New Council members appointed

16 May 2013

We are delighted to announce the appointment of three new members of Council:  

Dr Ann Gallagher

Ann Gallagher is Reader in Nursing Ethics & Director of the International Centre for Nursing Ethics at the University of Surrey. She has written a number of books, journal and media articles and teaching materials on healthcare ethics and has been Editor of the journal Nursing Ethics since March 2009.

Listen again to our annual lecture

14 May 2013

Professor John Harris presented the Council's Annual Lecture ‘Freedom of Speech, Scientific Freedom and Public Safety: A two pipe problem with a dual remedy solution’ at the Wellcome Collection in London on Tuesday 7 May. 

More than 100 people attended the event to hear Professor Harries share his thoughts on the tensions raised between these three core elements of a free and just society, and the possible threats to these posed by a sea change in technology and communications.

Box Office Bioethics: 2013 winners

10 May 2013

On Tuesday 7 May, the winners of our student film competition Box Office Bioethics were presented with their prizes by Dr Rhona Knight, Chair of the Council’s Education Advisory Group during our annual public lecture in London. Each winning team received a £200 gift voucher and their films were shown at the event.

Winners

Year 11 and Under

New teaching resources: organ and tissue donation

25 April 2013

The Council has published a new set of teaching resources based on its report Human bodies: donation for medicine and research (2011) which considers the ethical acceptability of various ways of encouraging people to donate for the treatment of others and for medical research.

Download the free resources

New ethics report addresses if, when and how people conceived using donor sperm or eggs should be told of their origins

Press Release

17 April 2013

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics has today published a report that says parents of donor-conceived children should be the ones to decide what to tell their children about their conception, but that they need more support in making and following through this difficult decision.

HFEA announces advice to Government on mitochondrial replacement techniques

20 March 2013

Following its public consultation on the ethics and science of mitochondrial replacement techniques, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has today announced its advice to the Government on novel treatments that could prevent the transmission of inherited mitochondrial DNA disorders.

New Council members

12 March 2013

The Council is delighted to announce the appointment of four new members from March 2013:  

Professor Peter Furness

Council welcomes ‘Dementia Friends’ scheme

12 February 2013

The Council welcomes today’s launch of the Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friends initiative which aims to improve public knowledge and understanding of dementia and to help create more ‘dementia friendly’ communities.

Council gives evidence on Wales organ donation Bill

6 February 2013

On 30 January, Council member Dr Tim Lewens gave evidence to the National Assembly for Wales Health and Social Care Committee on the Human Transplantation (Wales) Bill.

New Working Party on biodata

18 January 2013

The Council has established a new Working Party to examine the ethical issues that arise in connection with genomics, health records, database linkage and privacy.

We are delighted to confirm that the members of this Working Party will be:

• Professor Martin Richards, Emeritus Professor of Family Research, University of Cambridge (Chair)

• Professor Ross Anderson, Professor of Security Engineering, University of Cambridge