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Mixed reactions Review by Helen Barratt - Clinical Research Fellow in Public Health in London In September, Andrew Lansley was replaced as Secretary of State for Health by Jeremy Hunt, the former culture secretary, as part of an extensive government reshuffle. Three of the department's other ministers have also been...
Human dignity has become a much maligned term partly because it is seen as undefinable and inherently theological. Charles Foster's book, which argues that dignity is the only sustainable 'Theory of Everything' in bioethics and law, swims bravely against this tide. Foster argues that dignity is the direct route...
Christian views have come under growing fire in recent months. Doctors who refuse to prescribe contraceptives to unmarried women or refuse to provide sex-change operations risk being struck off the medical register, according to new draft guidance issued by the GMC. (1) More broadly, Britain is coming under increasing pressure...
Review by Helen Barratt Speciality registrar in public health The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has called on the Prime Minister to address the current 'crisis' in the elderly care system. The Archbishop said it is 'widely acknowledged' that the existing funding arrangements are 'unfit for purpose' as...
Over the past fifty years there has been an explosion of ethical challenges facing doctors and other healthcare professionals. Ranging from abortion to euthanasia, via human enhancement technologies, many of the arguments Christians put forward in debate revolve around the principle of the sanctity of life – the intrinsic value...
Brian comes to see you in your Monday morning surgery. His wife Carol has colorectal cancer with hepatic metastases. All other treatments have failed, but her oncologist has recommended a monoclonal antibody therapy that costs over £10,000. Although the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is unable to...
Around the world, demand for healthcare is growing and it is increasingly recognised that we cannot simply increase the proportion of national wealth spent on services. Difficult decisions are thus inevitable, and the aim o fthis pamphlet is to show how Catholic social teaching can be brought to bear on...
Research is central to the safe and effective practice of medicine. Developments in molecular biology over the past 50 years have affected our understanding of normal human biology and pathophysiology, and new drug development is now often targeted against specific molecular receptors and mechanisms. This in turn requires new, more...
Christian bioethics growever more complex as technologies develop and new issues emerge. AgnetaSutton has set out to make some of the themes more accessible. She takes a broad sweep, encompassing traditional challenges such as euthanasia and IVF, as well as more novel topics like our roleas guardians of creation and...
Reports of illness caused by the novel virus, influenza A/H1N1v, known as swine flu, first emerged in Mexico in April. On 11 June, the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert to Phase 6, indicating that a global pandemic is underway. This reflects the fact there are now...
