Many bioethics stories cross our inboxes and screens each day. Some we write about here and in other venues, and others we simply blurb or write a short comment on via our social media outlets. Of course, not everyone is on social media or follows us there, so I thought I’d collect a few items from the past couple of weeks to make sure as many people as possible do see them.

Of course, if you are on social media and not following us, you should. We’re particularly active on Facebook and Twitter. If there’s a social network you’re active on and think we should be to, send an email to cbcnetwork@cbc-network.org and we’ll evaluate it.

On to the bioethics items:

Good News out of DC on Assisted Suicide

This doesn’t seem to have gotten much coverage in the press, but Yahoo! News reports: “Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., who is a physician, proposed an amendment to the current House Appropriations bill that would void the D.C. [assisted suicide] law completely.” We are watching this closely and will post updates as we have them.

Dear Donor

A young man who was conceived using donor sperm penned a letter to his anonymous donor.

Have you ever wondered about me? I hope so, because you’re not ‘just a sperm donor’ to me. You’re not some guy; you’re a man — one specific person who is probably still alive, walking around with half of my face.

This first came across our screens because of the community that has formed on Facebook around our film Anonymous Father’s Day, and which is maintained by a tireless volunteer (thank you Karen!). Be sure to follow the Anonymous Father’s Day Facebook Page!

Important Questions about Brain-Computer Interfaces

Gizmodo asks “How Will We Stop Hackers From Invading Our Brains Once We’re Cyborgs?”

Although we still don’t fully understand how the brain works, we are moving closer to being able to reliably decode certain brain signals. We shouldn’t be complacent about what this could mean for society

Indeed, one of the reasons we’ve worked so hard in bringing the Paul Ramsey Institute to life is so that we can begin preparing tomorrow’s ethicists, thought leaders, and physicians to proactively confront such questions rather than complacently waiting for these profound changes to wash over us all.

Heartbreaking but Common

Our friends at Stop Surrogacy Now (another Facebook page you should be following) highlighted an article from Canada that alternates between simply ignoring the problems of surrogacy, and recasting the use of other people as empowering them to help him out. Such attitudes and perspectives are both heartbreaking and all to common when it comes to thinking about third-party reproductive arrangements.

Thank You

While we were in South Dakota working on our new film, we shot a quick thank you to all those who make our work possible.

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Matthew Eppinette, Director of Programs