Yesterday the UK organ donation taskforce released its report on a presumed consent (opt-out) system for organ donation. To the consternation of the chief medical officer and the Prime Minister the taskforce advised against the introduction…

Following the announcement last week that Oxford University’s controversial Biomedical Sciences building is now complete and will be open for business in mid-2009, the ethical issues surrounding the use of animals for scientific experimenta…

Even in these changing times it would appear some things stay the same. One example would be our insatiable appetite for vice. Indeed, given the bleak financial situation the demand for a bit of instant gratification might well be on the in…

A teenager who is a Jehovah’s witness declines a potentially life-saving blood transfusion. Another teenager, self-conscious and strongly believing that it will make her happier, requests a boob job. When minors make decisions that may be a…

“A newborn is not a person, because a person is someone who has self-consciousness and has a sense of morality and rationality. In some cases of severely deformed babies, it could be reasonable to accept euthanasia like in Holland.” This si…

Why is there spam? The simple answer is that "there is a sucker born every minute" and email is cheap enough to reach millions of potential suckers who might want to buy Viagra, sure-fire investments and fake Rolexes. A new study …

Suppose that the people around repeatedly smile or shake their heads. Although you may not notice it, it is very likely that soon you too will begin to smile or shake your heard. And it is likely that this will affect how you feel and what …

The health secretary announced today that patients in the UK who choose to buy medicines not funded by the national health service, will no longer be excluded from receiving public health care. This announcement follows controversy about ex…

The idea of reproductive cloning can easily be perceived as offensive, as a practice that constitutes the dark side of cloning and should be prohibited under all circumstances, by contrast with therapeutic cloning, the benefits of which are…

When election of public officials through public voting was instituted in the US,the framers of the constitution had no inkling about how large the voting public would one day become. Beside logistical problems that accidentally enfranchise…