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Warning for the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Inadequacy of the Protection of Minors from Access to Pornography

Warning for the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Inadequacy of the Protection of Minors from Access to Pornography

Alliance VITA together with ‘Juristes pour l’Enfance’, a French association of lawyers which defends child rights, and the Evangelical Protestant Committee for Human Dignity (CPDH) sent a detailed report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on 15th December 2022, denouncing the failures of the French State for the protection of minors from access to pornography.

New CCNE notice: Rethinking Healthcare System Based on Ethics

New CCNE notice: Rethinking Healthcare System Based on Ethics

Following the publication in September of a notice opening the door to the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide, the CCNE (Comité Consultatif National d’Ethique) has just issued a new notice, number 140, headed “Rethinking Healthcare System Based on Ethics”.

Global Day Against Pain

Global Day Against Pain

Celebrated every year on the third Monday in October, the Global Day against Pain is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) which considers that the “treatment of pain and palliative care form an integral part of the right to enjoy good health.”

Current State of Health in France

Current State of Health in France

An annual report on the health status of the French population has just been published by the “DREES”,  the National Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics.

The Werther effect or “Copycat” Suicides

The Werther effect or “Copycat” Suicides

In 1774, Goethe’s novel “The Sorrows of Young Werther” which ends with a young man’s suicide was published. Quite a number of young readers imitated Werther, the book’s hero, to the point that the rise in suicide rates was a direct cause for having this book banned in many countries.

French Gamete Donations No Longer Anonymous; Unresolved Issues for ART with Third Party Donors

French Gamete Donations No Longer Anonymous; Unresolved Issues for ART with Third Party Donors

On September 1, 2022, the 2021 French Bioethics law comes into force, meaning that gamete donations will no longer be anonymous. Children born of assisted procreation (IVF or insemination) with a third-party donor, will be able, when they reach age 18, to request the removal of anonymity of the donor, man or women, who gave his gamete and who is at the origin of their life. 

AI: Does Google’s LaMDA Robot Have Consciousness?

AI: Does Google’s LaMDA Robot Have Consciousness?

The new “LaMDA” (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) is not just an ordinary robot with AI. Developed by Google, it is a robot intended to converse with humans, a “chatbot” (contraction of “to chat”, and “bot” for “robot”). Blake Lemoine, an American engineer at the company, claims that it is conscious.

Abortion: US Supreme Court Overturns Roe vs. Wade

Abortion: US Supreme Court Overturns Roe vs. Wade

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the case law decision of Roe vs. Wade which established constitutional federal protection for what has come to be called the "right to abortion." The legal impact of this reversal means returning to the legal status...

Couple Reneging Their Surrogate Baby

Couple Reneging Their Surrogate Baby

It is a sad miscellaneous news item, such as the surrogacy business can produce. Social media got wind of the story via Cafemom which reported about a couple who renegated their surrogate baby. The news was first published by Reddit, but it was deleted due to the...

End-of-Life: More Vigilance Needed with New French PM

End-of-Life: More Vigilance Needed with New French PM

On May 16, 2022, Emmanuel Macron appointed Elisabeth Borne to serve as Prime Minister for his second five-year term as President of France. This appointment has pushed Alliance VITA to maintain its vigilance on the subject of the end-of-life. Before his re-election,...

Surrogacy Business in Ukraine Exported to France

Surrogacy Business in Ukraine Exported to France

The human tragedy associated with the war in Ukraine hasn’t shown any signs of relenting. It includes not only the massive displacement of civilians, but also some “collateral damage” to the country’s lucrative surrogacy business. According to the UN High Commissioner...

France Creates a National Digital Identity Service

France Creates a National Digital Identity Service

Digital identity is a tool used to codify the unique attributes of an individual, while digital technology enables a person to prove his identity. There are 3 different categories of digital identity: declarative, calculated, and acting identity. The declarative...

Abortion: Will the US Supreme Court Overturn Roe vs. Wade?

Abortion: Will the US Supreme Court Overturn Roe vs. Wade?

According to an article published by Politico on May 5th, the U.S. Supreme Court is reportedly poised to strike down the case law decision of Roe vs. Wade which establishes constitutional federal protection for what has come to be called the "right to abortion"....

Sister André: World’s Oldest Person

Sister André: World’s Oldest Person

Following the death of the Japanese woman, Kane Tanaka, on April 19th, the title of the world’s oldest person was conferred upon Sister André, a French nun. She is the sixth French woman to be registered as the world’s oldest person. Given her nationality, the news...

WHO Uses Ideological Tactics to Encourage Abortion

WHO Uses Ideological Tactics to Encourage Abortion

This past March 8th during the focus on the International Day for Women, the WHO presented its revised health recommendations for abortion. The stated objective of the WHO’s abortion care guideline is to present the complete set of all their recommendations and best...

Portuguese President Vetoes Euthanasia Law

Portuguese President Vetoes Euthanasia Law

On November 29, 2021 the President of Portugal vetoed the law decriminalizing euthanasia. In January 2021 this highly controversial legislation was hurriedly pushed through Parliament while the country was facing another wave of the pandemic and had gone under lock...

Abortion Bill at the Senate: Government Maneuvers?

Abortion Bill at the Senate: Government Maneuvers?

After the deputies adopted the new abortion bill to extend abortion deadlines in second reading, the legislative process seemed rather uncertain. Indeed senators from Macron’s party as well as socialist senators had refused to schedule a time slot. On several...

Analyzing French Bill # 3879 Extending Abortion Rights

Analyzing French Bill # 3879 Extending Abortion Rights

Time for Evaluating Abortion in France On 29 November, Bill # 3879 to extend abortion rights, tabled by Mrs. Albane GAILLOT, is scheduled for second reading at the French National Assembly. Claiming that access to abortion is becoming increasingly difficult today, the...

Evaluating How to Best Manage Charcot’s Disease

Evaluating How to Best Manage Charcot’s Disease

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Charcot's disease, is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that progressively leads to muscle paralysis, thus affecting breathing, speech, and swallowing. There is a median lifespan of 36 months, with an annual...

Abortion: EU Parliament Stepping on Member States’ Toes

Abortion: EU Parliament Stepping on Member States’ Toes

At its plenary meeting on June 24, 2021, the European Parliament voted to adopt the highly controversial motion for a resolution "regarding reproductive and sexual health and rights in the EU, in the frame of women's health", which is specifically intended to restrict...

French Bioethics Law: Forcing through Ethical Red Lines

French Bioethics Law: Forcing through Ethical Red Lines

Alliance VITA denounces the way ethical red lines were crossed when the legislation was forced through the National Assembly in third reading. In total disregard for the fundamental principles of human ecology, this law puts in danger the rights of the most vulnerable...

Gene Therapy for Blindness Sparks Hope

Gene Therapy for Blindness Sparks Hope

Pigmentary retinopathy is a heterogeneous group of inherited eye diseases that affects vision and sometimes causes blindness. All forms of this disease lead to progressive degeneration of the photoreceptor cells in the retina. Although rare, it is the most common...

Demographic Report from the High Commissioner for Planning

Demographic Report from the High Commissioner for Planning

On 12 May, the High Commissioner for Planning in France, François Bayrou, issued a report on demography as being "fundamental to preserving our social model". The post of High Commissioner for Planning was recently created in September 2020 and assigned to François...

Non-justified Use of ICSI (Specialized IVF Technique) for ART?

Non-justified Use of ICSI (Specialized IVF Technique) for ART?

Does assisted reproductive technology (ART) resort too often to the use of unnecessary and costly techniques? In a recent study published in the Lancet, Australian researchers investigated this issue, especially focusing on the technique of intracytoplasmic sperm...

France Doubles Paternity Leave to Reinforce Father-child Bond

France Doubles Paternity Leave to Reinforce Father-child Bond

On May 12th 2021, the French government published a decree in the official journal to specify the exact terms for extending paid paternity leave from 14 to 28 days. Voted five months ago as part of the 2021 Social Security Financial Act, the new benefits for French...

Outcomes at Age 5 for French Children Born Prematurely

Outcomes at Age 5 for French Children Born Prematurely

In France, prematurity is the leading cause of neonatal mortality and is responsible for half of all disabilities of perinatal origin. It affects around 55,000 births each year, or approximately 7.5% of all births in the country. The British Medical Journal has...

Miscarriages: For a Better Care

Miscarriages: For a Better Care

Miscarriage is a common event which occurs in approximately 15% of all pregnancies and affects one in ten women. An estimated 23 million miscarriages occur every year worldwide, which is equivalent to 44 miscarriages every minute. In spite of this, the consequences...

Frenchman Convicted of Forcing His Girlfriend to Abort

Frenchman Convicted of Forcing His Girlfriend to Abort

On April 19, 2021, the Meaux Correctional Court convicted a 21-year-old Frenchman of violence and death threats against his girlfriend for attempting to force her to have an abortion; he received a sentence of 15 months, with 8 months of unconditional imprisonment....

First Man + Monkey Embryos = Chimeras

First Man + Monkey Embryos = Chimeras

Monkey embryos have recently been used in an experiment with human cells to create man-monkey chimeras. Scientists have been combining cells of different animal species since 1969, when the French biologist Nicole Le Douarin first created quail-chicken embryos,...

Why Government Policies Should Include Counseling for Couples

Why Government Policies Should Include Counseling for Couples

Providing counseling for couples: A groundbreaking study in France highlights that "Regardless of the couple’s legal status, the stability of their relationship has a positive impact on the well-being of individuals and a substantial effect on public finances." The...

Therapeutic Progress Using CRISPR-Cas9 Harbors Newfound Hope

Therapeutic Progress Using CRISPR-Cas9 Harbors Newfound Hope

Sickle cell anemia is the most widespread genetic disease in the world, and very prevalent in France where it affects one child for every 1900 births. The name of this disease is derived from the “sickle” shaped appearance of the red blood cells caused by a defect in...

Sex Change: Repercussions on Civil Registers and Filiation

Sex Change: Repercussions on Civil Registers and Filiation

The press is speculating that French courts may soon render an unprecedented decision concerning how civil registers and filiation may be affected in the event of changing one’s biological sex. The Court of Appeals in Toulouse is currently hearing the case of a man...

“Artificial” Human Embryos ?

“Artificial” Human Embryos ?

Can researchers artificially produce a product resembling a human embryo in a test tube, without using eggs or sperm or undergoing fertilization? For the past several years, some research laboratories have been experimenting on animal models. And now experiments are...

Sexual Crimes: Better Protection for French Minors

Sexual Crimes: Better Protection for French Minors

In France a new bill to protect minors from sexual crimes, offences and incest (# 576) was adopted unanimously by the National Assembly on January 21st, followed by the Senate at first reading on March 15th.  This bill set the limit of “non-consent” at age 15, under...

Birth Rate Drops in France for a Sixth Year in a Row

Birth Rate Drops in France for a Sixth Year in a Row

The annual demographic report for 2020 published by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (“INSEE”) shows yet again a decrease in birth rates in France. The “INSEE” reported: " For the past six consecutive years the birth rate has continuously...

Survey: The French Want More Children

Survey: The French Want More Children

The latest survey by the National Union of Family Associations (“UNAF”) published on 14 January 2021, reports that the French want to have more children. According to the report soon to be published by the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies...

Child Trafficking and Illegal Adoptions

Child Trafficking and Illegal Adoptions

Two recent reports of child trafficking have yet again illustrated the necessity for greater vigilance on a worldwide basis. Child Trafficking in Kenya Revealing the existence of a huge child trafficking network in Kenya, the first episode of a BBC documentary...

Adoption Reform in France: Experts Sound Alarm

Adoption Reform in France: Experts Sound Alarm

Many experts and associations are sounding the alarm on France’s adoption reform bill due to controversial measures which threaten the child’s best interests. The bill to reform adoption in France was recently tabled, in follow-up to the recommendations submitted on...

Belgium Reports Sharp Increase in Euthanasia

Belgium Reports Sharp Increase in Euthanasia

In Belgium, the Federal Control Commission for Evaluating Euthanasia (“CFCEE”) has submitted its ninth governmental report presenting the national statistics for euthanasia between 2018 and 2019. Euthanasia has significantly increased in Belgium, with a 12.6% annual...

Parents of Children with Disabilities: Statistics in France

Parents of Children with Disabilities: Statistics in France

On November 6, 2020, statistics were published on the social and economic level of French households having one or more children with a disability. The study was carried out by the “DREES” (Directorate of Research, Evaluation and Statistics) for the years 2016 and...

Health Authorities Contest New Abortion Bill in France

Health Authorities Contest New Abortion Bill in France

The Council for the French National Order of Doctors is contesting the removal of conscience clause in the pending abortion bill. In a press release on October 10, it explained: “because this would not guarantee access to abortion whithout obstacles, the Order opposes...

Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded for CRISPR-Cas9

Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded for CRISPR-Cas9

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded for the extraordinary discovery of CRISPR/Cas9 for genetic engineering. Two brilliant scientists, Emmanuelle Charpentier, a Frenchwoman and Jennifer Doudna, an American have been named to share the credit for...

Abortions in France Reach Record High

Abortions in France Reach Record High

In 2019, there were more abortions performed in France than ever before (232,000 last year compared to 224,300 in 2018) according to the annual statistics published by the “DREES” (Department of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics). The annual statistics...

French Elderly: New Law Projected for 2021

French Elderly: New Law Projected for 2021

On September 22, French President, Emmanuel Macron announced during his visit to an “EPHAD” (nursing home establishments for aged and dependent individuals) that a bill for the elderly is being planned for the beginning of 2021. The advisory phase called the "Laroque...

Abortion: COVID-19 Pandemic Exploited as Pretext

Abortion: COVID-19 Pandemic Exploited as Pretext

Following the extended deadlines for having drug-induced abortions at home from 5 to 7 weeks of pregnancy, Alliance VITA, is sounding the alarm to protect human dignity. Apparently the number of consultations and abortions has declined during the two-month confinement...

Ongoing Abortion Controversy in the French Senate

Ongoing Abortion Controversy in the French Senate

The latest abortion controversy started right at the beginning of the confinement, when Senator Laurence Rossignol (Socialist Party) tried to extend the statutory deadline for performing abortions from 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy. On the night of May 28, two...

End-of-life Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic

End-of-life Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Could the COVID-19 pandemic change our vision of the care for the dying or for people at the end of their life? The COVID-19 crisis has sparked a significant and genuine thinking on our relation with the dying, especially in the institutional and hospital settings. As...

Coronavirus: Two Clinical Trials Launched

Coronavirus: Two Clinical Trials Launched

In the midst of the global Coronavirus pandemic, a European clinical trial to evaluate four experimental treatments began on March 22, 2020. This clinical trial entitled “Discovery” is being coordinated by French National Institute of Health and Medical Research...

Coronavirus: Confined At Home but Nonetheless Active

Coronavirus: Confined At Home but Nonetheless Active

During this crisis period, we are even more deeply concerned about individuals who are anxious, alone and struggling. Like many others in France, Alliance VITA provides support for the most vulnerable: those who are elderly, sick, alone, or disabled. They are even...

Further Extension of Euthanasia in Belgium

Further Extension of Euthanasia in Belgium

On March 5th the Belgian Federal Parliament voted to further extend legislation in favor of increasing access to euthanasia. The revised law also plans to eliminate conscientious objection for healthcare professionals. It should be underscored that the State Council...

Belgium Caregivers Opposed to New Changes in Abortion Bill

Belgium Caregivers Opposed to New Changes in Abortion Bill

Since October 2019, the Belgian Federal Parliament has been examining a bill on abortion. On March 12, the debate was postponed after the deputies requested for the Council of State to give an opinion prior to examining the newly submitted amendments for legislation...

French Cases of Autism on the Rise

French Cases of Autism on the Rise

The French Public Health Agency has just published the results of two evaluations of autism cases in its latest weekly epidemiology bulletin. This is a first in France. Until now, France could only provide unreliable statistics on autism, based on forecasts. This...

CRISPR: Clinical Trial on a Blind Patient

CRISPR: Clinical Trial on a Blind Patient

The CRISPR-Cas9 genetic engineering technique is currently being tested on an adult patient with a rare form of blindness. The patient has a rare hereditary eye disease known as Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA) which progressively leads to blindness, due to a gene...

Portugal’s Parliament Pushes for Euthanasia

Portugal’s Parliament Pushes for Euthanasia

On Thursday, February 20, 2020, Portugal’s parliament approved five bills on euthanasia at the first reading. Submitted by several socialist parties, they were adopted at the first reading and will likely be combined into a single text before the final vote. These...

Death of an American Surrogate Mother

Death of an American Surrogate Mother

Michelle Reaves, a young American wife, and mother of two children, died tragically during childbirth. She was serving as a gestational surrogate for the second time for same couple. The news of Michele’s death was spread by one of her friends who set up an online...

Belgium: The Euthanasia Trial

Belgium: The Euthanasia Trial

On January 31, the verdict was rendered in the trial for three Belgian doctors who had performed euthanasia on Tine Nys in 2010, a young girl suffering from mental problems: the three were acquitted. The Belgian press refers to it as “the euthanasia trial", which is...

March for the Children: Caroline Roux’s Speech

March for the Children: Caroline Roux’s Speech

In Paris, on January 19, 2020, Caroline Roux, Alliance VITA’s Assistant General Delegate, spoke at the massive citizen protest movement against the bioethics bill, organized by “March for the Children”.   “If we are here today, braving the cold, some travelling from...

Genetically-Modified Babies: Chinese Scientist Convicted

Genetically-Modified Babies: Chinese Scientist Convicted

In China, the scientist who produced genetically modified twin babies has been sentenced to three years in prison. In November 2018, the Chinese scientist He Jiankiu provoked shock and outrage around the world when he announced the birth of twin girls whose DNA he had...

Surrogacy: Controversial Ruling at French Court of Appeals

Surrogacy: Controversial Ruling at French Court of Appeals

On November 25, 2019, the Court of Appeals in Rennes, France recognized the filiation on French civil registration for four children born to surrogate women abroad. This decision is equivalent to authorizing surrogacy, even though it is prohibited by French law. This...

Powerful Tribute To Palliative Care

Powerful Tribute To Palliative Care

Former magistrate Michèle Bernard-Requin, who died of cancer on December 14, had been in palliative care in Paris at the Sainte Perrine Hospital. In an article published in Le Point, a few days before she died, she paid tribute to the palliative care staff, referring...

Bioethics Bill: Human Embryo Research What is at Stake?

Bioethics Bill: Human Embryo Research What is at Stake?

Excerpts from the hearing at the French Senate, pronounced by Alliance VITA’s Director of Training and Research, Blanche Streb, regarding the bioethics bill: It is no longer rational to consider the human embryo on two separate levels: either for procreation or for...

Post Mortem ART: Gamete Transfer Refused by ECHR

Post Mortem ART: Gamete Transfer Refused by ECHR

A mother wished for her deceased son’s gametes to be sent to Israel for a post-mortem surrogacy or ART, since it is allowed in this country. However this request was declared inadmissible by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Dominique Petithory Lanzmann, the...

CRISPR Babies: Our Worries are Confirmed

CRISPR Babies: Our Worries are Confirmed

Last November 2018, the CRISPR-Cas9 technique was first used in a human experiment which led to the birth of twin girls in China. Since then alarming information continues to spill out regarding the genetically modified babies born from this technique, who are...

French Bioethics Bill Violates Children’s Rights

Just as France marks its 30th anniversary for signing the United Nations Children’s Rights Convention (UNCRC), Alliance VITA decries the country’s current bioethics bill which violates inherent protections established by this...

Greece: Illegal Trafficking of Newborns and Oocytes

Greek police have dismantled a crime network involved in selling ovaries and newborns, mainly from Bulgarian women. The group allegedly transported the women (Bulgarians, Georgians and some Romani) to a private clinic in Thessaloniki to deliver their babies or have...

Demonstration in Brussels against Surrogacy

Demonstration in Brussels against Surrogacy

The Citizens' Initiative against Surrogacy is calling supporters to demonstrate on Saturday, September 21, 2019, to protest against the commercial show "Men having Babies" which is scheduled to be held in Brussels that day to promote surrogacy.The American...

French Bill to Allow Abortions at 14 Weeks of Pregnancy

French Bill to Allow Abortions at 14 Weeks of Pregnancy

On Friday June 7, the French Senate adopted an amendment introduced by Senator Laurence Rossignol, to extend the time limit for legal abortions from 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy, as part of the country’s new health bill. Following a rising ‘surprise’ vote, in a practically vacant session, 12 voted in favor and 10 against. […]

« Euthanasia, Behind the Scenes » (Belgian Book Release)

« Euthanasia, Behind the Scenes » (Belgian Book Release)

“Euthanasia, Behind the Scenes”, is a new book published by Mols, on the end-of-life and the consequences of euthanasia. The foreword of the book was written Jacques RICOT, philosopher, and Dr Timothy DEVOS, hematologist and professor at Leuven University Hospital, coordinated the contributions from 8 well-known Belgian caregivers specialized in palliative care, including university teachers, […]

ART Procreation Business in Belgium: It’s Already There

ART Procreation Business in Belgium: It’s Already There

In order to know the current rates being offered for oocyte donations, a Belgian journalist visited several fertility clinics throughout the country. None of the clinics openly displayed their prices, since the Belgian law of July 6, 2007 concerning assisted reproductive techniques (ART) prohibits human gametes from being bought and sold. As stated in Article […]

UN Requests that France Not Condemn Vincent Lambert to Death

UN Requests that France Not Condemn Vincent Lambert to Death

The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), is composed of independent experts in charge with implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). On May 3, this UN Committee requested from France “interim measures”: the decision, rendered by the French Council of State on April 24, to […]

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