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Survey on community attitudes on early and late abortion
Do Australians’ believe that women should be able to access abortion later in pregnancy? A new survey (Australian attitudes on access to early and late abortion. Lachlan de Crespigny, Dominic Wilkinson, Thomas Douglas, Mark Textor, Julian Savulescu MJA 2010; 193: 1-4) of 1050 Australians published in the Medical Journal of Australia shows that the answer…
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Australians support women’s access to late abortion
by Lachlan de Crespigny, Thomas Douglas, Mark Textor and Julian Savulescu Regular calls to limit numbers of abortions are a familiar cry. Yet people are outraged if a friend or family member with a serious complication in much wanted pregnancy reluctantly requests an abortion but encounters resistance. Or when a woman faces a criminal court,…
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An Ethical Approach to Abortion
by Julian Savulescu Abortion should be decriminalised. Early abortion should be freely and easily available on request. Late abortion should be freely and easily available at least for those who have a valid justification: significant fetal abnormality, threat to woman’s health or a serious social reason, for example child pregnancy or rape. Family planning, including…
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Special Edition: Should we allow late abortion?
There have been a number of articles in the media about abortion in the last few weeks. The British Prime Minister has suggested that the time limit for (relatively) unrestricted access to abortion should be reduced from 24 to 22 or 20 weeks. A survey published tomorrow in an Australian medical journal suggests that the…
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Motherhood and the ticking clock
A few days ago, during the Rome meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, a group of Iranian researchers leaded by Professor Ramezani Tehrani said that in a short time we will be able to predict when a woman will hit menopause many years before it actually happens.
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Will you live to 100? Should we tell people that they have (or lack) the genes for long life?
In the news today – scientists have identified a cluster of longevity genes. From the Daily Mail A genetic test which tells whether you will make it to your century has been developed by scientists. The computer program will give individuals their odds of reaching the age of 100 – and tell them whether their…
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The Charade of Blood Dope Testing
by Julian Savulescu The latest weapon in the arsenal of doping tests is the blood passport. It aims to track the red blood cell count over the last year. Changes during competition indicate doping. Of course it is doomed to fail. The reason is red blood cells vary from individual to individual, and the count…
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Roman Infanticide, Modern Abortion
By Roger Crisp Two recent pieces of news highlighted a major difference between modern and ancient attitudes to the moral status of the human fetus. On the one hand, archaeologists have suggested that a burial of ninety-seven infants at a Roman villa in Hambleden is evidence of systematic infanticide of children born to prostitutes working…
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Ethical questions surrounding the BP Oil Spill
Largest oil spill in U.S. history continues to devastate Gulf wildlife while the press and independent scientists are continually denied access to spill site and surrounding beaches. by Stephanie Malik On April 20 a wellhead on the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform blew out in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 40 miles southeast of the…
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Drugs in sport debate: Opposers response 2
[This is the last of the formal responses in the debate – both debaters will post closing comments at the end of the week. Don't forget to vote next week!] by John William Devine Frank Lampard’s ‘goal’ that never was in England’s World Cup defeat to Germany yesterday is an example of sport being held…