Cancer-causing viruses like HPV can cause cells to divide indefinitely and, in the case of Henrietta Lacks, become immortal.
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The immortal cancer cells of Henrietta Lacks revolutionized the fields of science, medicine and bioethics. And they still survive today, more than 70 years after her death.
Debate about abortion is often a debate about rights – but whose?
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
We have moved beyond burning witches and lynching wrong-doers. So we should also stop shaming unvaccinated people. There are better ways to change behaviour.
People wait at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa on Nov. 26, 2021, as many nations moved to stop air travel from the country.
AP Photo/Jerome Delay
The CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine provider agreement prohibits health care professionals from administering the vaccines in people for whom they are not yet authorized or approved. But this departs from longstanding norms.
It’s unvaccinated people, not the vaccinated, who are most at risk when unvaccinated people are allowed in shops.
People wait in line to receive a vaccine shot against COVID-19 in Belgrade, Serbia, Aug. 17, 2021. Serbia and other countries have started administering booster doses. Meanwhile, more than half the world’s population has not had a first dose.
AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic
While the prospect of reviving extinct species has long been discussed, advances in genome editing have now brought such dreams close to reality.
The notion of vaccine mandates is being debated all over the world as some states move to legally require COVID-19 vaccination.
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Should people be compelled to take the vaccine? Should you feel guilty for skipping the line? And what about parts of the world where vaccines aren’t readably available? Ethicists have it covered.
Keeping kids safe is complicated and requires care for both physical and mental health.
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In most countries, scientific research that uses human embryos has to halt after the 14th day. New guidelines recommend the public’s input in extending the time period.
A shot and a small fortune could entice some to get vaccinated.
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Offering incentives to encourage good health behavior isn’t new, but it does raise concerns. A behavioral scientist explains how rewarding those taking a shot need not keep ethicists up at night.
It’s easy to call Australian Olympians who receive their COVID shot early ‘queue jumpers’. But the argument for them having early access to the vaccine is more nuanced. Here’s why.
We believe monkeys to have lower moral status than humans – but what about human-monkey chimeras?
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Am I really eligible? Isn’t there someone more worthy of getting immunized before me? A bioethicist explains that such feelings of guilt are understandable. In fact, they are good for society.
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford
Professor of Bioethics & Medicine, Sydney Health Ethics, Haematologist/BMT Physician, Royal North Shore Hospital and Director, Praxis Australia, University of Sydney