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 Deepwate…
Read MoreDrugs 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 …
Read MoreFoetal pain and the abortion debate: believing what you want to believe
By Janet Radcliffe-Richards Last Friday’s BBC morning news headlines included a report of two reviews by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of evidence about foetal pain. The reviews concluded that foetuses under 24 weeks…
Read MoreDrugs in sport debate: Proposer’s update 2
by Julian Savulescu Illegal prostitution still occurs in countries where it has been decriminalised; illegal use of dangerous drugs still occurs in countries which have relaxed their bans on recreational drugs. But overall, such societies a…
Read MoreA Universal Moral Code?
Might there be a universal moral code? When we look around, we everywhere find bitter and seemingly interminable moral disagreements about abortion, or euthanasia, or animal rights, or social justice, and many other issues, not to mention t…
Read MoreChoosing how to live: death row inmates and terminally ill patients
by Shlomit Harrosh Convicted murderer Ronnie Lee Gardner was killed by gunfire on July 18, 2010. Given the choice between lethal injection and being shot, Gardner opted for the firing squad. This was the first firing squad execution in the …
Read MoreDrugs in sport debate: Opposer’s update
by John William Devine Julian’s response to the problem of doping is to throw in the towel.
Read MoreSex and the minimally conscious state
An interesting case is reported in the most recent issue of the Hastings Center Report. Mrs Z, is a 29 year-old woman who was released into her husband’s carefollowing a traumatic brain injury. She is in a minimally conscious state (MCI), …
Read MoreGoodbye to Josè Saramago, genius, novelist and (sometimes) a bioethicist
The very sad news of the day is the death of Portuguese writer José Saramago. Saramago was a true genius and one of my favourite authors ever, so I thought it could be a good idea to show how this great man was able not only …
Read MoreHow wrong may we be?
By Nicholas ShackelConsider these propositions: Mandatory licensing of professional services increases the prices of those services. Overall, the standard of living is higher today than it was 30 years ago Rent control leads to housing shor…
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