Now the government wants to expand the database by including samples from people arrested for littering and minor traffic offences. "We must consider anything which frees up police time or improves the efficiency and effectiveness of police investigations," says a spokeswoman for the Home Office. Critics of the database says that it is turning Britain into an Orwellian Big Brother society. ~ Scotsman, Oct 24
The problem of sex imbalance in Asia continues to make the news. At the Fourth Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights, a demographer said that if the sex ratio at birth had been natural in the region, there would have been 163 million more girls in 2005.
According to Christophe Z Guilmoto, "In 2005, six Asian countries reported a severe sex-ratio imbalance, with levels for children above 108: India, South Korea, Georgia, Azerbaijan, China and Armenia." He foresees big changes in Asian family structures, with many men remaining unmarried, and women's status declining "due to the simultaneous increase in pressure to marry, higher risk of gender-based violence, rising demand for sex work and the development of trafficking networks." Furthermore, the simple fact that there are fewer women in democratic countries will make their voices weaker in policy-making.
Although preference for males is traditional in Asian societies, the radical change in the sex ratio is basically due to the legalisation of abortion, the availability of ultrasound machines, and a compliant medical profession. Guilmoto observes: "Moreover, the acts are conducted under medical control, and may be relatively safe so long as the abortion is performed by trained practitioners; the method subsequently looks more "modern" and "rational" than traditional methods [of gender-cide]."
Intriguingly, India's neighbour, Pakistan, does not have a sex selection problem. Abortion is illegal there and ultrasound technology is uncommon. But the main reason is religious. "One cannot ignore that such deeds [selective abortions] are considered sinful with great misfortune befalling those who commit such deeds. One of the commonest teachings of Prophet Mohammad, with which all Pakistanis are familiar, relates to not burying daughters alive (a practice in Arabia before the advent of Islam)," Dr Yasmeen Sabeeh Qazi told the IPS news service. ~ UNFPA website: IRS, Oct 29
Cloned horses off to slow start
While human reproductive cloning is unlikely to be endorsed by any scientific body or government in the near future, cloning horses is also meeting strong opposition. "You'd have to see humans [cloned] before you'd even consider it for the horse," says Dan Fick, of the US Jockey Club, which writes the thoroughbred racing rulebook. Both the Jockey Club and the American Quarter Horse Association prohibit the practice.
Horse cloning is not making great strides at the moment, but there are about 20 cloned horses and 3 cloned mules. ViaGen, a Texas company which is a leader in the commercial application of cloning, feels that it is a good option for gelded horses which prove their mettle.
The industry believes that cloning, if successful, would reduce the gene pool because people would only want to reproduce the more successful bloodlines. "Once you have a superior animal and all you're doing is making Xeroxes, where's the fun in that?" says one prominent breeder. However, ViaGen says that demand for cloned animals will grow as the process become more efficient and less costly. In any case, clones can still compete in rodeos, where they can pick up substantial prizes. ~ MSNBC.com, Oct 26
Globalised bioethics
Like many other industries in India, IVF clinics are going global. Pulse, a women's hospital in Ahmedabad, has forged agreements with a hospital in Ghana to provide infertility treatment and IVF. Doctors in India will examine ultrasounds from Africa remotely. A team of gynaecologists will also visit Ghana several times a year to treat patients.
A step down on the globalisation ladder is surrogacy. According to the Deccan Herald, women from the US, UK and Russia are travelling to India to seek cheap surrogacy. It is not difficult to find willing women. They appear to receive between US$1,000 and $2,000 for a successful birth.
And Brazil could become the world capital of cosmetic tourism, judging from a report from Ireland. Michael Moeckle, of Cosmetic Tourism, says that the Irish are now his second largest market in Europe. He flies his clients to Rio de Janeiro where they combine a holiday in the sun with a make-over -- at half the cost of having the procedure done at home. ~ Independent (Ireland), Oct 28.
Doctors to make millions from Australian IVF clinic sale
Although IVF is said to be a US$3 billion industry in the United States, it is seldom reported in the financial press. However, the sale of one of the world's most prominent IVF clinics, Melbourne IVF, in Australia, has brought some figures to light. Private equity firms are reportedly interested in buying the business for about A$200 million. The 20 shareholders would pocket some tidy sums, according to the Australian Financial Review. A sale would value the shares of Dr Gab Kovacs at $13.8 million, managing director Donna Howlett at $9.3 million, and biologist Alan Trounson at $8.8 million. Melbourne IVF is Australia's largest clinic, followed by IVF Australia and Sydney IVF. The three account for more than a third of Australia's authorised clinics. ~ Australian Financial Review, Oct 27
My brain made me do it
The "neuro-mitigation of blame" should be regarded with deep suspicion, says a British doctor. Professor Raymond Tallis says that recent developments in neuroscience appear to show that we are not as free as we once thought. Hence, American lawyers are licking their lips at new ways for their clients to plead diminished responsibility. He imagines a typical address to a jury: "The case against Mr X must be dismissed. He cannot be held responsible for smashing Mr Y's face into a pulp. He is not guilty, it was his brain that did it. Blame not Mr X, but his overactive amygdala."
However, says Prof Tallis, this view is contradictory. "My brain made me do it" presumes that the person is not the brain, but the foundation of neuro-law is that the person is the brain. Neuro-law, he suggests, is just another branch of neuro-mythology. Quoting a law academic, he says, it is people, not brains, who commit crimes and "neuroscience... can never identify the mysterious point at which people should be excused responsibility for their actions". ~ London Times, Oct 24
Nurses to decide life and death in UK
British nurses are to be authorised to decide whether patients should be revived with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The new rule is aimed to prevent the "unnecessary: resuscitation of seriously ill patients. Defenders of the new regulation point out that survival rates for CPR can be as low as 5%. They argue that patients should be allowed to die in peace rather than be subjected to the indignity of repeated attempts to revive them. However, Dr Peter Saunders, general secretary of the Christian Medical Fellowship, says: "There is absolutely no way this can be delegated to nursing staff. It's unfair on them to make such a call - they have neither the training nor the experience." ~ Scotsman, Oct 28
Italians wrangle over bioethics committee
A shake-up of Italy's national advisory body for bioethics has led to bitter wrangling, especially over stem cell research, according to a report in Nature. The new Prime Minister, Romano Prodi, recently trimmed membership on the National Bioethics Committee from 52 to 40 and increased the number of women from 25% to nearly 40%. Catholic members still constituted well over half. Prodi also appointed a former president of the supreme court, Francesco Casavola, as chairman. Two secular members and one Catholic became vice-presidents.
Almost immediately, there were disputes. Many members wanted to change the voting system from a simple majority to a system that canvasses all views. Then three members criticised Casavola in an internal memo for being too chummy with Catholics, and this was quickly leaked to the press. Casavola offered to resign, but Prodi persuaded him to stay on. He then brought in a new team of vice- presidents: a rabbi, a Catholic with secular views, and a strong opponent of embryonic stem cell research. Italian stem cell scientists are pessimistic about the future of science in their country. ~ Nature, Oct 25
New Jersey to vote on stem cell bond issue
Politicians in New Jersey want to position their state to take advantage of a glowing future for embryonic stem cell research. Following California's example, voters on November 6 will be asked to approve a US$450 million bond issue to pay for grants over 10 years. The state allocated $10 million for stem cell research grants earlier this year and is already spending $270 million to build stem cell research facilities.
New Jersey's multimillionaire governor, Jon S. Corzine, is a strong supporter -- so strong that he has donated $150,00 of his own money to New Jersey for Hope, a stem cell lobby group. He believes that the bond issue will help attract top scientists and research companies and help develop cures for many ailments.
The proposition faces fierce opposition from a coalition of fiscal conservatives and pro-life groups. Foes of increased state borrowing are sceptical of claims that stem cell research will revitalise the state's economy. And pro-life advocates point out that New Jersey's stem cell legislation is one of the most permissive in the world. It allows a cloned human embryo to be implanted in a womb. ~ Newsday/AP, Oct 30
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Britons are beginning to worry about the size of their expanding national DNA database. More than 6% of the population, or about 4 million people, have had their profiles recorded by the government. Although its population is five times larger, the US has only 5 million profiles. Under 2001 rules for England and Wales, DNA can be taken without consent from anyone arrested for a serious crime -- and kept even if he is found innocent.