IVF and the Alabama Supreme Court decision to protect embryos
Should jurisdictions strive to find a way to protect IVF, while acknowledging the moral status of the embryo?..
Dr Calum MacKellar
Scottish Council on Human Bioethics
Dr Calum MacKellar has been the director of research (for more than 20 years) of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics in Edinburgh (a Scottish Registered Charity), which encourages the engagement of Scottish society in biomedical ethics. He is also a visiting lecturer of bioethics with St Mary's University in Twickenham, London. Previously he worked with the Bioethics Division of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.
BioNews Articles by Dr Calum MacKellar
Image by Sílvia Ferreira, Cristina Lopo and Eileen Gentleman via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a single human stem cell embedded within a porous hydrogel matrix (false colour).
Are human embryo models embryos?
Dr Calum MacKellar discusses the biological, moral and legal status of stem-cell-based embryonic entities...
Why the Law Commissions' consultation paper on surrogacy reform was incomplete
The Law Commissions of Scotland and England and Wales' joint consultation on surrogacy reform has now closed to responses...
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
The Nuffield report on genome editing and the equality of persons
A lot of hard work was invested into the UK's Nuffield Council on Bioethics' new, pioneering, report entitled 'Genome Editing and Human Reproduction: Social and ethical issues'. But a lot more work is still necessary to gain an appropriate overview of inh
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
Why germline genome editing may be discriminatory
On the 20th anniversary of the of the 1997 European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (Oviedo Convention), the Council of Europe Committee on Bioethics organised an international conference entitled ‘Relevance and Challenges’ last month in St
Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family (from Greek and Roman mythology) entwined in coils of DNA.
The 14-day rule for human embryonic research in the UK
Prohibiting what is useless and legalising what becomes useful in embryonic research without any in-depth ethical consideration may be pragmatic, but such an approach is ultimately just as irrational and meaningless as the concept of the human embryo's 'special status'...
Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family (from Greek and Roman mythology) entwined in coils of DNA.
Gene editing of human embryos — more ethical questions to answer
The short article by Robin Lovell-Badge entitled 'Editing human embryos' addressing the work of Junjiu Huang and colleagues in China on gene editing in human embryos - such as the use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system - raises a number of ethical questions....
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts equipment used for embryo biopsy.
Questions relating to 'mitochondrial replacement'
Those who are concerned about mitochondrial replacement techniques do not have any less compassion than those who believe that such procedures should be introduced: they just remain to be convinced that all the biological risks have been sufficiently addressed...
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
Should persons affected by mitochondrial disorders not be brought into existence?
Mitochondrial replacement techniques are not a form of therapy in which a person is being treated or cured for a disorder, but instead make sure that that certain persons are not brought into existence. This is a crucial difference since it then questions the equality in value and worth of every possible future person...
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
Is preconception genetic testing and screening eugenic?
Genetic testing and screening of prospective parents before conception to examine the inheritance of a genetic condition is a new area for discussion. The Human Genetics Commission's (HGC) report 'Increasing options, informing choice: A report on preconception genetic testing and screening', published last week, is thus timely and raises several serious ethical issues...
