domingo, 2 de marzo de 2014

The power of patriarchal norms ► New Media Foundation | 75 Archer Street | Chatswood NSW 2067 | Australia

Bioedge
Hi there,
First things first: the company which distributes our emails, AWeber, is struggling with some very nasty hackers at the moment. No personal information has been compromised, but their website is on a roller-coaster ride. If you have trouble reading the links below, please click through to the BioEdge website.
* * * * *
About the bioethics of tattoos... As a child in a small American town I used to visit a tobacco shop to buy my sweets. One hot day the quiet man behind the counter with a thick Polish accent had rolled up his sleeves. I remember seeing a number tattooed on his inner forearm. It was an odd tattoo, but I didn't ask him about it. I was more interested in the sweets.
Perhaps I should have. Perhaps I would have learned a few things about how people can treated like boxes in a warehouse. All these years later, that man's tattoo spells out dehumanisation for me better than any textbook.
Which is why I was revolted by an article in the January issue of the journal Human Reproduction which was sent to me by a thoughtful BioEdge subscriber.
Researchers in Barcelona have come up with an "exciting" and "novel" system for tracking embryos and eggs in IVF clinics: barcodes. They have successfully attached biofunctionalized polysilicon barcodes to the outer surface of the zona pellucida.
There is always a risk of mixing up the eggs and embryos belonging to clients of the clinics. How often this happens no one knows, but it has happened. It is quite devastating for everyone concerned. The researchers think that this will solve the problem.
But isn't this another version of the number on the forearm? Embryos/children are being branded like cattle and given numbers instead of names. Reproduction is becoming less like love and more like manufacturing. I wish the Barcelona scientists well, but does anyone else think that their idea is seriously creepy? 
Cheers,


Michael Cook
Editor
BioEdge

Bioedge

This week in BioEdge
 

by Michael Cook | Mar 02, 2014
A report from Sweden on how doctors handle hymen restoration

by Michael Cook | Mar 02, 2014
Chief Medical Officer announces the launch of a consultation.

by Xavier Symons | Mar 02, 2014
Are crows feet good enough reason for assisted suicide?

by Xavier Symons | Mar 01, 2014
When should you tell someone that he has Alzheimers?

by Xavier Symons | Mar 01, 2014
About 1,000 children of surrogate mothers enter Britain each year and many of them lack a clear parental status

by Michael Cook | Mar 01, 2014
Doubt cast on daring claims by cardiologist

by Michael Cook | Mar 01, 2014
Latest figures from the SART

by Miriam Zoll | Mar 01, 2014
Do consumers know what they are signing up for?
Michael Cook
Editor
Office address: 75 Archer Street | Chatswood NSW 2067 | Australia
Phone: 61+2 9007-1187
Mobile: 0422-691-615

No hay comentarios: