New reproductive technologies,ethics and gender: the legislative process in Brazil

In this article, I will analyse the conduct of the Brazilian legislative process regarding new reproductive technologies, mainly the moral assumptions of three categories that are essential to the debate: the status of the child generated by these techniques; the number of embryos transferred in each cycle (as well as foetal reduction); and the issue of women's eligibility for such techniques. The analysis will be a sociological study of the Brazilian legislative debate, using feminist perspectives in ethics as the theoretical reference. The focus will be the bills in progress in the Brazilian National Congress, the public and official declarations of legislators involved in the issue and the regulation of the medical class, which has influenced the legislative process. Aside from the analysis of the legislative process, I include a section on the justification of these bills, since that is where the legislator exposes what he/she believes is the moral support for the bill.     

Human Rights Texts: Converting Human Rights Primary Source Documents into Data

We introduce and make publicly available a large corpus of digitized primary source human rights documents which are published annually by monitoring agencies that include Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, and the United States Department of State. In addition to the digitized text, we also make available and describe document-term matrices, which are datasets that systematically organize the word counts from each unique document by each unique term within the corpus of human rights documents. To contextualize the importance of this corpus, we describe the development of coding procedures in the human rights community and several existing categorical indicators that have been created by human coding of the human rights documents contained in the corpus. We then discuss how the new human rights corpus and the existing human rights datasets can be used with a variety of statistical analyses and machine learning algorithms to help scholars understand how human rights practices and reporting have evolved over time. We close with a discussion of our plans for dataset maintenance, updating, and availability.     

Conscientious Objection in Healthcare Provision: A New Dimension

The right to conscientious objection in the provision of healthcare is the subject of a lengthy, heated and controversial debate. Recently, a new dimension was added to this debate by the US Supreme Court's decision in Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby et al. which effectively granted rights to freedom of conscience to private, for‐profit corporations. In light of this paradigm shift, we examine one of the most contentious points within this debate, the impact of granting conscience exemptions to healthcare providers on the ability of women to enjoy their rights to reproductive autonomy. We argue that the exemptions demanded by objecting healthcare providers cannot be justified on the liberal, pluralist grounds on which they are based, and impose unjustifiable costs on both individual persons, and society as a whole. In doing so, we draw attention to a worrying trend in healthcare policy in Europe and the United States to undermine women's rights to reproductive autonomy by prioritizing the rights of ideologically motivated service providers to an unjustifiably broad form of freedom of conscience.     

重组人干扰素α1b与新型冠状病毒肺炎防治

干扰素调节免疫具有广谱抗病毒和抗肿瘤作用。重组人干扰素α1b是国内自主产权的基因工程I类新药,通过多年研究,研制出儿童和成人应用的重组人干扰素α1b注射液、喷雾剂等多种剂型,完成治疗冠状病毒等肺炎的药理学、毒理学、药代动力学和相关临床研究,形成了多个临床应用的专家共识和指南性文件。新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情发生后,这些研究为国家卫健委将干扰素α雾化吸入作为首推抗病毒药物试用方案纳入《新型冠状病毒感染的肺炎国家诊疗方案》提供了基础。经过大量新冠肺炎患者的临床使用,取得了良好的治疗效果。重组人干扰素α1b喷雾剂作为可预防病毒感染的药物,用于医护人员等高暴露人群的生物防护,为疫情防控发挥了重要作用,将对国民健康和国家生物安全保障做出应有的贡献。     

Illegal abortion and reproductive injustice in the Pacific Islands: A qualitative analysis of court data

The Oceania region is home to some of the world's most restrictive abortion laws, and there is evidence of Pacific Island women's reproductive oppression across several aspects of their reproductive lives, including in relation to contraceptive decision-making, birthing, and fertility. In this paper we analyse documents from court cases in the Pacific Islands regarding the illegal procurement of abortion. We undertook inductive thematic analysis of documents from eighteen illegal abortion court cases from Pacific Island countries. Using the lens of reproductive justice, we discuss the methods of abortion, the reported context of these abortions, and the ways in which these women and abortion were constructed in judges' summing up, judgements, or sentencing. Our analysis of these cases reveals layers of sexual and reproductive oppression experienced by these women that are related to colonialism, women's socioeconomic disadvantage, gendered violence, limited reproductive control, and the punitive consequences related to not performing gender appropriately.     

Designing humans: A human rights approach

Advances in genomic technologies such as CRISPR‐Cas9, mitochondrial replacement techniques, and in vitro gametogenesis may soon give us more precise and efficient tools to have children with certain traits such as beauty, intelligence, and athleticism. In this paper, I propose a new approach to the ethics of reproductive genetic engineering, a human rights approach. This approach relies on two claims that have certain, independent plausibility: (a) human beings have equal moral status, and (b) human beings have human rights to the fundamental conditions for pursuing a good life. I first argue that the human rights approach gives us a lower bound of when reproductive genetic engineering would be permissible. I then compare this approach with other approaches such as the libertarian, perfectionist, and life worth living approaches. Against these approaches, I argue that the human rights approach offers a novel, and more plausible, way of assessing the ethics of reproductive genetic engineering.     

Autonomy and Reproductive Rights of Married Ikwerre Women in Rivers State,Nigeria

A woman’s lack of or limited reproductive autonomy could lead to adverse health effects, feeling of being inferior, and above all being unable to adequately care for her children. Little is known about the reproductive autonomy of married Ikwerre women of Rivers State, Nigeria. This study demonstrates how Ikwerre women understand the terms autonomy and reproductive rights and what affects the exercise of these rights. An exploratory research design was employed for this study. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to conduct thirty-four in-depth interviews and six focus group discussions with purposively sampled educated, semi-educated, and uneducated Ikwerre women in monogamous or polygynous marriages. The collected data was analysed qualitatively with MAXQDA 11 using open and axial coding. The interviews and focus group responses reveal a low level of awareness of autonomy and reproductive rights amongst the Ikwerre women in Nigeria. While some educated women were aware of their reproductive rights, cultural practices were reported to limit the exercise of these rights. Participants reported that Ikwerre culture is a patriarchal one where married women are expected to submit and obey their husbands in all matters; and a good married woman according to Ikwerre standard is one who complies with this culture. Women’s refusal of sexual advances from their husbands is described as not being acceptable in this culture; and hence rape in marriage is not recognized in Ikwerre culture. Education and awareness creation on the importance of women’s reproductive autonomy could improve their reproductive rights and autonomy in marital settings. Overcoming the patriarchal aspects of Ikwerre culture—for example, the greater value placed on male children than female children and treating women as incompetent individuals—is necessary to promote gender equality as well as help improve women’s reproductive autonomy.     

“Environmental stress” and reproductive success in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus jacchus)

The present report documents the breeding success of a new colony of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus jacchus) and demonstrates a correlation between environmental stress and reproductive success. Environmental conditions ranged chronologically over 40 months, through four periods: I) the initial period, when the colony was formed; II) a phase of relative environmental stability; III) a stage of “environmental stress” (when the colony was disrupted by nearby construction); and IV) a return to a stable environment. Examination of reproductive status during each period indicated that the colony exhibited severe reproductive suppression during the time of the environmental disruption. Parity and the number of live births decreased and the number of spontaneous abortions increased during this period. Reproductive success remained low during period IV. More triplets than twins were born during the period of relative environmental stability.     

Protocol for Development of American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guidelines and Consensus Statements: Summary of Methodology,Process, and Policy – 2023 Update

ObjectiveThis 2023 updated protocol summarizes the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology’s (AACE’s) new framework for the development of clinical practice guidelines and other guidance documents that includes changes to methodology, processes, and policies.MethodsAACE has critically reviewed its development processes for guidance documents over the last several years against the National Academy of Medicine Standards for Developing Trustworthy Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies Principles for Development of Specialty Society Clinical Guidelines to determine areas for improvement.ResultsThe new AACE framework for development of guidance documents incorporates many changes, including a revised conflicts of interest (COI) policy; strengthened commitment to collection of disclosures and management of relevant COI during development; open calls to membership for authors; new requirements for authors; new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy; new empanelment process that incorporates consideration of DEI; and adoption of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology to increase the quality of evidence assessment and standardize recommendation grades and statements, among other improvements.ConclusionsAACE has revised its policies and adopted a completely new methodology for guideline development in support of the mission to elevate the practice of clinical endocrinology to improve patient care. With the use of an evidence-based medicine framework and by continually assessing and improving its processes for development of guidance, AACE strives to deliver trustworthy, unbiased, and up-to-date information that ensures clinician and patient confidence in AACE content. Further, AACE hopes that these enhancements foster a more collaborative approach to development and increase engagement with the worldwide medical community to improve global health.     

以国家公园为主体的自然保护地体系立法思考

实现十九大报告提出的建立以国家公园为主体的自然保护地体系的改革目标需要法治保障。建设自然保护地体系涉及的不同生态系统和多个管理部门、多方利益主体, 是一个巨大的复杂系统, 需要进行整体性、系统性的立法研究。目前, 国家正在推进国家公园体制改革并已将《国家公园法》列入十三届全国人大常委会立法计划。更需要我们从自然保护地立法体系建设的高度, 正确处理《国家公园法》与未来可能制定的《自然保护地法》的关系, 在《国家公园法》制定过程中为今后出台《自然保护地法》预留空间, 并建立相应的衔接机制, 统筹谋划并协同推进国家公园法与自然保护地立法。     

Colloquium on scientific authorship: rights and responsibilities

The Colloquium on Scientific Authorship was held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at a time of extraordinary scrutiny by the public of the ethics of scientists, as represented by intense interest of the press and the Congress of the United States. Indeed, several regulations dealing with scientific misconduct have been proposed during the last year in the Federal Register, and new legislation has been proposed in the Congress. As a result of these concerns, conferences have been organized by the Institute of Medicine, the American Association for the Advancement of Science/American Bar Association, the Council of Biology Editors, and other groups. The colloquium at NIH, which was held May 31, 1988, and sponsored by the Intramural Scientists, focused on publication practices, especially multiple authorship, as contributing to perceived difficulties. The participants suggested various changes in conventions related to authorship that might help prevent future problems.     

Bodily rights and collective claims: the work of legal activists in interpreting reproductive and maternal rights in India

This article engages with anthropological approaches to the study of global human rights discourses around reproductive and maternal health in India. Whether couched in the language of human rights or of other social justice frameworks, different forms of claims‐making in India exist in tandem and correspond to particular traditions of activism and struggle. Universal reproductive rights language remains a discourse aimed at the state in India, where the primary purpose is to demand greater accountability in the domain of policy and governance. Outside of these spheres, other languages are strategically chosen by activists for their greater resonance in addressing individual cases of women claiming reproductive violence within the context of the family as well as localized histories of feminist struggle and social justice. In focusing on the work of legal activists and the discourses which inform their interventions, this article seeks to understand how the language of reproductive rights is used in the context of India, not as a `Western import' which is adapted to local contexts, but rather as one of multiple frameworks of claims‐making drawn upon by legal activists emerging from distinct histories of struggle for gender equality and social justice.     

Righting the Wrongs: Contesting Water Property Rights in Southern Ethiopia

Resolution of disputes and investigation of institutions that have attempted to right the wrongs (some of which have persisted for centuries) regarding pastoralists’ property rights over indigenous water sources in East Africa have rarely been the subject of formal study. Using a framework of water property rights, hereafter konfi, we report on contestations over rights to the ancient tula wells in southern Ethiopia, some of which have been in operation for more than 500 years. Unlike grazing lands, which are communal resources, wells are private properties managed by corporate clan members. We reconstructed the history of contests over property rights to 64 wells and found that some contests over konfi have remained unresolved for many generations. Only a small percentage (20%) of the wells have no history of disputes over property rights. The resolution of disputes relies on the principal tenet of the non-transferability of konfi property rights, except in the case of the family of the ancestral konfi dying out. Contestants are expected to reconstruct how they lost the konfi in the first place. The Borana tend to discourage contests over wells through the long duration of investigations, as well as myths associated with false claims that appeared to result in deaths among the claimants.     

Incentives for biodefense countermeasure development

Therapeutics and vaccines are available for only a fraction of biological threats, leaving populations vulnerable to attacks involving biological weapons. Existing U.S. policies to accelerate commercial development of biodefense products have thus far induced insufficient investment by the biopharmaceutical industry. In this article, we examine the technical, regulatory, and market risks associated with countermeasure development and review existing and proposed federal incentives to increase industrial investment. We conclude with several recommendations. To increase industry's engagement in biodefense countermeasure development, Congress should expand BioShield funding, giving HHS the flexibility to fund a portfolio of biodefense countermeasures whose revenues are comparable to those of commercial drugs. Congress should establish tradable priority review vouchers for developers of new countermeasures. A National Academy of Sciences or National Biodefense Science Board should formally evaluate incentive programs and a government-managed "Virtual Pharma," in which HHS contracts separate stages of research, development, and production to individual firms.     

IVF and women's interests: an analysis of feminist concerns

Feminist objections to the new reproductive technologies are examined. The author argues that although these technologies entail significant risks and costs to women, help only a small minority, and do not address the underlying social causes of infertility, women's interests do not demand the rejection of research on and use of reproductive technologies. Their potential threat to female reproductive autonomy can be counteracted by protecting individual civil rights. Warren urges that women, as well as members of various racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, be represented in decisions on reproductive technologies, participate in their development and funding, and supervise their provision.     

Proceedings of the fourth National Congress of the Italian Society of Virology

The aim of the yearly National Congress of the Italian Society of Virology (SIV) is to promote the discussion between senior and younger researchers to improve the knowledge and scientific collaboration among the various areas of Virology. The invited and selected lecturers of the fourth National Congress of SIV covered the following topics: general Virology and viral Genetics; virus host interactions and pathogenesis; viral immunology and vaccines; emerging and re-emerging viral diseases; antiviral therapy; innovative diagnostics; viral biotechnologies and gene therapy. As in the previous edition (Salata and Palù, 2004 J Cell Physiol 199:171-173), a specific topic was thoroughly covered in a roundtable. In this edition the overviewed topic was HCV, from epidemiology and genetic variability to immunology and antiviral therapy. The final program can be found at the web site http://www.siv-virologia.it. A summary of the oral presentations of the 2004 meeting is reported.     

Reproductive Politics,Biopolitics and Auto-immunity: From Foucault to Esposito

The contingent cultural, epistemological and ontological status of biology is highlighted by changes in attitudes towards reproductive politics in the history of feminist movements. Consider, for example, the American, British, and numerous European instances of feminist sympathy for eugenics at the turn of the century. This amounted to a specific formation of the role, in late nineteenth and early twentieth century feminisms, of concepts of biological risk and defence, which were transformed into the justificatory language of rights claims. In this context, one can ask how reproductive politics are to be fitted into the paradoxical relationship between biopolitics and thanatopolitics discussed by Michel Foucault and more recently by Roberto Esposito. In this context, “reproductive life,” can be thought of arising at the intersection of thanapolitics and biopolitics as these relate to women’s bodies. Revisiting Foucault and Esposito in the light of reproductive politics also allows a reconsideration of the paradoxical feminist aims involved in defending individual rights by reference to overall biopolitical interest and futurity.     

Center for the evaluation of risks to human reproduction--the first five years

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (NTP-CERHR) was established by the NTP and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in 1998 to address the impact of chemical exposures on human reproductive and developmental health and to serve as an environmental and reproductive health resource for government agencies and the general public. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the Center activities and a summary of NTP conclusions on chemicals evaluated during this time period. CERHR evaluations involve the critical review of reproductive, developmental, and other relevant toxicity data by independent panels of scientists. The products of these evaluations are expert panel reports. The public has opportunities to provide oral comments at the panel meeting and written comments on draft and final expert panel reports. The NTP evaluates these comments, the conclusions of the expert panel, and any new data not available at the time of the panel meeting, and prepares an NTP brief that describes in plain language the NTP's conclusions on the reproductive and developmental hazard from specified chemical exposures. The NTP brief, expert panel report, and public comments comprise the NTP monograph on the chemical. Monographs are sent to federal regulatory agencies, the NTP Executive Committee, and the NTP Board of Scientific Counselors, and are publicly available. Over the last five years, CERHR conducted expert panel evaluations on 14 chemicals. At this time, 13 panel reports have been published and 12 NTP-CERHR monographs have been issued. Additionally, CERHR conducted a 2-day workshop on the role of thyroid hormones in reproductive and developmental health.     

Managing the social environments of flamingos for reproductive success

Recent research has shown that large flamingo flocks are more likely to experience reproductive success than small flocks and that there is a positive relationship between behavioral stimulation from group displays and reproductive success. This study compares the group displays and reproductive success in a captive flock of Caribbean flamingos over 6 years at the National Zoological Park. Birds were added to the flock in two different years. In each case, the flock produced fertile eggs during the breeding season following the addition of new birds. Furthermore, the addition of new birds in 1988, and then again in 1991, significantly increased group display activity over the previous year when the flock size was lower. That the addition of birds stimulated group display activity suggests an alternative management strategy for promoting reproduction in captivity: separate birds in a flock and then reunite them prior to the breeding season. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.