For decades, the renowned evolutionary biologist and atheist Richard Dawkins urged his readers to use science and reason to counter religious misinformation. Dawkins is abandoning both to spread anti-transgender rhetoric embraced by religious conservatives. During a recent episode of his podcast “The Poetry of Reality,” Dawkins spoke with author Helen Joyce about the “influence of Read more
Researchers have created synthetic human embryos using stem cells, according to media reports. Remarkably, these embryos have reportedly been created from embryonic stem cells, meaning they do not require sperm and ova. This development, widely described as a breakthrough that could help scientists learn more about human development and genetic disorders, was revealed this week Read more
Edward Jenner is considered the father of vaccinology. He pioneered the world’s first vaccine, which was for smallpox. Caused by a virus, smallpox was a serious disease which killed about three in ten of the people who contracted it and left many others with severe scars. Smallpox was mainly spread by direct, lengthy face-to-face contact Read more
Consumer New Zealand is campaigning for direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of prescription medicines to be banned. Consumer says the advertisements don’t provide people with useful information. The advertisements sell the promise of a quick fix, but Consumer doesn’t think they provide all the facts needed for people to make an informed choice. A study has found Read more
The New Zealand Catholic Medical Association (NZCMA) was established this year with the support of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference. It will have its inaugural meeting at St Michael’s School Hall in Remuera, Auckland on May 25. Mass will be celebrated at midday in St Michael’s church by Auckland Bishop Patrick Dunn. The aim Read more
Scotland’s Catholic bishops have said a resounding “no” to a bill that would introduce an “opt-out” system for organ donation. Responding to a proposed Organ and Tissue Donation bill, the Church’s parliamentary office called an opt-out system “intrinsically discriminatory”. This is because “it denies the integrity of the person by overriding the requirement for consent Read more
New, stricter guidelines on how doctors should handle the potential conflicts of interest, when interacting with the medical and pharmaceutical industry are in the process of being finalised, but the ethics body that was debating the conundrums involved has been ditched. Managed by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), the group developing the fourth Read more
A doctor with name suppression has been suspended for six months and ordered to pay legal costs of $29,000 for illegally prescribing a drug that can induce labour. She has also been banned from prescribing or supplying misoprostol for three years after resuming practice – an order that can be signed off only by the health Read more
A Blenheim woman says her GP refused to give her the birth control pill because she had not yet done her “reproductive job”. Melissa Pont, 23, said her family practitioner, Dr Joseph Lee, would not renew her pill prescription, instead lecturing her on a baby’s right to live and on using the rhythm method. Lee is Read more
Family Life International NZ has announced that they will be opening a new John Paul II Centre for Life in Dunedin within weeks. There are two Centres already established in Auckland and Wellington which provide free pregnancy tests, counselling for women facing an unexpected pregnancy, practical help and support, advocacy and support for families who Read more