Monthly Archives: September 2014

Cure for Diabetes???

Scientists believe they have found the causes for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.  Finding the cause is the first major step towards healing the malady.  See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/11046958/Diabetes-could-be-cured-as-scientists-find-cause-of-disease.html

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Industry of Death

They have a name for it in Switzerland: Suicide Tourism.  A recent report has indicated that the number of outsiders coming to Switzerland for assistance in being killed has doubled since 2009.  See: http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/20/health/suicide-tourism-switzerland/index.html

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Too Many or Too Few?!?!

In an earlier blog I reported about the Boston College ethicists who argued that single women should not be permitted to undergo in-vitro fertilization (IVF) because we have too many people.  (ref: http://www.robertfleischmann.com/archives/145).  Now, consider the story of the effectiveness … Continue reading

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Just When You Thought it Couldn’t Get Muddier

The world of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogate parenting has enough ethical challenges just in the procedure.  Consider this new twist in which embryos were placed in the wrong mothers: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2720056/Judge-decide-legal-parents-IVF-twins-one-couple-s-embryos-implanted-wrong-mother-Rome-hospital-mix-up.html

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Challenges in Organ Transplantation

Since 1823 (according to Wikipedia) the organ and tissue transplant industry has blossomed.  Yet, there are never enough organs to meet the need.  Part of the problem has been location.  Under the present system the country is divided into 11 … Continue reading

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Perspectives on Hospice Care

Forbes had an excellent article on quality hospice care.  Check it out at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolynmcclanahan/2014/08/01/nuts-and-bolts-of-end-of-life-care/ But, for every positive there is a negative – or so it would seem.  Check out the way the Washington Post perspective hospice care: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/storyline/wp/2014/08/21/end-of-life-care-an-industry-with-soaring-profits-funded-by-taxpayers/

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“Perfectly” Healthy

We love a diagnosis that we are in “perfect” health but have you ever thought about what that means?  How is the “perfect” diagnosis affected by age or mental condition? Questions like these swirl around a new initiative by Google, … Continue reading

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Preying Upon the Desperate

One of the on-going debates is paying people to donate their organs, to serve as surrogate parents, to give up eggs or sperm and to be human guinea pigs to test new medications.   Two related topics surfaced in my reading … Continue reading

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