Posts filed under ‘Abortion’
Eire: Influence of Hospital Ethics Committees (1992)
Barcode (ID): 03B0117274 
Main Search Term and Keywords: Abortion, Contraception
Clip Duration: 8 min 42 seconds
Scientific Content Rating
Ethical Content Rating
Usefulness for Teaching Bioethics
A great clip (even though it is long) on both sides of the ethics debate within hospitals
Description: A report on the debate in Ireland over the role of Catholic dominated hospital committees who some believe prevent treatments that contravene religious ethics.
- 7 years Brendon Hodgers is trying to find how his wife and baby were killed after his wife was found to have cancer
- They were allegedly refused cancer treatment due to pregnancy
- ‘They ceased treatment due to pregnancy diagnoses, they wouldn’t perform x-rays, there seemed to be some kind of ethical dispute going on’
- Pain killing drugs were not given to her – ‘she was literally screaming with pain’
- Fuzzy section due to copyright
- Not isolated case whereby within a year of giving birth, the women has died from cancer later
- Father Noonan is one of the few that will give an interview on the ethics within Ireland’s public hospitals
- ‘The ethics committees are compromised of different groups of people, no ethics committee would deny treatment just because a woman was pregnant, if she needs it she get it’
- Mary Henry, consultant Physician – ‘ethics committees should have no role in things like sterilisation operations’
- Sterilisation is available but frowned upon
- Catholic church imposes the ethics committee on the hospital
- Sterilisation is not allowed simply because the couple do not want any more children
- Campaign against separation of church and state – ‘we have a high birth rate and this is responsible for our relative poverty and high emigration – to argue against contraception and abortion is nonsense’
- Brendon Hodgers – ‘i dont want Sheila death to be in vain’
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Genetics – Foetus Experiments Planned (1998)
Barcode (ID): 09B0232937 
Main Search Term and Keywords: Abortion
Date of Broadcast: 7th October 1998
Clip Duration: 3 min 22 seconds
Scientific Content Rating
Ethical Content Rating
Usefulness for Teaching Bioethics
Very briefly describes the scientific procedure
Description: One of the pioneers of gene therapy is planning to experiment on unborn babies destined for abortion. According to a report in tomorrow’s New Scientist magazine, American doctor French Anderson wants to insert a gene designed to cure a common inherited disease called alpha-thalassaemia. He won’t know if it’s worked until the abortion has been carried out.
- Pioneers of gene therapy are planning to experiment on unborn babies destinted for abortion
- Interview with scientist – believes no other treatment for this disease
- Interview with Lord Winston – believes that the work should be done in animal models first and should be considered
- Transgenic model – producing the gene defect in animal foetuses
- Problems – foetus cannot give permission and possible the treatment may be given to foetuses that do not have disease
- Believes will not be approved in Britain
- Problems – genes do not work for long periods of time – more work is needed
Discussion Questions
- What is gene therapy?
- When should gene therapy be used? – just for critically ill patients?
- What are the good and bad uses of genetic modifications?
- Is it ok to use gene therapy to improve or enhance a persons genetic profile?
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Russia – Abortion Scandal (1995)
Barcode (ID): 03B0217343 
Main Search Term and Keywords: Abortion
Date of Broadcast: 21st September 1995
Clip Duration: 3 min 16 seconds
Scientific Content Rating
Ethical Content Rating
Usefulness for Teaching Bioethics
Good for illustrating a practise that is illegal in the UK and the West – highlights the ethical and moral issues concerned with using human embryos and aborted fetuses for scientific research
Description:
An ITN investigation has discovered a direct link between abortion clinics and those offering injections of cells from aborted foetuses as a miracle cure-all. Russia, unlike Britain, has no controls over the uses of foetal tissue.
- Hospital on outskirts of Moscow
- Contains rooms not usually seen by the public where human cell tissue is being stored and sold to be injected into patients to prolong life
- Banned in the UK and other Western countries is the sale of medical treatment based on cells extracted from foetus – from aborted babies – 3 million which occur every year
- The abortion centre works closely with the private clinic working on human cell therapy – this is how they obtain the tissue needed for their work
- Includes fuzzy section
- Dr Michael Molnar claims they are doing legitimate research into curing difficult diseases and deny selling material
- ITN journalist went undercover as a potential patient – the interview with Dr Michael Molnar secretly recorded
- Another fuzzed section – background of Dr Molnar – worked in the USA as a plastic surgeon who was disciplined for several problems including failing to remove a womans breast implants
- Interview – moved to Russia due to the lack of legal restraints able to carry out their work
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Inherited genetic disorders (1989)
Barcode (ID):06B0195994 
Main Search Term and Keywords: Genetic Testing, Abortion
Clip Duration: 3 min 49 seconds
Scientific Content Rating
Ethical Content Rating
Usefulness for Teaching Bioethics
A very descriptive scientific section on genetic testing/screening process illustrating the human chromosomes
A short section on anti-abortion campaigners against screening at the end of the clip.
Bear in mind, the clip is from 1989, when the technique was first discovered so may be a little outdated.
Description:
A revolutionary technique which could prevent babies being born with the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis has been condemned by anti-abortion campaigners.
- Sarah Walters has cystic fibrosis (CF) - despite chest infections, congested lungs, antibodies – has become a doctor
- Does not want to risk having a baby as it is a strong possibility it will also have CF
- 400 babies a year are born with CF, most do not survive past their 20′s – caused by a single faulty gene
- Gene has been identified by doctors at Hammersmith and St Marys hospital, in a human embryo
- Would mean mothers would be able to choose whether or not to have the baby – even before becoming pregnant
- Technique could also be used for other single gene diseases
- Explanation of genes and how the technique is carried out – very good science
- Next stage, choose sex of embryo to exclude sex related disorders – e.g. haemophilia
- Hoped in the future that a couple would be able to be genetically tested for up to 5 different diseases simply by analysing a mouthwash
- Opponents say all experiments should be outlawed as belief is that ‘life begins at fertilisation’
- A bill to govern test tube baby research is due at next parliament session with the choice of strict safeguards or banning completely
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Foetus Pain (1994)
Barcode (ID): 03B0215077 
Main Search Term and Keywords: Abortion
Date of Broadcast: 8th July 1994
Clip Duration: 1 min 51 seconds
Scientific Content Rating
Ethical Content Rating
Usefulness for Teaching Bioethics
Small illustration of procedure whereby needle is placed into abdomen of a foetus to test for hormone levels
Supports anti-abortionists beliefs
Description:
Unborn babies may feel pain in the womb, according to a new study in the Lancet magazine. The article was immediately seized on by anti-abortion campaigners.
- Routine part of prenatal care ‘sticking’ needles in foetus
- Group of researchers sampled blood from foetus 20 weeks old found high levels of stress hormone cortisol associated with pain – believe pain killers should be used
- (Illustration of foetus inside a woman) Doctors sample blood directly from abdomen and found high hormone levels whereas from the umbilical vein none were found – difference no nerves – does not mean they do not suffer
- In neck and spinal cord, reactions are set up that produce hormonal responses but not same as feeling pain emotionally as we know it
- Anti-abortionists – say research proves foetuses ‘die brutally’
- Next stage to use pain killers and repeat tests
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Schoolgirl has secret abortion (2004)
Barcode (ID): 03Do627664 
Main Search Term and Keywords: Abortion
Date of Broadcast: 13th May 2004
Clip Duration: 1 min 56 seconds
Scientific Content Rating
Ethical Content Rating
Usefulness for Teaching Bioethics
Good at illustrating how many believe the law should be changed regarding abortion and children
Explains a possible solution and views from the parent
Description:
Is a fourteen year old girl old enough to decide for herself to have an abortion, behind her mother’s back?
The law says she is. But one mother says the law is wrong and should be changed. Her daughter told her school she was pregnant, not her mother. A counsellor helped her to arrange the abortion.
- Young teenagers by law cannot drink, drive, get married
- 14-year-old allowed to start course of drugs at school due to abortion
- Includes a ‘fuzzy’ section
- Parent outraged – believes they took all her rights as a parent away – explains how she had to consent to an appendix operation
- Girl changed her mind about the abortion but was too late
- ‘Fact Section’ – parents consent is needed for: medicines at school – a simple aspirin, truancy, PG films but it is ‘legal’ for an abortion to be secret
- Philip Hodson, from British Association for Counselling, believes professional counselling needs to be in place to ensure the girl is able to talk to her parent
- Parent now taking legal advice
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