Before the completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP) in 2003, it was thought there were around 80,000 coding genes for proteins. One of the big surprises of the mapping was the actual number turning out to be around 25,000, and the rest of the DNA was initially written off...
key points Freedom of conscience has been under increasing assault by academic bioethicists and by recent assisted suicide legislation in Canada and New Zealand. However, far from hindering patient care, freedom of conscience has positive benefits for patients, healthcare institutions and the individual professional. It also ensures the beneficence of medical care -...
key points Gene editing is arguably the most significant medical advance of the millennium to date and it is certainly here to stay. As with health and disease, the distinction between therapy and enhancement is not easy to draw. Christian attempts to do so originate from different historic interpretations of the...
Trevor Stammers finds wisdom from the Book of Proverbs on some modern day dilemmas Key points Boundary stones help society maintain respect and continuity with previous generations. They remind us we are not autonomous islands. Ethical issues of IVF, gene editing, gender dysphoria, cybernetics and transhumanism all have in common that they seek...
This book certainly lives up to its name as a former lesbian activist turned Christian author, homemaker, mother and wife shares her life experience and wisdom with a remarkable balance of openness and integrity. She comes across as honest without being in any way sensationalist as she writes about issues relating...
A phenomenological critique James Mumford OUP, 2013, £67 (Pb £25) Hb 212pp, ISBN 9780199673964 Reviewed by Trevor Stammers, Programme Director in Bioethics and Medical Law, St Mary's University, London This book is not a light read, but for those with a good grounding in moral philosophy and theology, it proves as...
Why STI rates continue to rise Review by Trevor Stammers Programme Director in Bioethics and Medical Law, London Public Health England (PHE) has released figures showing the highest annual levels of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). (1) There were 448,422 recorded hospital clinic diagnoses – a rise of 5%...
Resources for Church Leaders Andrew Goddard and Don Horrocks (eds) Evangelical Alliance, 2012 £7.00 Pb 144pp ISBN 9780957244801 This very useful resource is an update of the EA's 1998 report Faith Hope and Homosexuality (FHH). It will be of value to CMF members as well as the target audience...
Brain death 'Death hath ten thousand several doors for men to take their exits' but there can be little argument about the importance of making sure the door is forever firmly shut behind them, before declaring any individual dead. (1) Only after confirmation of his or her death can a...
With children as young as seven being taught in class that touching their clitoris or penis gives them a nice feeling without warning that such touching can be inappropriate (or even constitute sexual abuse depending on who is doing the touching), it's not only Christian parents who are becoming concerned...
