Worldwide, the prevalence of miscarriage is extremely high, yearly reported at 23 million. Of the average 6 million pregnancies in the United States each year, 16% end in miscarriage. The fetus is most vulnerable within the first trimester, with the majority of losses occurring between week 6-8, possibly resulting from genetic or environmental factors. However, […]

Approximately 42,000 organ transplantations occurred in the United States last year, the highest amount ever. However, over 100,000 people are on the organ transplant waiting list at any given time. In a bid to close the large gap between donors and those waiting, UNMC in Omaha, NE published a new research protocol specifically for heart […]

Dr. Klessig, anesthesiologist and pain management specialist (respectforhumanlife.com), gives us a refreshingly frank perspective of the of ethics involved in the NRP-cDCD organ transplantation procedure. Read more here.

The American College of Physicians, the largest specialty society in the world (Internal Medicine) offers expertise and insight into the definition of both circulatory and brain death. In doing so, they uncover breaches in both logic and ethics as presented in the new NRP-cDCD protocol.  Take the time and read the following article to get […]

With a shock that rippled around the medical research world in 2018, a Chinese researcher unethically and illegally edited the DNA of 3 human embryos, implanted them in their mother’s wombs, who then gave birth. This is referred to as Heritable Human Genome Editing (HHGE) and represents a clear breach of the Belmont Principles of Autonomy (Informed Consent), […]

I’m happy to report Bioethics was at the forefront each day at the International Human Genome Editing Symposium. Controversy and disagreement between panelists as well as the audience was frequent, showing the lack of consensus on the ethics of continuing Heritable Human Gene Editing. The value of this research was questioned outright, especially in light of other successful […]

Contrary to the last International Human Genome Editing Symposium, the focus was Somatic Human Gene Editing (SHGE), wherein the non-reproductive cells of adults/children were utilized to explore cures for diseases. This approach makes changes in the patient’s DNA without causing those changes to be inherited by future offspring. In gene editing, there is always a possibility of […]

In our 2022 year-end report, we briefly discussed an ethical issue directly associated with the recent pandemic, namely Gain of Function (GOF) research. It is vital that we possess understanding of GOF origins and significance. GOF research had been quietly pursued internationally for decades before it was officially named and given public attention. In 2011, […]

Dear NCER Supporter, The year of 2022 has been dominated with news surrounding ethical issues related to research associated with the pandemic, specifically viral “Gain-of-Function”, and the mRNA vaccine. Bioethicists are engaged in a battle over the morality of mandated vaccinations, whose safety and efficacy are being questioned. This dilemma intersects with ethical inquiries into the [&hel...

It is critical that all of us are aware of the credibility crisis that currently exists between the medical community and patients. During the unprecedented last 2.5 years, populations around the world have been repeatedly exposed to a new vaccine technology (mRNA) which did not complete long-term standard safety and efficacy research before it was brought to public […]