Medical Ethics and Health Policy In the News

USA TODAY – Dec. 22, 2025

He found out he wasn't his dad's child. Why 23andMe is a risky gift this holiday season

The Economic Times – Dec. 21, 2025

Is our mental health becoming collateral damage in the rise of AI companions? New study reveals surprising findings

Futurism Media – Dec. 21, 2025

Doctors Warn That AI Companions Are Dangerous

Inside Precision Medicine – Dec. 12, 2025

The Double-Edged Code: The Promise and Peril of Personal Genomics

Rep. Madeleine Dean – Dec. 4, 2025

Reps. Dean and Mace Join Sens. Booker and Paul on Bill to Expand Research and Access to Potential Life Saving Drugs

Hastings Center News – Oct. 29, 2025

The Hastings Center Announces Inaugural SNF Global Bioethics Scholars

Medical Ethics Advisor – Oct. 1, 2025

Clinicians May Not Be Following Hospital Policies on Withdrawing/Withholding Life-Sustaining Treatments

Mass General Brigham – Oct. 2, 2025

First U.S. National Genomic Newborn Screening Initiative Launched with $14.4 Million NIH Award

Houston Public Media – Sept. 2, 2025

Hello Houston: Where Houston Talks!

Healthcare Innovation – Aug. 5, 2025

Rice, Baylor to Embed Humanities Research Into Trustworthy Health AI

Denver Gazette – July 3, 2025

As psilocybin industry launches in Colorado, hope and worry collide

Medscape – June 19, 2025

Ethics in Medical School: A Q&A With Dr. Holland Kaplan

U.S. News & World Report – June 17, 2025

DNA Testing Kits: Are They Worth It?

Bill of Health Blog – May 7, 2025

The 23andMe Bankruptcy: Privacy Considerations and a Call to Action (Part 2)

Bill of Health Blog – April 28, 2025

The 23andMe Bankruptcy: Uncertainty, Caution, and a Call to Action (Part 1)

Relias Media – April 1, 2025

Ethicists Can Explore Rationale if Physician Refuses to Continue Life-Prolonging Interventions

Nature – March 31, 2025

23andMe plans to sell its huge genetic database: could science benefit?

Rice News – March 18, 2025

Neuroscience, ethics and psychedelics: Dana Foundation and Baylor experts weigh in on therapy potential

Medscape – Jan. 23, 2025

Obesity Medications: Who Needs Priority Access

Medscape – Jan. 20, 2025

Why Some Doctors Over-Trust AI and Don’t Even Realize It

Medical Ethics Advisor – Oct. 1, 2024

Ethical Debate Over Normothermic Regional Perfusion

Houston Chronicle – Sept. 2, 2024

Houston dual organ donor supports bill to give tax breaks to donors

The Atlantic – Aug. 11, 2024

Psychedelic Medicine Has a Therapy Problem

MIT Tech Review – Aug. 1, 2024

End-of-life decisions are difficult and distressing. Could AI help?

NPR – Aug. 1, 2024

Can MDMA still win FDA approval? Supporters rally as time runs out

Medical Ethics Advisor – May 1, 2024

Strategies to Get Medical Students and Trainees in the Ethics ‘Pipeline’

Salon – Feb. 21, 2024
Space is becoming more commercialized. Can regulations keep up?

Medonet (Polish) – Feb. 5, 2024
A Polish woman is an ethicist in an American hospital. "The patient woke up paralyzed. He was not informed of the risks."

Aerospace America – Feb. 1, 2024
The ‘Wild West’ of space research

Mother Jones – Jan. 26, 2024
California Lawmakers Want to Invest Billions in Housing—by Diverting Mental Health Funds

Physics Word – Nov. 23, 2023
Biomedical ethicist calls for rules governing human research in commercial spaceflight

Hastings Center Blog – Nov. 22, 2023
Newly Released Documents from Untreated Syphilis Study: Ethical, Just, and Respectful Use of Archival Materials

InvestigateTV – Nov. 6, 2023
Season 1; Episode 41 Black women in the United States face high rates of maternal mortality

Hastings Center Blog – Nov. 3, 2023
Should Your Wedding Plans Include Plasma Donation?

Medical Ethics Advisor – Nov. 1, 2023
Ethics Committees Need Successful Recruitment Tactics

Bottom Line Inc – Oct. 22, 2023
When You Should - and Shouldn't - Do CPR

Psychology Today – Sept. 29, 2023
U.S. Med Students Need Better Access to Mental Healthcare

The Naked Scientists (BBC Podcast) – Sept. 29, 2023
The ethics of space exploration

Yahoo News – Sept. 28, 2023
Commercial spaceflight research needs a code of ethics, scientists say

STAT News – Sept. 25, 2023
How medical schools are failing students who need mental health care

Medscape – Sept. 18, 2023
Direct-to-Consumer Lab Tests Raise Ethical Questions, Researchers Say

Medscape – Sept. 12, 2023
Med Students Also Plagued by High Insurance Costs for Mental Health

Hastings Center – Aug. 23, 2023
The Retrievals: Women’s Vulnerability to Injury, Violence, and Pain in Health Care

The Atlantic – Aug. 21, 2023
The Right to Not Have Your Mind Read

Hastings Center – Aug. 21, 2023
Involuntary Withdrawal: A Bridge Too Far?

Houston Matters (NPR) – Aug. 2, 2023
Should psychedelic drugs be used to treat PTSD and depression in veterans?  

The Skimm – Aug. 2, 2023
AI In Medicine: Can AI Help You Get Better Healthcare?

KevinMD – July 9, 2023
Accessing needed pediatric mental health care was difficult before the pandemic and is now at crisis levels

Medical Ethics Advisor – July 1, 2023
Ethicists Debate Withdrawing ECMO Over Patient’s Objections

Medical Ethics Advisor – June 1, 2023
Is Death Imminent? Conflicts Occur if Clinicians Do Not Make It Clear

NPR – May 29, 2023
For many, a 'natural death' may be preferable to enduring CPR

The Microdose – May 1, 2023
“When the policy gets ahead of the science, it's challenging”: 5 Questions for bioethicist Amy McGuire

Wired – April 6, 2023
The Therapy Part of Psychedelic Therapy Is a Mess 

Texas Observer – March 23, 2023
Abortion laws stand between pregnant Texans and the care they need

ACP Hospitalist – March 22, 2023 
Learning on the late shift

Houston Chronicle – March 4, 2023
Using genealogy sites to solve crimes could come into focus in legislative session

Houston Chronicle – Feb. 23, 2023
An Air Force veteran became the first heart transplant patient at the Houston VA

Hastings Center News – Feb. 15, 2023
12 Outstanding Scholars Recognized for Work in Ethics of Disability, Transplantation, Mental Health Care, and Other Areas

NPR’s On Point - Jan. 6, 2022
Psychedelics and who should be able to use them

Hastings Center - Dec. 16, 2022
Advancing Maternal Health Equity with Data Transparency: The Case of Texas

Hastings Center - Nov. 29, 2022
Should He Have Brain Surgery?

Medscape - Oct. 25, 2022
Ethical Quandaries With Pig-Heart Transplants at the Crossroads

Hastings Center - Aug. 30, 2022
Dusting Off Double Effect for the Post-Dobbs Era

Insider - Aug. 29, 2022
7 tell-tale red flags of medical gaslighting and how it can lead to a horrifying misdiagnosis

Salon - July 23, 2022
A stranger, twisted and bleeding on the sidewalk. What would you have done?

NEJM Journal Watch - July 20, 2022
Why are young internists flocking to the hospitalist practice style? Clinical Conversations hosts a roundtable to tackle this question

KevinMD.com - July 1, 2022
What doctors need to know about physician health programs [Podcast]

Hastings Center - June 21, 2022
Veterinarians Often Provide Futile Care. Doing So Comes at a Cost

Boston Globe - June 18, 2022
It’s painfully difficult to access psychiatric care

KevinMD.com - June 8, 2022
The extortion of physicians: If doctors don’t pay up they don’t work

Relias Media - May 1, 2022
More Patients Are Refusing Discharge

Medpage - April 25, 2022
What Happens When NFT Enthusiast Docs Try to Sell a New Form of Healthcare?

Slate - April 13, 2022
Ambulance Raises an Important Point About Ambulances

Genetic Literary Project - April 13, 2022
Where should society draw ethical lines for experimental CRISPR gene therapies that appear able to cure diseases?

WalletHub - April 4, 2022
2022's Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America

STAT - March 22, 2022
The case for decriminalizing the street sale of buprenorphine

American Society of Human Genetics blog - March 3, 2022
Inside AJHG: A Chat with Christi Guerrini

UPI - March 1, 2022
Consumer genetic testing kits often reveal unknown relatives

Jerusalem Post - Feb. 5, 2022
Could NFTs be used for personal health information exchange? - study

Fast Company - Feb. 4, 2022
It’s not just art: NFTs could revolutionize healthcare, bioethicists say

KRPC Houston Newsmakers - Jan. 30, 2022
Houston Newsmakers: Baylor College of Medicine prepares to host TEDx Talk

STAT - Jan. 27, 2022
Patchwork system for rationing a Covid drug sends immunocompromised patients on a ‘Hunger Games hunt’

Medscape - Jan. 4, 2022 
Medical Miracles, Doctors Disagree

USA Today - Jan. 2, 2022 
I tested positive for COVID. Do I have to tell people? How do I tell them?

AAMC - Dec. 2, 2021
The future of CRISPR is now

AAMC - Oct. 26, 2021
The cost of being unvaccinated is rising — will people be willing to pay the price?

Medscape - Sept. 24, 2021
Top Questions Answered About COVID Boosters for Your Patients

The Atlantic - Sept. 13, 2021
Booster Shots Is it Ethical to Get an Illicit One Now

Authority Magazine - Sept. 13, 2021
Dr. Faith Fletcher Of The Baylor College Of Medicine: In Light Of The Pandemic, Here Are The 5 Things We Need To Do To Improve The US Healthcare System

STAT - Aug. 23, 2021
Can parents handle finding out their newborn is at higher risk of certain diseases? A small study suggests they can

Huff Post - Aug. 18, 2021
3 Myths About COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates That Need To Go Away

The Regulatory Review: Aug. 18, 2021
The HIPAA Right of Access and Data Sharing

Science - Aug. 2, 2021
Controversy flares over informing research subjects about ‘incidental’ genetic findings

Hastings Center - July 16, 2021
Covid Doesn’t Justify Cutting Corners on Medical Interpretation

STAT - June 1, 2021
Researchers raise concerns about using genetic risk scores to pick ‘healthier’ embryos
 
 Well + Good - May 26, 2021
I’m an Epidemiologist, and This Is Who Should Be Required To Get Vaccinated’

Los Angeles Times - May 26, 2021
A startup says it helps parents pick healthier embryos. Experts say it’s not that simple

Clinical Research News - May 12, 2021
Pragmatic Clinical Trials Need Their Own Set Of Rules

AFAR - April 27, 2021
The Ethics of Vaccinated Travel

Severance Mag - April 23, 2021
The Emotional Life of Donor Conceived People

MIT Technology Review - April 21, 2021
This spit test promises to tell couples their risk of passing on common diseases

NPR - April 18, 2021
OPINION: Doctors Should Be More Candid With Their Patients

National Geographic - April 16, 2021
Why annual COVID-19 boosters may become the norm

LA Times - April 13, 2021 
Column: Why spend billions for Ancestry’s DNA data if you don’t plan to use it?

Huff Post - April 7, 2021
Why Everyone Should Get Paid Time Off For The COVID-19 Vaccine

The Wall Street Journal - April 6, 2021
Texas Bans Vaccine Passports

NPR - March 25, 2021
OPINION: 5 Ways To Make The Vaccine Rollout More Equitable

Houston Chronicle - March 19, 2021
They Are Like Gold: The Hunt For Houston's Extra Covid Vaccines Involves Strategy, Ethics And Luck

Wired - March 9, 2021
The Pandemic Can't End While Wealthy Nations Hoard Shots

The Verge - March 9, 2021
Meet Dr. B, the startup promising a better way to distribute leftover vaccines

The Daily Tar Heel - March 8, 2021
A shot in the dark': N.C. vaccine rollout poses questions about ethics and priorities

Huff Post - March 4, 2021
Is it Ethical to Travel Internationally Before The World Is Vaccinated?

VOA - March 3, 2021
Conversando con la VOA - Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz

NPR – Feb. 24, 2021
High-End Medical Provider Let Ineligible People Skip COVID-19 Vaccine Line

Houston Chronicle – Feb 24, 2021
Want a vaccine at NRG Park's super site? Show up with wheels

Spectrum Local News – Feb. 24, 2021
COVID-19 Vaccine Tourism is On the Rise. But Should You Try It?

Business Insider – Feb. 23, 2021
Don't deny yourself a vaccine because of guilt or shame around a high BMI. If you're eligible, go for it

NPR - Feb. 6, 2021
Is it Ever OK to Jump Ahead in the Vaccine Line?

Houston Chronicle - Feb. 6, 2021
The key to Boosting COVID Vaccine Trust? Vaccinating Health Care Workers. But only 58 percent are Willing.

Technology Review - Feb. 2, 2021
Is It Sometimes Ok to Jump the Vaccine Queue?

WIRED - Jan. 27, 2021
Ethics of Vaccinating Teachers - and Keeping Schools Closed

STAT News - Jan. 26, 2021
The Biden-Harris FDA Should Make Friends with Independent Researchers

The Stem Cell Podcast - Dec. 3, 2020
Stem Cells and Society featuring Dr. Christopher Scott

Houston Chronicle - Sept. 1, 2020
Baylor launches initiative to overcome health disparities for minorities 

TMC News - Aug. 28, 2020
Texas Ethics Consortium created amid COVID-19 pandemic by TMC experts

Journal of Medical Ethics (Blog) - Aug. 10, 2020
We should sit this one out: Why ethicists should not help discuss treatment allocation decisions
Proving our worth: why clinical ethicists should help discuss treatment allocation decisions

Medical Ethics Advisor - Aug. 1, 2020
More Than 300 Clinical Ethicists Have Earned HEC-C Credential 

Nature Medicine - July 21, 2020
Like taking away a part of myself” ― life after a neural implant trial

NPR - July 9, 2020
Planning For End-Of-Life Care Is More Crucial Than Ever. Here's How

TMC - July 2, 2020
Gilead sets price for COVID-19 drug remdesivir

Houston Chronicle - June 20, 2020
Some Houston restaurants won’t say if their employees have COVID-19. And they don’t have to.

The New Yorker - May 18, 2020
The Rogue Experimenters

Houston Public Media - April 28, 2020
Experts in business and medical ethics answer your questions about the COVID-19 outbreak

Jewish Herald-Voice - April 16, 2020
Making tough ethical medical decisions in a time of shortages

Houston Chronicle - April 10, 2020
Treatment of COVID-19 patients at Texas City nursing home draws ethical questions

Tampa Bay Times - April 1, 2020
Coronavirus has warped our sense of time

Wired - March 30, 2020
In Crowded Hospitals, Who Will Get Life-Saving Equipment?

NBC News - Feb. 22, 2020
'They lied to us': Mom says police deceived her to get her DNA and charge her son with murder

WYPR 88.1 Baltimore - Jan. 14, 2020
When DNA Testing Delivers A Surprise