British national who died in Egypt is repatriated without heart or kidneys

by Henrianne DE PONTBRIAND | 12 Nov, 2018 | Bioethics press synthesis | Organ donation

David Humphries, aged 62, was on a family holiday in the Egyptian resort of Makadi, when he sought medical advice about chest pains on 13 September 2018. On 18 September, he returned to hospital after a fall and died during the night. An initial autopsy was performed...

“Every minute we spent together was worth the pain” – poignant letter from a mother to her baby who died two days after birth

by Henrianne DE PONTBRIAND | 12 Nov, 2018 | Bioethics press synthesis | Abortion - Medical termination of Pregnancy(MTP)

His parents knew that Ismaël would not live but they allowed the pregnancy to go full-term, to welcome their baby into the world. Born on 8 December, his fragile life lasted all of 48 hours. He died in his mother’s arms. She has written him a poignant letter:...

Yann Le Cun: the biological brain is “way ahead of the digital brain”

by Henrianne DE PONTBRIAND | 12 Nov, 2018 | Bioethics press synthesis

It’s not a competition, but if it were, “the biological brain would be way ahead of the digital brain”, explains Yann LeCun, chief AI scientist at Facebook. Today, “technologies allow us to reproduce the brain functions of even simple animals...

A man “now a woman” claims mother status

by Henrianne DE PONTBRIAND | 12 Nov, 2018 | Bioethics press synthesis | All other themes

The Montpellier Court of Appeal is dealing with a “complex” case: Bernard and Marie were married with two children when, in 2011, Bernard “made the decision to become a woman but without undergoing surgery”. Such a change is legally accepted by...

Montpellier: Fertility centre project financed by rich Americans

by Henrianne DE PONTBRIAND | 12 Nov, 2018 | Bioethics press synthesis | MAP – Surrogacy

Professor Hamamah, head of the reproductive biology department at CHU Montpellier (University Hospital Centre), plans to open a “fertility centre” he calls I2F in January 2020. The centre is hoping to attract “world champions in the medically...

More and more transgender individuals want to cancel their sexual conversion

by Henrianne DE PONTBRIAND | 12 Nov, 2018 | Bioethics press synthesis | All other themes

Professor Miroslav Djordjevic, the first surgeon in the world to perform genital reconstruction, confirms that a large number of individuals, especially transgender women over the age of 30, regret their sex change and want to cancel their “sexual...