Should genetic information be disclosed to insurers? Yes.

UK insurers have said that they may seek approval to use the results of genetic tests for cancer from next year. believes there is no reason not to pass the results on to insurance companies, but argues that the risks of disclosure justify privacy in most cases

Are countries that ban human embryonic stem cell research hypocritical?

In this paper I analyze whether countries that ban human embryonic stem cell research, but are likely to allow their citizens to be treated with stem cell-derived products are guilty of hypocrisy. I conclude that the charge of hypocrisy is much more difficult to sustain than many believe.

High hopes and automatic escalators: a critique of some new arguments in bioethics.

Two protechnology arguments, the "hopeful principle" and the "automatic escalator", often used in bioethics, are identified and critically analysed in this paper. It is shown that the hopeful principle is closely related to the problematic precautionary principle, and the automatic escalator argument has close affinities to the often criticised empirical slippery slope argument. The hopeful principle is shown to be really hopeless as an argument, and automatic escalator arguments often lead nowhere when critically analysed.

What should other healthcare professions learn from nursing ethics.

This paper analyses the question what other healthcare professions should learn from nursing ethics, e.g. what should medical ethics learn from nursing ethics.

The application of civil commitment law and practices to a case of delusional disorder: a cross-national comparison of legal approaches in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Legal approaches to civil commitment in the United States and the United Kingdom are compared. A concise overview of the historical evolution of civil commitment in both countries precedes a discussion of the present scheme of commitment standards in each system. These current standards in U.

The WMA on medical ethics--some critical comments.

Because the WMA's new manual contains a partially partisan view of what constitutes medical ethics, if used for teaching it needs to be balanced by other materials

Being Ms B: B, autonomy and the nature of legal regulation.

In this article, we question the apparent simplicity of medical law's construction of 'life and death' cases as a clash between the sanctity of life principle and patient autonomy. Our main purpose in doing so is to try to understand more fully the nature of law's regulation of the existence and non-existence of life. Specifically, we argue that, by broadening the understanding of autonomy in this area beyond a simple concern for patients' rights and self-determination, to include a focus on the individual generally, it becomes possible to identify some of the legal practices that are central to the manner in which law regulates the threshold between life and death.

Religion and bioethics.

This paper discusses the role of religious arguments in public bioethical debate. It is argued that attempts to rule out religious arguments as valid contributions to the pubic debate fails for a number of reasons. There is no non-arbitrary way of dividing religious arguments from non-religious arguments, and all arguments refer ultimately to a background comprehensive worldview that is never fully consistent or coherent and which is furthermore always contested.

Umbilical cord cell banking--implications for the future.

The first successful cord cell transplant to a sibling with Fanconi's anaemia took place 15 years ago. This proven utility of cord blood led to the establishment of cord blood banks both private and public and there are now nearly 100 cord blood banks worldwide. It is estimated that over 200,000 cord blood units (CBU) are held by the private sector and over 160,000 CBU are registered with the largest public cord blood registry.

Embryonic stem cell research and the moral status of human embryos.

The paper analyses whether the old problem concerning the moral status or value of human embryos is implicated in the moral evaluation of embryonic stem cell research. It briefly outlines the moral status debate and then proceeds to show that all current attempts to bypass the problem fail.

Cell phoney: human cloning after Quintavalle.

Reproductive cloning has thrown up new scientific possibilities, ethical conundrums, and legal challenges. An initial question, considered by the English courts in 2003, was whether the technique presently available, that of cell nucleus replacement, falls outside the provisions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. If it does, the creation and use, including use in research protocols, of human embryos would be unregulated, disclosing a need to consider remedial legislation.

Like a frog in boiling water: the public, the HFEA and sex selection.

This paper analyses the British Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's 2002 public consultation on sex selection, a consultation that was mainly concerned with sex selection for non-medical reasons. Based on a close reading of the consultation document and questionnaire it is argued that the consultation is biased towards certain outcomes and can most plausibly be construed as an attempt not to investigate but to influence public opinion.

Ethics, economics and the exotic: the early career of the HFEA.

The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) is the UK's statutory regulator of licensed assisted conception treatments. The past 10 years have, inevitably, drawn it further and deeper into this area of legal, moral and political controversy. It is opportune to consider how it has fared in the new climate of public accountability and critical scrutiny, and whether reform or revision of its role, mandate or operation may be called for.

Regulation of assisted reproductive technology: a case study of Japan.

Most studies on the ethics and provision of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have taken place in the context of the Judaeo-Christian culture of western developed countries. This study looks at ART, its provision and control, in an eastern developed country with a completely different cultural background; Japan. A necessarily brief description of the cultural context of religious belief, the family and reproduction in Japan is followed by a description of the development of ART in Japan together with an analysis of its provision and control.

Regulating assisted reproduction technologies.

Legislation in the area of assisted reproduction has been a slow process and one dogged by conflicting ethical views. Where legislation has been introduced in Europe it has not been consistent, representing the different cultural environments of the countries concerned and in a number of countries legislation has still not been introduced. Although the 1997 European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine represented a landmark in trying to introduce an international consensus on embryo research and its control, there is little or no regulation of assisted reproduction services even in those countries where legislation has been introduced.

Why are infertile patients not using psychosocial counselling?

The purpose of this study was to examine the sources of support that infertile patients relied on when distressed, and the factors that prevented them from using psychosocial counselling. The sample consisted of 143 infertile patients (49 couples plus 45 additional women) who were in their mid-thirties and had been infertile for approximately 6 years. Before their clinic appointment, participants completed (anonymously) a short questionnaire concerning various sources of support and factors related to the uptake of counselling.

Oocyte donation: the legislative framework in Western Europe.

Relatively few countries have legislation addressing oocyte donation. Where such legislation does exist it is entirely in the context of broader legislation concerned with the regulation of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or assisted reproduction more generally. Within Western Europe only nine countries so far have passed Acts addressing assisted reproduction.

Guidelines in medical practice: the legal issues.

The use of guidelines represents a new culture in medicine-a shift of emphasis away from reliance on individual discretion towards greater professionalism and accountability. Although they are important vehicles for those who wish to evaluate and monitor healthcare practice against recognized standards, this paper explores the legal problems surrounding the implementation of guidelines in the National Health Service in the UK. The topic is considered from the clinician's perspective, but there are also lessons to be learned by managers.