First US Conviction for Organ-Trafficking

An Israeli man has been convicted in the first proven case of organ-trafficking in the United States. Levy Izhak Rosenbaum admitted to a court in New Jersey that he had brokered three illegal kidney transplants after payments of $120,000 or more. He admitted to FBI officers that he had done more than just three deals over a few years. He also confessed to how he convinced donors to deceive American hospitals. "A black market in human organs is not only a grave threat to public health, it reserves lifesaving treatment for those who can best afford it at the expense of those who cannot," said New Jersey's US Attorney, Paul Fishman. "We will not tolerate such an affront to human dignity."


What is the issue with organ-trafficking? Why do you think people try to sell human organs to other people?

Daughter will receive transplant of her mother’s womb

Melinda Arnold, after many years of wanting to be a mother, is set to receive a transplant of her mother's womb. This is the first operation of its kind in Australia. Mrs Arnold was born without a womb but with ovaries that produce eggs, and she and her husband unsuccessfully tried to use her mother, Denise Allen, as a surrogate. Attempts at adoption also failed. 

Should someone concieve baby if the womb is not theirs? Is there any moral issues concering this topic? Should doctors have any say in doing these surgeries?

Freedom Rights For Teachers Being Threatened?

Recently, a teacher has been put in the spotlight because of her inappropriate anti-gay comments on Facebook. Ms.Knox as well as another teacher who posted an inappropriate picture mocking on of his special-ed students are being attacked by the media and enraged parents who are pushing the new anti bullying legislation passed in New Jersey.

Is it okay for a legislation to limit the words of a teacher? If so, would that be going against our right to freedom of speech?

Stem-cell find breathes new life into lung repair

There have been new stem cells researched that would cure people with damaged lungs, whether it be from smoking or people with asthma. It was first tested on mice and it worked. It is very similar to the H1N1 vaccine. The real question is can it be trusted? One scientist says that it has great potential to help a lot of people. But, if this was made, would it give people an excuse to smoke? That is a potential risk, but like I said it would help people with asthma and most likely help to make their lives easier

Doctors to Sue Over New Kansas Abortion Clinic Rules

Recently, Kansas has imposed new rules in terms of performing abortions. Abortion, which is not illegal in Kansas, must be done with a specific set of drugs and equipment under the new law. This law, which has already been challenged to eliminate the specific room size part, still needs to be changed in the opinion of three doctors, who are challenging the new law. They believe that some of the restrictions under the new law are medically unnecessary and can harm the process of giving an abortion.

Should abortion be a state controlled issue, or should abortion clinics be privately ran and mandated?

Would you like to see abortion clinics eliminated all together?

Making Sense of Life Regardless of Beliefs or Religion

This is a press release for Jesuit Fr. Robert Spitzer's book of philosophy. It offers a look at such standards in Ten Universal Principles: A Brief Philosophy of the Life Issues.

He states that "The evolution of culture and civilization has arisen out of the development of ten fundamental principles". He note that three of them deal with evidence and objective truth; three deal with ethics; three deal with the dignity and treatment of human beings; and the tenth represents what is generally known as "The Golden Rule." He also asserts that failure to teach and practice any one of the principles can lead to a variety of wrongs. "Failure to teach several of these principles," he adds, "will most certainly lead to widespread abuse and a general decline in culture." In an easy-to-read format, Fr. Spitzer transcends religious beliefs to offer sound and keystone reasoning that can guide our thoughts and actions; our laws and public policies.

How should we treat others, and how should we reasonably expect them to treat us? Are there reasonable principles, regardless of religious belief, that can guide our actions, especially when human life is at stake?

Steve Jobs Liver Trans Plant

This article talks about liver transplants, particularly having to do with Steve Job's liver transplant in 2009. There is a controversy on how the system of liver transplants should work. With liver transplants being so tough to get a hold of and the cost of acquiring one is so high, it almost seems impossible to attain one. Steve Job's was lucky enough to be able to get a liver, but the main point of the story is that how can the system be changed to help better the people who really need a liver. Should the system of attaining a liver transplant be changed and made more fairly so that everyone has a equal opportunity to get a transplant even without being able to pay fully for it?-Alvin Leung

Anthrax Vaccine on kids?

This article is about testing an anthrax vaccine on kids. It talks about whether, if kids should be tested with this vaccine now, when there is no threat of an anthrax attack, or later if it happens in a bioterror war. Anthrax is now one of several potential bioterror weapons. The main question is whether parents would sign their children up for this vaccination when there is no need for it now. It is impossible to get anthrax from the vaccine, but their are side effects that can harm the child if taken. This is what needs to be taken into account. The side effects, that happened in adults, include soreness at the site of the injection, muscle aches, fatigue, and headaches are the main one. The rare side effect that can happen is allergic reactions and even though it is rare, it has still be reported. Also anthrax is hard to treat once it is in your body, so do we deal with this growing issue now or later?

Grey Matters: Just Enhancement

This article talks about pharmaceuticals that enhance the abilities of people, from having better memorization skills to being awake longer. All of these drugs raise the questions of whether these substances should be banned to all but the sick/elderly or whether they should be distributed everywhere and available for use to everyone, regardless of mental and physical condition. Moreover, if we allow everyone on the planet to take these drugs, will the playing field gap increase or decrease. Lastly, should enhancement medicine be allowed to be researched further and further until taking these enhancement drugs become a part of our daily routine?

Do what makes you happy

In the article, a single mom named Susanne Eman is trying to eat her way to 1,600 pounds. She stated that she was attracting more men as she was gaining weight and it made her feel good. She is a type of women that feels that they look better as she gains weigh. However, the morbidly obese have higher heath risks than the "healthy" and she already has a second goal of a ton if she reaches her primary goal of 1,600 pounds. If she reaches her goal, she will be the fattest person in the world. Her physician says, "She's really playing Russian roulette with her life with this goal."

Should a person do whatever makes them happy even if the risks outweigh the benefits?

Plan calls for free funerals for organ donors, but would it work?

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics (UK-based) thinks that free funerals will solve the reason for organ shortages. This plan would only work if you are near death. If you are still alive and healthy, then you do not qualify. Author of the article Keith Rigg says that the free funeral idea would not benefit the donor, but it can help their surviving family in a difficult time. There are 18 million people registered donors in the UK, but only about a 1,000 actually donate - mostly because few die, allowing their organs to be donated. Not all ethicists think that this plan will work though. Dr. Art Caplan (director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania) believes it is an "odd reward" and "It reminds people of how they get to be an organ donor and may make them nervous." Dr. Robert Gatson (president of the American Society of Transplantation) says that it is "insightful" but does not know exactly if that means it would work in the US. He brought up the Organ Transplant Act of 1984 and that this law would have to be changed in order for this to work. "A lot of people who support the altruistic system say any encouragement is unethical," Gaston said. "Our society would support new ways that would preserve the integrity of the donor and the donor family."

Do you think that is it okay to persuade or bribe people into giving an organ? Why or why not?

‘Cognitive Chaos’ May Fuel Marijuana’s Side Effects

Neuroscientists tested the effects of marijuana on rats by giving them cannabis-like compounds. After giving them the drug, they released the rats into a maze to measure their brain waves and other complexities related to the brain; they found that it affected memory formation in the brain. The neurologists also believe that marijuana may have a connection with schizophrenia in humans. Because of this, the neurologists are debating whether marijuana is okay to use for medical patients concerning its effects on the brain and its ability to manifest mental disorders.

Is the use of marijuana to relieve anxiety from medical patients acceptable, or do humans only seek marijuana for its pleasurable effects then abuse the drug once obtained? When is it acceptable to utilize marijuana's effects?

Guilty Plea to Kidney-Selling Charges

This article is about a man convicted of kidney-trafficking. Organ-trafficking is illegally jumping the transplant waiting list by transferring organs from donors to patients for large sums of money. The process is illegal because there is a high chance that the organ is diseased. However the man in the story did not run a business, but was sought out by the recipients of the organs. In addition the patients were able to fully recover and lead healthy lives.

In an age where people are able to survive after their kidneys fail, should the rich be able to pay their way to survival by jumping transplant wait lists when they need an organ donated? If organ-traffickers can aid people, should it be legal?

The End Don't Justify the Genes

This article deals with parents having their unborn child genetically altered in such ways to even have the same dissability as the parents. This was the case when a deaf couple featured in the Washington Post who had their child genetically altered so that the baby could also be deaf.. They were turned down at a sperm bank when they tried to find a deaf donor, because having a deaf baby would be a lot easier for the parents who were also deaf.. This sparked up an intense issue on whether parents should be able to alter their child at any point of the pregnancy for the benefit of themsekves. Altering children to be deaf is'nt the only alteration that can be made, a baby can be paralyzed, blind or miss out on limbs. The issue that was brought up is that it is unethical for a parent to alter their child in any way for their benefit.

Is it unethical for a parent to genetically alter their unborn child in such a way for their benefit?

Animal transplants coming 'soon'

Today, there is a high demand for organs. For transplants, stem cell research has been popular. But another alternative has been proposed, which is called xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation is using animals as a resource; researchers are now suggesting the use of animal organs in transplants.

Do you think the idea of Xenotransplantation is ethical?

Killing the willing

article by Michael Cook.

Christopher Johnson (38) was executed on October 21st by lethal injection in Alabama prison after four years on death row with the average time between sentencing and death in the U.S. is about 14 years. Johnson was constantly declining to appeal his sentence. This is an example of death penalty "volunteers" that use execution as a form of an assisted suicide. Cornell Law student studied this phenomenon and said 88% of people who declined the appeal had a mental illness -Johnson was never evaluated for this when he murdered his six-month-old son for the reason: "because I hate my wife."

- Ashlee Mercado

The Case for Kidney Markets

Kidneys are needed more than ever, with the article’s prediction of 650,000 kidney failure patients. The relationship between the donor and patient is supposed to be unreciprocal, the patient’s desperation for a working organ could strain that tenuous relationship. The number of donors are unlikely to rise in response to the amount of needed kidneys. Most of the donors are already dead and their families grant permission for the donations. However, the only allowed dead are those dead from brain death, a pool a little over 10,000 people. So to get more kidneys, it is suggested that an actual paying market instead of simply alturistic donations should be opened.

Should there be legal kidney markets? Or any other organ markets? Why or why not?

3 Parent Embroyos can prevent disease, but is it ethical?

It basically talks about how you can add another person's gene in a fertilized egg, but adding a new mitochondria. This technique is now being underattack because there are some ethical issues. Some issues that are brought up is that is the mitochondrial donor who donates their mitochondria a parent of the child they give the mitochondria to? Some say yes, while scientists say no, because you are not changing any physical attributes.

My question is the same the article gives out: Are the donors who donate their mitochondria the parent of the egg(child) they give it to?

Doing this ahead. Why not.

Neo Kim