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Headlines
Animal-human Chimeras : State of Play and Bioethical Questions
Temps de lecture : 24 min.
The recent development of experiments with chimeras (i.e. an individual carrying cells with different DNA) could stir our imagination by the spectre of fabulous and frightening creatures. Above all, it raises fundamental ethical questions. A...
Euthanasia, 20 years later
Temps de lecture : 10 min.
After twenty years of applying the Belgian law on euthanasia, and given the current critical debates on the subject, it is essential to take stock of the practice of euthanasia in Belgium and draw some perspectives on its recent and future ...
BREAKING NEWS - The Belgian Constitutional Court rejects the appeal relating to the 2020 law on euthanasia
Temps de lecture : 2 min.
Of the three amendments introduced by the law, the Court considers that two of them are not contrary to the Constitution. As regards the third provision, relating to the infringement of the freedom of healthcare institutions which do not practise...
Coronavirus Vaccines and the Use of Aborted Fetal Cells
Temps de lecture : 3 min.
At a time of accelerated development of vaccines against Covid-19, being well-informed is important, especially regarding the ethics of how these vaccines are developed and then produced and tested. The potential use of aborted fetuses' cell l...
Sexuality and abortion: The European Parliament Adopts the Matic Report
Temps de lecture : 2 min.
In plenary session in Brussels on Thursday June 24, the European Parliament adopted (378 votes in favor; 255 against; 42 abstentions) the resolution and report "On the situation of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the EU, in the fra...
Belgium: Euthanasia of New-borns Practiced Outside the Law
Temps de lecture : 2 min.
A recent study has brought to light the practice of deliberate euthanasia to new-borns for whom the medical team considered that there was "no hope of a bearable future". These practices concerned 10% of the neonates (0-1 year) who died in Flanders...
The new Spanish law on euthanasia contested against the Constitutional Court a few days before its entry into force
Temps de lecture : 3 min.
Friday June 25 is the stipulated date for the Spanish new law on euthanasia entry into force, exactly three months after its approval and publication in the Spanish Official Gazette (Boletín Oficial del Estado). With this law (Ley...
The International Society for Stem Cell Research Drops the 14-day Limit on Human Embryo Research
Temps de lecture : 3 min.
During the last four decades, a period of 14 days was officially accepted as the ethical and legal limit on human embryo research. In other words, scientists were not allowed to pursue research on embryos beyond the fourteenth day after their...
Euthanasia in Belgium: Analysis of the 2020 Commission Report
Temps de lecture : 1 min.
The European Institute of Bioethics (EIB) has published a report (available in French and Dutch) on the 2020 Belgian euthanasia report indicating that the number of reported assisted deaths increased by 12.6% in 2019 to 2656. The 2019 Belgian...
Position of the WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (WMA) on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide – Chronological overview (1987-2019)
Temps de lecture : 3 min.
In October 2019, the World Medical Association1 (WMA) adopted a declaration on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. This new declaration is an opportunity to analyze the documents successively adopted by the WMA on euthanasia and...
Position of the WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (WMA) on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide – Chronological overview (1987-2019)
Temps de lecture : 3 min.
In October 2019, the World Medical Association (WMA) adopted a declaration on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. This new declaration is an opportunity to analyze the documents successively adopted by the WMA on euthanasia and ...
Death by Request in Switzerland: Post-traumatic stress disorder and complicated grief after witnessing assisted suicide
Temps de lecture : 1 min.
A study conducted in Switzerland in December 2007 among 85 family members and friends who were present at an assisted suicide showed higher prevalence of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and complicated grief after witnessing assisted suicide...
Our thematics
Presentation of the EIB
Due to increasing social issues arising from technological advancement, each year we are faced with new ethical questions.
In response, the European Institute of Bioethics has decided to provide well documented information in order to raise awareness in these ethical areas.
The following are some of our current challenges, our means of action and what we need in order to succeed.