Headlines
Olivia Maurel, born through GPA, testifies to the wounds this practice inflicted on her
Temps de lecture : 1 min.
"I’m unable to stay silent while I still struggle with the traumatic legacy of surrogacy" Now aged 31, Olivia Maurel is testifying publicly for the first time about the trauma generated in her by the surrogacy from which she was born. First on s...
Guy Dembour, a life devoted to revolutionizing the approach to disability
Temps de lecture : 1 min.
Dr Guy Dembour's mission is to highlight the special abilities of children with Down's Syndrome, focusing on their potential rather than their deficiency. A cardiopediatrician and founder in 2001 of Constridel, a multidisciplinary consultation at...
France and Belgium: abortion remains an icon of ideological battles
Temps de lecture : 2 min.
On January 30, at the French National Assembly, a large majority of deputies voted in favor of a bill to enshrine women’s “guaranteed freedom” to have an abortion in the Constitution. The text still has to be examined by the Senate on February 28....
Briefing Note : 2022 Report Euthanasia Commission in Belgium
Temps de lecture : 11 min.
Since 2002, 27.226 people have been officially euthanised in Belgium. The figures for the last two years (2020 and 2021) are 2.445 and 2.700 cases respectively. The year 2021 was therefore characterised by a 10.4% increase in declared...
Animal-human Chimeras : State of Play and Bioethical Questions
Temps de lecture : 25 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...
Analysis: the Mortier case: the ECtHR assessing the Belgian euthanasia law for the first time
Temps de lecture : 5 min.
This case of Mortier v. Belgium, named after the applicant, the son of the euthanized person, was the first case in which the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) was called upon to assess the compatibility of euthanasiaalready practiced with...
Euthanasia, 20 years later
Temps de lecture : 11 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...
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.