Life as an Extreme Sport

Category: Bioethics

It’s about time I added a category for my field of study, eh?

Massachusetts Proposes hESC Funding

AJOB Editors Blog, Bioethics

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick unveiled plans, today, for a $1 billion investment in biotechnology and stem cell research, directly attempting to challenge California as the place to be for stem cell research. Like California, Patrick’s plan is a 10-year plan that will fund, among other things, a stem cell bank and the nation’s first centralized repository of new public and private stem cell lines, which will be overseen by the University of Massachusetts. It will be the world’s largest of its kind (according to Patrick’s office, anyhow), with Harvard, MIT, Massachusetts General and other hospitals contributing their lines.

Massachusetts might actually be able to give California a run for its money (or talent) here; in addition to being able to learn from CIRM’s mistakes, Massachusetts has over 500 life science companies, several major universities, two dozen teaching hospitals, and four medical schools. This is just one of a list of things Patrick has done to undo Republican presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s time in office; Patrick’s proposal requires legislative approval that he is very likely to get. In 2005, both the Senate and House supported a bill to encourage stem cell research that Romney promptly killed.

And continuing to deviate from party line, California Governor Schwarzenegger says he welcomes the competition; the more research being done, the better.
-Kelly Hills

Originally posted at the American Journal of Bioethics Editors Blog.

is it time to change the formula, or time to stop using it entirely?

AJOB Editors Blog, Bioethics

The forensic pathologist who developed the currently used system of lethal injection has told CNN that while there might be new drugs that should cause the injection formulation to be revisited and revised, the procedure itself is medically sound if done by competent people.

While the article talks about Dr. Jay Chapman’s motivation for devising this particular method of execution, and his opinion that perhaps we should consider bringing back the guillotine, the option of actually not killing people is nowhere to be found.

-Kelly Hills

Originally posted at the American Journal of Bioethics Editors Blog.

vampires walk among us

Bioethics

I was attacked by a ferocious vampire today, who, in the process of taking more blood than I’m pretty certain I could spare, also managed to get me to pass out. Funny, my body’s reaction to being poked and poked and poked against with modern, sharp fangs, after fasting for entirely too long, is to go “screw this” and quit.

I’m pretty certain, as well, that apple juice is a holy fluid.

But hey, at least when I bruise, I end up looking like a Jackson Polllock painting…

For the softest hair, use hamster extract

AJOB Editors Blog, Bioethics

Oliver has Hurler Syndrome, leaving him unable to break down deadly toxins in his body. Oliver also has hamster extract. The hamster extract appears to counteract some of the worst side effects of Hurler’s Syndrome, and as an added bonus? Makes his hair softer, too.

Of course, the Daily Mail’s take on the story brings to mind vast legions of hamsters being milked for their extract in some sort of dystopic hamster version of The Matrix. A quick trip to Google brings a slightly less science fiction, more science fact account of the treatment, which involves enzymes taken from genetically modified Chinese hamsters, given via slow IV drip once a week. The enzymes appear to mimic those Oliver is missing, cleaning up the toxins, helping him grow, and giving him much-needed energy.

Me, I’m just slightly disappointed there will be no hamster Neo.

(With thanks to birthday girl Laurie for the tip!)

-Kelly Hills

Originally posted at the American Journal of Bioethics Editors Blog.

surprise surprise, look what doesn’t work

Bioethics

The delay in posting this comes from it being originally written for another blog; this might get taken down if the technical issues going on are resolved, and posting starts up again in earnest.

In a new study mandated by Congress, who’s reviewing yearly federal funding for abstinence only sex education programs this summer, everyone gets to find out what those of us who’ve taught comprehensive sex education have known for years: abstinence only sex education is not effective. As a matter of fact, exactly the same number of kids who go through abstinence-only courses decide to have sex as those who get the comprehensive sex education courses – about half. Nor did going through the abstinence only coursework delay having sex; they all started having sex about age 15.

So some folks are going to say, if it’s 50/50, about the same, what’s the problem? Why not promote abstinence only education, since it’s no more effective than comprehensive sex education?

While recent reviews of the abstinence only courses suggest that they’ve dropped their more inflammatory statements, such as Choosing The Best’s comment that the final stages of condom usage are to immediately wash the genitals with soap and water and either rubbing alcohol or a diluted solution of lysol, or several programs claims that it’s not at all uncommon to see women with genital warts the size of fists, they still base their curricula on fear, shame, inaccurate medical information, exclusionary language that leaves out anyone who doesn’t identify as heteronormative, often ignore anatomy and puberty, focuses only on heterosexual, vaginal intercourse, and utilize either outdated, misleading, or worst-case scenarios when they do discuss sexually transmitted infections (which is only done in fear tactic manners).

For me, that’s a pretty good laundry list of reasons to avoid abstinence only education. Add to that vague language that leaves teens thinking that abstinence means “no pens to vagina intercourse” and everything else is fine, without knowing how to protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections that can occur during oral or anal sex (as these are topics are often simply not at all covered), and I cannot understand why anyone believes these courses to be a good idea.

Abstinence is definitely a part of a comprehensive sex education program; I fully agree with SIECUS (the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, a great resource on all things sex-related, including detailed reviews of the problems with abstinence only courses, and recommendations for how to get comprehensive courses in your community), who says that students “deserve comprehensive sexuality education that provides unbiased, accurate information about sexuality and relationships including vital information on such important topics as STDs, HIV, and pregnancy prevention.” We should be arming our children with the knowledge, self-confidence and ability to make the best decision for themselves – and the only way you can make the best decision possible is to have all the accurate information there is.