Michael E. Mann, the director of its Earth System Science Center, from giving a lecture next week entitled: "Confronting the Climate Change Challenge."The Facebook campaign has been initiated by a seemingly conjoined group called the Common Sense Movement/Secure Energy for America Political Action Committee. Brad Johnson at ThinkProgress has investigated the people behind it and describes it as a "coal-industry astroturf group...
How medicine, sports and society are trying to heal and protect the brains of millions amidst the growing awareness of the long-lasting effects of traumatic head injury [More] (Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed)
We're throwing open our doors on 24 and 25 March to host talks and debates about the frontiers of particle physics, neuroscience and the law, and host masterclasses on podcasting, journalism, web tools and photographyDo you have a burning question about the Higgs boson, supersymmetry or the standard of the coffee in the canteen at the home of the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva? On Sunday 25 March as part the Guardian's Open Weekend, three scientists at the cutting edge of physics will be on hand to answer all the most basic or esoteric questions that may have built up in your mind (where they might well be burning a hole) over the past year of incredible research results.Led by the Guardian's Ian Sample and our superstar physics blogger, Prof Jon Butterworth, this is your chance to get ...
An ad for sperm from âtall and fairâ technology students sparks a debate in India about designer babies.read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)
MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.
Scientists have examined the unethical practices of some journal publications, articulating results from their research to show that some editors coerce authors into adding unnecessary citations to articles in the same journal that is considering publishing the submitted work. Journal editors want to increase the number of times articles within their journals are cited by researchers -- because it raises the journal ranking and is used to make claims of prestige and importance. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
This southeast Asian mystery bird is atypical amongst those species with similar habitsMystery Bird photographed at the Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Chaiyaphum, Thailand. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]Image: Alex Vargas, 10 January 2012 (with permission) [velociraptorize].Nikon D5000, Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR 1/10s f/5.6 at 420.0mm iso500, With a Kenko 1.4X Teleconverter on. This southeast Asian mystery bird is atypical amongst those species with similar habits. Can you tell me in what way it is atypical? Can you identify this mystery bird's taxonomic family and species? The Rules:1. Keep in mind that people live in zillions of different time zones, and some people are following on their smart phones. So let everyone play the game. Don't spoil it for everyone els...
ABSTRACTA placebo is a substance or intervention believed to be inactive, but is administered by the healthcare professional as if it was an active medication. Unlike standard treatments, clinical use of placebo usually involves deception and is therefore ethically problematic. Our attitudes toward the clinical use of placebo, which inevitably includes deception or withholding information, have a tremendous effect on our practice regarding truthâtelling and informed consent. A casual attitude towards it weakens the current practice based on shared decisionâmaking and mutual trust between patients and healthcare professionals. Issues concerning the clinical use of placebo are thus intimately related to patientâprovider relationships, the public's trust in medicine, and medical educati...
ABSTRACTOpponents of physicianâassisted suicide (PAS) maintain that physician withdrawalâofâlifeâsustainingâtreatment cannot be morally equated to voluntary active euthanasia. PAS opponents generally distinguish these two kinds of act by positing a possible moral distinction between killing and allowingâtoâdie, ceteris paribus. While that distinction continues to be widely accepted in the public discourse, it has been more controversial among philosophers. Some ethicist PAS advocates are so certain that the distinction is invalid that they describe PAS opponents who hold to the distinction as in the grip of âmoral fictionsâ. The author contends that such a diagnosis is too hasty. The possibility of a moral distinction between active euthanasia and allowingâtoâdie has ...
ABSTRACTIn this paper we argue that the consensus around normative standards for the ethics of research in clinical trials, strongly influenced by the Declaration of Helsinki, is perceived from various quarters as too conservative and potentially restrictive of research that is seen as urgent and necessary. We examine this problem from the perspective of various challengers who argue for alternative approaches to what ought or ought not to be permitted. Key themes within this analysis will examine these claims and argue they have implications for the interests of the research subject, research governance and regulation. Using our work with TREATâNMD, the neuromuscular clinical trials network, we posit that there is a place for advancing the discourse of moral rights and moral duties in t...
MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors
