Ethics news

Ethics news http://www.ethics.org.au/content/ethics-news Monthly ethical dilemmas from St James Ethics Centre to exercise your ethics. en Bees, pesticides and … what are chief scientists for? http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/bees-pesticides-and-%E2%80%A6-what-are-chief-scientists <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Conversation </em> <span class="date-display-single">1 May 2013</span></p> <p>Without good advice, governments are in extreme danger of creating erroneous or damaging public policy. So it’s a serious matter when a government science adviser is accused of ignoring scientific evidence in favour of engaging in political machinations.</p> <p>Such was the case on Monday, when the author George Monbiot, writing for The Guardian, claimed statements made by the new UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA), Mark Walport, (regarding a European pesticide moratorium designed to protect bee populations) were “misleading and unscientific”.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://theconversation.com/bees-pesticides-and-what-are-chief-scientists-for-13844" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/bees-pesticides-and-%E2%80%A6-what-are-chief-scientists" target="_blank">read more</a></p> government science adviser objective and non-partisan advice policy formation politicism scientific evidence Thu, 02 May 2013 04:42:01 +0000 SJECThink18 2018 at http://www.ethics.org.au Partly cloudy with a chance of … banks? Ads start on govt website http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/partly-cloudy-chance-%E2%80%A6-banks-ads-start-govt-website <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>Crikey </em> <span class="date-display-single">1 May 2013</span></p> <p>Here’s a first: there’s paid advertising appearing on a federal government website (the Bureau of Meteorology). Does this pose a problem — and who might be next?</p> <p>Paid advertising has appeared on a federal government website for the first time, a move advertising baron Harold Mitchell estimates will net the Bureau of Meteorology $2 million a year.</p> <p>The ads for NAB ran for a limited time yesterday. More will follow.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/05/01/partly-cloudy-with-a-chance-of-banks-ads-start-on-govt-website/" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/partly-cloudy-chance-%E2%80%A6-banks-ads-start-govt-website" target="_blank">read more</a></p> commercialisation federal government website Harold Mitchell paid advertising revenue stream Thu, 02 May 2013 04:37:30 +0000 SJECThink18 2017 at http://www.ethics.org.au Only 1.4% of S&P Companies Have Fully Integrated Reporting http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/only-14-sp-companies-have-fully-integrated-reporting <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>Environmental Leader </em> <span class="date-display-single">29 April 2013</span></p> <p>American Electric Power, Clorox, Dow Chemical, Eaton, Ingersoll Rand, Pfizer and Southwest Airlines are the only companies in the S&P 500 — just 1.4 percent of the total — with fully integrated annual financial and sustainability reports, according to a study from the IRRC Institute and the Sustainable Investments Institute (Si2).</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/04/29/only-1-4-of-sp-companies-have-fully-integrated-reporting/" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/only-14-sp-companies-have-fully-integrated-reporting" target="_blank">read more</a></p> climate change environmental management financial and sustainability reports Global Reporting Initiative S&P 500 Thu, 02 May 2013 04:30:29 +0000 SJECThink18 2016 at http://www.ethics.org.au We should use, not lose, our senior brain power http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/we-should-use-not-lose-our-senior-brain-power <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Canberra Times </em> <span class="date-display-single">27 April 2013</span></p> <p>There's a lot of talk these days about work/life balance and I think we have mostly got it all wrong. Work is life and life is work. It's not a choice between the two - it's about choosing to be happy and positive no matter what we are doing or how old we are.</p> <p>There's an old Zen Buddhist saying, "Before enlightenment - chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment - chop wood and carry water''.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.canberratimes.com.au/business/we-should-use-not-lose-our-senior-brain-power-20130426-2ik2q.html" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/we-should-use-not-lose-our-senior-brain-power" target="_blank">read more</a></p> age of retirement functioning of the brain idleness use it or lose it wisdom of age Thu, 02 May 2013 04:24:56 +0000 SJECThink18 2015 at http://www.ethics.org.au A Step But Not A Leap: The Commission’s New Proposal For Non-Fianancial And Diversity Reporting http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/step-not-leap-commission%E2%80%99s-new-proposal-non-fianancial-and-diversity-reporting <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>Social Europe Journal </em> <span class="date-display-single">22 April 2013</span></p> <p>Last week the Commission released its long-awaited proposal for a Directive regarding disclosure of non-financial and diversity information.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.social-europe.eu/2013/04/a-step-but-not-a-leap-the-commissions-new-proposal-for-non-fianancial-and-diversity-reporting/" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/step-not-leap-commission%E2%80%99s-new-proposal-non-fianancial-and-diversity-reporting" target="_blank">read more</a></p> disclosure of non-financial and diversity information environment Global Reporting Initiative reporting frameworks stakeholders Thu, 02 May 2013 04:19:56 +0000 SJECThink18 2014 at http://www.ethics.org.au Paracetamol Can Soften Our Moral Reactions http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/paracetamol-can-soften-our-moral-reactions <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>Practical Ethics </em> <span class="date-display-single">22 April 2013</span></p> <p>Our moral reactions are easily influenced by a variety of factors. One of them is anxiety. When people are confronted with disturbing experiences like mortality salience (i.e., being made aware of their own eventual death), they tend to affirm their moral beliefs. As a result, they feel inclined to punish moral transgression more harshly than they would without feeling fundamentally threatened. For example, in a now classical study people who objected to prostitution were asked to suggest a penalty for a woman arrested for prostitution.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2013/04/paracetamol-can-soften-our-moral-reactions/" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/paracetamol-can-soften-our-moral-reactions" target="_blank">read more</a></p> anxiety belief affirmation moral beliefs moral transgression paracetamol Thu, 02 May 2013 04:16:26 +0000 SJECThink18 2013 at http://www.ethics.org.au Teen Witness must have a transfusion, rules judge http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/teen-witness-must-have-transfusion-rules-judge <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Sydney Morning Herald </em> <span class="date-display-single">18 April 2013</span></p> <p>A 17-year-old Jehovah's Witness suffering from a lethal form of blood cancer and refusing treatment threatened to rip the IV needle out of his arm if doctors attempted a blood transfusion.</p> <p>But the NSW Supreme Court has overruled the wishes of the patient, known only as ''X'', and his parents, ordering him to undergo the potentially lifesaving procedure.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/teen-witness-must-have-a-transfusion-rules-judge-20130417-2i0lc.html" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/teen-witness-must-have-transfusion-rules-judge" target="_blank">read more</a></p> dignity of the individual faith lifesaving treatment sanctity of life transfusion Thu, 02 May 2013 04:11:31 +0000 SJECThink18 2012 at http://www.ethics.org.au IQ2 Debate: Our Food Obsession Has Gone Too Far http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/iq2-debate-our-food-obsession-has-gone-too-far <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>ABC </em> <span class="date-display-single">15 April 2013</span></p> <p>Our food obsession has gone too far. That’s the premise for this IQ2 debate.</p> <p>There’s a glut of food and cooking shows on television now and kids under 10 compete to deliver sophisticated cuisine sprinkled with sumac or za’atar and they’re competent at stuffing zucchini flowers and deep frying them for a light snack. And they’re not above a kitchen tantrum or meltdown if the recipe fails.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/tv/bigideas/stories/2013/04/15/3733068.htm" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/iq2-debate-our-food-obsession-has-gone-too-far" target="_blank">read more</a></p> conditions for agricultural workers developing world food and cooking shows food obsession social change Thu, 02 May 2013 04:07:18 +0000 SJECThink18 2011 at http://www.ethics.org.au Case in Point: An opportunity to communicate http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/case-point-opportunity-communicate <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Washington Post </em> <span class="date-display-single">14 April 2013</span></p> <p>The big idea: The memorable quote “What we got here is failure to communicate” from the prison guard captain in the classic movie “Cool Hand Luke” is certainly applicable to the challenge facing corporations around the world with respect to their ability to communicate their value and values to key stakeholders in a relevant, comprehensive, transparent, timely and credible manner.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/case-in-point-an-opportunity-to-communicate/2013/04/13/368cfe0c-a09e-11e2-82bc-511538ae90a4_story.html" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/case-point-opportunity-communicate" target="_blank">read more</a></p> communicate corporate sustainability Global Reporting Initiative International Integrated Reporting Committee sustainability reports Thu, 02 May 2013 04:02:20 +0000 SJECThink18 2010 at http://www.ethics.org.au Environmentalists welcome scrapping of LNG project http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/environmentalists-welcome-scrapping-lng-project <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>ABC </em> <span class="date-display-single">12 April 2013</span></p> <p>Environmentalists are claiming victory after Woodside abandoned its controversial $45 billion Browse LNG project in Western Australia.</p> <p>Woodside has grounded the project at James Price Point, north of Broome, and will instead explore other options like a floating LNG facility.</p> <p>WA Premier Colin Barnett says it would be a "tragedy and a missed opportunity" if Woodside does not proceed with a scaled-down project on the same site.</p> <p>The Browse project was to be built in an area with one of the world's biggest collections of dinosaur footprints.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-12/environmentalists-celebrate-as-woodside-grounds-lng-project/4625212" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> environmental groups Geoffrey Cousins LNG Western Australia Woodside Thu, 02 May 2013 03:57:42 +0000 SJECThink18 2009 at http://www.ethics.org.au An ethical education: why Gonski is a moral issue http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/ethical-education-why-gonski-moral-issue <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Conversation </em> <span class="date-display-single">11 April 2013</span></p> <p>In the lead up to negotiations with the states on schools funding reform, the government has armed itself by labelling the reforms as a moral issue.</p> <p>It’s easy, of course, for a politician to bring an issue to the boil by labelling it a “moral” one. But as infighting between the states and the government escalated in the last week, it increasingly seems that the larger importance of these reforms is being lost.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://theconversation.com/an-ethical-education-why-gonski-is-a-moral-issue-12849" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/ethical-education-why-gonski-moral-issue" target="_blank">read more</a></p> educational disadvantage Gonski Review of Funding for Schooling literacy universal education well-funded education Thu, 02 May 2013 03:52:40 +0000 SJECThink18 2008 at http://www.ethics.org.au Don’t demonise doctors for treating gender identity disorder http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/don%E2%80%99t-demonise-doctors-treating-gender-identity-disorder <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Conversation </em> <span class="date-display-single">9 April 2013</span></p> <p>Imagine yourself as a doctor consulting with a child who is experiencing profound discomfort. At times, the parents inform you, the child’s profound discomfort escalates, manifesting in profound distress that leads to self-harming behaviour.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://theconversation.com/dont-demonise-doctors-for-treating-gender-identity-disorder-9593" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/don%E2%80%99t-demonise-doctors-treating-gender-identity-disorder" target="_blank">read more</a></p> difference between gender and sex doctors gender dyshporia gender norms social construct Thu, 02 May 2013 03:48:05 +0000 SJECThink18 2007 at http://www.ethics.org.au We must stamp on the cockroach of racism http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/we-must-stamp-cockroach-racism <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Age </em> <span class="date-display-single">8 April 2013</span></p> <p>Racism is like a cockroach of civilised society. It is vile, revolting, and it breeds prodigiously. Few things appear capable of eradicating it. It seems always to return, no matter what we do to stamp it out.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/comment/we-must-stamp-on-the-cockroach-of-racism-20130407-2her6.html" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/we-must-stamp-cockroach-racism" target="_blank">read more</a></p> australia civilized society indifference racism second-class citizen Thu, 02 May 2013 03:43:44 +0000 SJECThink18 2006 at http://www.ethics.org.au The giving mentality http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/giving-mentality <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Sydney Morning Herald </em> <span class="date-display-single">2 April 2013</span></p> <p>The traditional image of a silver-haired billionaire philanthropist writing cheques on a whim is ripe for an overhaul, according to a small group of Australian rich-listers.</p> <p>They are bypassing the safe, established charities and are instead looking to newer causes that align more closely with their personal values.</p> <p>And they're not afraid to get their hands dirty. They're still supplying cash — but also their time, their contacts and some of the business nous that made them wealthy.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/strive/the-giving-mentality-20130328-2gvlr.html" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/giving-mentality" target="_blank">read more</a></p> Charities homelessness personal values philanthropy social enterprise Thu, 02 May 2013 03:38:53 +0000 SJECThink18 2005 at http://www.ethics.org.au Qld ethics units face axe after inquiry http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/qld-ethics-units-face-axe-after-inquiry <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Age </em> <span class="date-display-single">4 April 2013</span></p> <p>Ethical standards units in Queensland government departments could be abolished and the public refused access to documents without a reason, under recommendations arising from an inquiry into the crime watchdog.</p> <p>The Callinan and Aroney inquiry into the Crime and Misconduct Commission was scathing of the watchdog in parts of its report, and also recommended that people who made ''baseless'' complaints face prosecution.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/national/qld-ethics-units-face-axe-after-inquiry-20130403-2h74m.html" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/qld-ethics-units-face-axe-after-inquiry" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/qld-ethics-units-face-axe-after-inquiry#comments Crime and Misconduct Commission ethical standards units managerial responsibility Queensland government watchdog Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:39:41 +0000 SJECThink18 2002 at http://www.ethics.org.au Tax ruling on ethics classes criticised http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/tax-ruling-ethics-classes-criticised <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Standard </em> <span class="date-display-single">4 April 2013</span></p> <p>Former NSW Labor education minister Verity Firth has criticised the Gillard government's refusal to give ethics classes the same tax status as scripture classes, arguing it is inequitable and unfair to treat the religious and secular programs differently.</p> <p>Last month Fairfax Media revealed the federal government had rejected a special request from the provider of ethics classes, Primary Ethics, which receives no government funding, to be granted deductible gift recipient (DGR) status so it could collect tax deductible donations.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.standard.net.au/story/1407976/tax-ruling-on-ethics-classes-criticised/?cs=24eth" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/tax-ruling-ethics-classes-criticised" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/tax-ruling-ethics-classes-criticised#comments donations NSW primary ethics scripture classes tax status Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:33:12 +0000 SJECThink18 2001 at http://www.ethics.org.au The ethics of solitary confinement http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/ethics-solitary-confinement <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>Al Jazeera </em> <span class="date-display-single">26 March 2013</span></p> <p>This weekend the New York Times reported that on any given day 300 immigrants are held in solitary confinement in American detention facilities.</p> <p>Nearly half are kept isolated for more than 15 days - the point at which experts say they are at risk of severe psychiatric harm.</p> <p>More widely, according to federal records, some 80,000 prisoners were held in solitary confinement across the US in 2005 - the last time such information was released by the government.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestoryamericas/2013/03/201332645922866233.html" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/ethics-solitary-confinement" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/ethics-solitary-confinement#comments criminal justice system ethics of solitary confinement prisoners psychiatric harm torture Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:27:34 +0000 SJECThink18 2000 at http://www.ethics.org.au Anti-drone revolt prompts push for new federal, state laws http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/anti-drone-revolt-prompts-push-new-federal-state-laws <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>CNET </em> <span class="date-display-single">22 March 2013</span></p> <p>An unusual bipartisan revolt has erupted against law enforcement plans to fly more drones equipped with high-tech gear that can be used to conduct surveillance of Americans.</p> <p>A combination of concerns about privacy, air traffic safety, facial recognition, cell phone tracking -- and even the possibility that in the future drones could be armed -- have suddenly placed police on the defensive.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57575863-38/anti-drone-revolt-prompts-push-for-new-federal-state-laws/" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/anti-drone-revolt-prompts-push-new-federal-state-laws" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/anti-drone-revolt-prompts-push-new-federal-state-laws#comments drone-regulation laws law enforcement privacy surveillance Unites States Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:22:29 +0000 SJECThink18 1999 at http://www.ethics.org.au Julian Savulescu and Robert Sparrow debate the ethics of designer babies http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/julian-savulescu-and-robert-sparrow-debate-ethics-designer-babies <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>Practical Ethics </em> <span class="date-display-single">21 March 2013</span></p> <p>Last year, Julian Savulescu of the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics here at Oxford debated Robert Sparrow of Monash University on the issue of using techniques like embryo selection to ensure one’s children have the best life possible.  Savulescu has notably defended not only the permissibility but the obligation to select for the best children, while Sparrow has been more critical of enhancement via embryo selection.  The transcript of their debate is now available, and their exchange helps clarify a key source of disagreement between proponents and critics of embryo sele</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2013/03/julian-savulescu-and-robert-sparrow-debate-the-ethics-of-designer-babies/" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/julian-savulescu-and-robert-sparrow-debate-ethics-designer-babies" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/julian-savulescu-and-robert-sparrow-debate-ethics-designer-babies#comments designer babies embryo selection enhancement debate ethics of parenting obligation to enhance one’s children Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:17:15 +0000 SJECThink18 1998 at http://www.ethics.org.au Pharmacists should drop products that aren’t backed by evidence http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/pharmacists-should-drop-products-aren%E2%80%99t-backed-evidence <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Conversation </em> <span class="date-display-single">21 March 2013</span></p> <p>If you look at the shelves of most Australian community pharmacies or browse the pages of local internet pharmacies, you’ll see numerous examples of products making claims that can’t be supported by scientific evidence.</p> <p>These include an increasing proliferation of homeopathic medicines, weight-loss products with names such SensaSlim, Undoit and Fat Blaster Reducta, products to enhance sexual prowess such as Horny Goat Weed (for both him and her) and numerous vitamin and mineral combinations.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://theconversation.com/pharmacists-should-drop-products-that-arent-backed-by-evidence-12646" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/pharmacists-should-drop-products-aren%E2%80%99t-backed-evidence" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/pharmacists-should-drop-products-aren%E2%80%99t-backed-evidence#comments complementary medicines evidence-based products pharamcists scientific evidence up-selling Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:10:31 +0000 SJECThink18 1997 at http://www.ethics.org.au 97 Percent of UK Doctors Have Given Placebos to Patients at Least Once http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/97-percent-uk-doctors-have-given-placebos-patients-least-once <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>Science Daily </em> <span class="date-display-single">20 March 2013</span></p> <p>A survey of UK doctors found that 97% have prescribed placebo treatments to patients at least once in their career.</p> <p>Researchers at the Universities of Oxford and Southampton in the UK discovered that 97% of doctors have used 'impure' placebo treatments, while 12% have used 'pure' placebos.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130320212816.htm" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/97-percent-uk-doctors-have-given-placebos-patients-least-once" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/97-percent-uk-doctors-have-given-placebos-patients-least-once#comments doctors ethical attitudes towards placebo placebo treatments psychological treatment effects stigma Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:03:26 +0000 SJECThink18 1996 at http://www.ethics.org.au British press mulls next move over rules http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/british-press-mulls-next-move-over-rules <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>news.com.au </em> <span class="date-display-single">19 March 2013</span></p> <p>BRITAIN'S newspapers have vowed to closely scrutinise a deal struck by the main political parties for a tough new press regulator, which they warned threatens 318 years of press freedom.<br /> MPs insisted on Monday the agreement would rein in the kind of misdeeds exposed by the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, without curbing press freedom, but the newspapers said the government had "crossed the Rubicon".</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/uk-mps-reach-deal-on-press-regulation/story-e6frfkui-1226600216819" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/british-press-mulls-next-move-over-rules" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/british-press-mulls-next-move-over-rules#comments David Cameron independent self-regulation press freedom press intrusion press regulator Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:57:42 +0000 SJECThink18 1995 at http://www.ethics.org.au Uncivil and unbalanced: the Australian media can’t be trusted to report on industry reform http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/uncivil-and-unbalanced-australian-media-can%E2%80%99t-be-trusted-report-industry-reform <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Conversation </em> <span class="date-display-single">19 March 2013</span></p> <p>Anyone who has picked up the country’s biggest newspapers in the past week (and that of course includes the nation’s poll-fearing political powerbrokers) would naturally think communication minister Stephen Conroy’s apparently doomed media reforms presented a serious threat to Australia</p> <p>In the past week the newspapers, led by Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, have put Conroy on the side of Stalin and News Limited on the side of the angels (and, today, Thomas Jefferson). Fairfax has not been immune from demonising the reforms either.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://theconversation.com/uncivil-and-unbalanced-the-australian-media-cant-be-trusted-to-report-on-industry-reform-12895" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/uncivil-and-unbalanced-australian-media-can%E2%80%99t-be-trusted-report-industry-reform" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/uncivil-and-unbalanced-australian-media-can%E2%80%99t-be-trusted-report-industry-reform#comments media reforms press freedom Public Interest Media Advocate regulation of the media Stephen Conroy Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:52:58 +0000 SJECThink18 1994 at http://www.ethics.org.au Ethics rethink for social sciences http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/ethics-rethink-social-sciences <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>Times Higher Education </em> <span class="date-display-single">14 March 2013</span></p> <p>Social scientists are drawing up a common set of ethical principles aimed at freeing research from excessive ethics oversight frameworks that hamper their ability to improve social understanding.</p> <p>According to Robert Dingwall, professor of social science at Nottingham Trent University, a “free” social science research base is as important to a healthy democracy as a free press. But in the past decade, UK and international funders have required universities to vet all research involving human subjects via institutional ethics committees.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/ethics-rethink-for-social-sciences/2002499.article" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/ethics-rethink-social-sciences" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/ethics-rethink-social-sciences#comments balance of individual risk and social benefit ethics committees ethics oversight overregulation of research social scientists Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:48:02 +0000 SJECThink18 1993 at http://www.ethics.org.au The Ethics Of Horsemeat http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/ethics-horsemeat <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>Forbes </em> <span class="date-display-single">13 March 2013</span></p> <p>Hal Herzog loves animals. In the acknowledgements for his 2010 book Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat, his cat gets special mention: “Finally,” he writes, “a Crunchy Salmon Treat to Tilly, who spent many a drowsy afternoon lying in a rocking chair, keeping me company and watching me write, occasionally meowing so I would rub her belly, reminding me why we bring animals into our lives.”</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/teresagenaro/2013/03/13/the-ethics-of-horsemeat/" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/ethics-horsemeat" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/ethics-horsemeat#comments eating horse meat ethics of eating pets the relationships between human and animals Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:35:09 +0000 SJECThink18 1992 at http://www.ethics.org.au Retired Scottish doctor reveals he helped three pensioners to die http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/retired-scottish-doctor-reveals-he-helped-three-pensioners-die <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Guardian </em> <span class="date-display-single">13 March 2013</span></p> <p>A retired Scottish doctor is facing a fresh police investigation after he admitted helping several pensioners to kill themselves because he agrees with assisted suicide.</p> <p>Dr Iain Kerr, 66, a former GP in East Renfrewshire, has confirmed for the first time that he advised one chronically ill pensioner on the correct dosage of antidepressants to take in order to die and then visited him while the overdose took effect.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/13/retired-scottish-doctor-admits-assisted-suicides" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/retired-scottish-doctor-reveals-he-helped-three-pensioners-die" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/retired-scottish-doctor-reveals-he-helped-three-pensioners-die#comments assisted suicide chronically ill integrity law Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:29:30 +0000 SJECThink18 1991 at http://www.ethics.org.au Panic is tightening its grip on our politicians http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/panic-tightening-its-grip-our-politicians <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Age </em> <span class="date-display-single">11 March 2013</span></p> <p>We sometimes forget just how hard politics can be as a vocation, how it brutally exposes those in office to unforgiving scrutiny. We forget because of the remarkable resilience of modern politicians. Occasionally, though, we see those who decide it is better to give up than keep going.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/panic-is-tightening-its-grip-on-our-politicians-20130310-2ftrf.html" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/panic-tightening-its-grip-our-politicians" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/panic-tightening-its-grip-our-politicians#comments ethic of winning at all costs hypocrisy politics professionalisation xenophobia Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:22:08 +0000 SJECThink18 1990 at http://www.ethics.org.au CPR more often prolongs seniors' suffering than saves lives http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/cpr-more-often-prolongs-seniors-suffering-saves-lives <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>The Guardian </em> <span class="date-display-single">5 March 2013</span></p> <p>I seem to have misplaced my outrage.</p> <p>In Bakersfield, California, an 87-year-old woman collapsed in a senior residence and was allowed to die by a nurse who was following company policy against staff performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In a recording of her seven-minute conversation with the 911 dispatcher, the nurse's affect was, to my ear, one of indifference.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/05/nurse-refuse-cpr-seniors-suffering" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/cpr-more-often-prolongs-seniors-suffering-saves-lives" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/cpr-more-often-prolongs-seniors-suffering-saves-lives#comments DNR life-saving medical ethics resuscitation Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:15:55 +0000 SJECThink18 1989 at http://www.ethics.org.au Anti-Corruption Views - A blueprint to make banks behave http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/anti-corruption-views-blueprint-make-banks-behave <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>TrustLaw </em> <span class="date-display-single">12 March 2013</span></p> <p>Banking integrity has become an oxymoron. Top bankers need to change this and take responsibility for tackling ethical issues. For this to happen, every part of the organization – from senior management to human resources managers to those on the trading floor and beyond – should be assessed according to the contribution it makes to promoting ethical values, not just the bottom line</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/blogs/anti-corruption-views/a-blueprint-to-make-banks-behave" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/anti-corruption-views-blueprint-make-banks-behave" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/anti-corruption-views-blueprint-make-banks-behave#comments accountability banking integrity management culture responsibility transparency Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:24:41 +0000 SJECThink18 1970 at http://www.ethics.org.au How Your Moral Decisions are Shaped by a Bad Mood http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/how-your-moral-decisions-are-shaped-bad-mood <p class="published-details">This article was published in <em>Scientific American </em> <span class="date-display-single">12 March 2013</span></p> <p>Imagine you’re standing on a footbridge over some trolley tracks. Below you, an out-of-control trolley is bearing down on five unaware individuals standing on the track. Standing next to you is a large man. You realize that the only way to prevent the five people from being killed by the trolley is to push the man off the bridge, into the path of the trolley. His body would stop the trolley, saving the lives of the five people further down the track.</p> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-news-link"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-your-moral-decisions-shaped-by-mood" target="_blank">Read story in full ...</a></div> </div> </div> <p><a href="http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/how-your-moral-decisions-are-shaped-bad-mood" target="_blank">read more</a></p> http://www.ethics.org.au/ethics-news/how-your-moral-decisions-are-shaped-bad-mood#comments effective decision-making emotions logical thought mood moral decisions Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:18:00 +0000 SJECThink18 1969 at http://www.ethics.org.au