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Headlines
Pre-conception screening: Is it necessary to know everything before conceiving a child ?
Temps de lecture : 2 min.
Carrier screening is a test carried out before conception for couples who are at risk of passing on a genetic disease to their offspring. Ghent University Hospital recently asked the government to reimburse the cost of these genetic tests for all...
The ECHR reiterates that no country is obliged to legalize euthanasia or assisted suicide
Temps de lecture : 3 min.
In its decision of 13 June 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that the Hungarian government's ban on euthanasia and assisted suicide did not breach the European Convention on Human Rights. Mr Karsai, a Hungarian citizen...
Reform of the Belgian Penal Code: "loss of pregnancy" regarded as an attack on personal integrity
Temps de lecture : 2 min.
The new Books I and II of the Belgian Penal Code were adopted by the Federal Parliament on 22 February 2024. Article 79, 17° defines offences against personal integrity, which now include "loss of pregnancy". This is defined as "the act of ...
Miscarriage: new "circumstantial leave" for couples from the start of pregnancy
Temps de lecture : 1 min.
On 3 May 2024, the Belgian federal government approved a draft Royal Decree granting 2 working days' leave in the event of a miscarriage. This new leave for federal civil servants will fill the gap between the start of pregnancy and the 180 days...
Pregnancy: The unborn child will not be affected by radiotherapy to the upper body.
Temps de lecture : 1 min.
A study by UZ Leuven published in April 2024 in the scientific journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health investigated whether radiotherapy for cancer in pregnant women has an impact on the long-term health of their children. According to the...
Resilient women: a new medium gives voice to women who have experienced a "turbulent" pregnancy
Temps de lecture : 1 min.
"Will I be able to look after him?” This is one of the questions asked by pregnant women who are going through an ordeal with their pregnancy, and whose stories have been collected by the Résilientes media. Although they never expected to become mo...
Abortion: the European Parliament calls for complete decriminalisation
Temps de lecture : 2 min.
On 11 April 2024, the European Parliament voted (336 in favour, 163 against and 39 abstentions) for a resolution to amend Article 3 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union to include the right to abortion. Although European...
The European Parliament lists "the exploitation of surrogate motherhood" as an act of human trafficking
Temps de lecture : 2 min.
On 23 April 2024, the European Parliament voted to amend the Directive on human trafficking to include surrogate motherhood among the acts of human trafficking that Member States are obliged to punish. Voted 563 in favour, 7 against and 17...
Criminalisation of incitement to suicide: the Belgian legislator excludes assisted suicide and euthanasia
Temps de lecture : 2 min.
On the 22 February, the Belgian legislator adopted the new Book II of the Penal Code, which enshrines the new offence of incitement to suicide. Its aim is to protect people's lives, but it excludes assisted suicide and euthanasia from this...
Delaying or eliminating menopause thanks to cryopreservation of ovarian tissue?
Temps de lecture : 2 min.
In the early days of 2024, the prestigious scientific journal American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology published the results of a study to determine the feasibility of cryopreserving ovarian tissue in order to delay menopause. "For the first...
Surrogate motherhood: in Rome, a large panel of experts calls for an international ban on the practice
Temps de lecture : 2 min.
An international conference for the universal abolition of surrogate motherhood was held in Rome on 5 and 6 April 2024. This meeting of international experts is part of the Casablanca Declaration, signed on 3 March 2023 at the conference...
End of puberty blockers for minors: England reviews its treatment of gender dysphoria
Temps de lecture : 2 min.
On 12 March 2024, following a review of a public consultation and in the face of the many unknowns and concerns raised by an independent study, the British health service (NHS) officially announced that puberty blockers would no longer be...
Our thematics
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Presentation of the EIB
Due to increasing social issues arising from technological advancement, each year we are faced with new ethical questions.
In response, the European Institute of Bioethics has decided to provide well documented information in order to raise awareness in these ethical areas.
The following are some of our current challenges, our means of action and what we need in order to succeed.