Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲?

We're pleased to share a new Opinion by the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE), co-authored by Prof. Nikola Biller-Andorno: "Valuing Nature: Implications for EU Governance".

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:

How we conceptualize and value nature directly shapes which ecological harms are treated as acceptable, which protections are deemed necessary, and which trade-offs are considered justified in policymaking. This isn't an abstract debate — it has concrete consequences for EU law and policy.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁:

Amid geopolitical tension, economic pressure, and industrial competition, the EGE warns against treating ecological sustainability as a secondary concern. On the contrary: it's a precondition for resilience, prosperity, health, security, and democratic legitimacy — not something to be deprioritised when times get tough.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲:

Human societies are embedded within ecological systems, not external to them. Nature can't simply be treated as a substitutable resource or service provider. The Opinion calls for recognising multiple, complementary ways of valuing nature — economic, but also legal, ethical, and cultural.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

🔹 Strengthen legal and institutional representation of ecological concerns — including for non-human nature

🔹 Use economic valuation tools only within clear ethical boundaries

🔹 Establish a legally binding right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment in the EU

🔹 Ensure meaningful public participation and coherence between the EU's internal commitments and external action

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿:

The Opinion addresses EU policymakers, but is equally relevant to anyone interested in how environmental protection, economic development, and intergenerational justice can be brought together.

Published under the Ethics Advice Mechanism (EThAM), which provides independent ethical guidance to the European Commission at the intersection of science, technology, and policy.

📄 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/document/download/e5ac41ab-ac00-41dc-bda6-1a8857012019_en

Azure WAF Azure WAF JS Challenge

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: "𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱: 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻"

Affiliate Researcher and Former Stehr-Boldt Fellow Diego Borbón, has published a new fully open access article in the Revista de Bioética y Derecho ( de Bioètica i Dret, Universitat de Barcelona):

Surrogacy sits at the intersection of three competing bases for legal parentage: consent, genetics, and gestation. The article examines a decision of a Bogotá Family Court in which the judge, relying on Colombia's parto (birth) rule, recognised the gestational woman as the legal mother despite her pre-implantation consent to act as a surrogate and the absence of any genetic link, effectively converting a consensual arrangement into unwanted legal motherhood with legal consequences in terms of custody, alimony, maintenance, child support, inheritance law, child protection, civil liability, and criminal law. Alongside two further Colombian decisions, including Constitutional Court ruling T-232/24 on the risk of statelessness in cross-border surrogacy, the authors map the justice gap generated by the country's regulatory vacuum and analyse it through a principlist bioethics lens, enriched by child rights instruments and Latin American feminist bioethics. A comparative section contrasts intent-based parentage models in parts of the United States with prohibitionist or tightly regulated altruistic frameworks in Europe. The contribution seeks to clarify where doctrine, clinical realities, and administrative practice collide, and articulates the core questions any future surrogacy regulatory framework will have to answer.

revistes.ub.edu

📖 Neu erschienen | 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝘂̈𝗰𝗸𝗲 𝘇𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗵𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗵𝗲𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘂𝗻𝗴

Wie verändert sich die Ausbildung von Gesundheitsfachpersonen, wenn Patient:innen nicht nur Gegenstand der Versorgung sind, sondern aktiv als Wissenspartner:innen und Co-Lehrende einbezogen werden?

Dieser Frage widmet sich unser neues Buchkapitel

"𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀: 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀", erschienen in 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀: 𝗔 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 (Springer, 2026).

Im Mittelpunkt stehen 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗵𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗻 aus 𝗗𝗜𝗣𝗘𝘅 – 𝗵𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 (𝗛𝗘𝗫𝗜), ergänzt durch 𝗘𝗫-𝗜𝗡, die Zusammenarbeit mit unserem Mitautor und Patientenvertreter Frank Clasemann sowie reflexionsbasierte Lehrformate. Gemeinsam zeigen wir, wie narrative Erfahrungen Perspektivenwechsel, Empathie, Kommunikation, Shared Decision Making und personenzentriertes Handeln in der Ausbildung von Gesundheitsberufen und Medizinstudierenden fördern.

Unsere zentrale Botschaft: 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁:𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁:𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗵𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗻. Werden ihre Stimmen systematisch in Lehre und interprofessionelle Zusammenarbeit einbezogen, entstehen Lernräume, die professionelles Handeln nachhaltig bereichern.

Herzlichen Dank an meine Mitautor:innen Dr. Katrin Kunze und Frank Clasemann für die inspirierende Zusammenarbeit.

Focus on Patient Voices: Benefits for Learners and Experienced Health Professionals in Everyday Practice in Interprofessional Healthcare Settings The objective of healthcare is to meet the needs of patients and their families through everyday practice, research, and education. Incorporating the individual experiences of those affected is crucial, as it stimulates reflection among health professionals (HPs) and...

Nikola Biller-Andorno discusses prediction markets in clinical research on BBC World Service

In an interview for the BBC World Service programme Health Check, Professor Nikola Biller-Andorno discusses the ethical implications of new prediction markets that allow people to trade on clinical-trial outcomes and decisions by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The interview considers whether such markets could provide useful public forecasts, but also examines risks involving conflicts of interest, non-public information, patient expectations, research funding and public trust. It asks a broader question: should uncertainty in clinical research become another opportunity for financial speculation?

The interview was first broadcast on 29 July 2026.

Listen to Health Check on BBC World Service:

BBC World Service - Health Check Health issues and medical breakthroughs from around the world.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: «𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝘂𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁: 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀' 𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀.»

In this newly published qualitative systematic review, Fayez Abdulrazeq, Chris Gastmans, Nikola Biller-Andorno, and Julian März examine the ethical challenges and moral stressors experienced by healthcare providers when caring for undocumented migrants. Synthesizing findings from 37 qualitative studies, the review shows that providers’ ethical challenges are not only individual clinical dilemmas, but are often structurally generated by restrictive policies, institutional constraints, and resource limitations. The paper highlights the concept of ethical burden-shifting, showing how the moral and practical consequences of exclusionary systems are transferred to healthcare providers and undocumented migrants at the point of care.

Between duty and constraint: a qualitative systematic review of healthcare providers' ethical challenges and moral stressors in caring for undocumented migrants Healthcare providers play a critical role in delivering care to undocumented migrants, who face systemic barriers to healthcare access. While research has documented undocumented migrants’ legal an...

100. Sitzung des Klinischen Ethikkomitees des Universitätsspitals Zürich

Das Klinische Ethikkomitee am Universitätsspital Zürich hat vor Kurzem seine 100. Sitzung durchgeführt. Wir gratulieren herzlich! Der Meilenstein zeigt das anhaltende Engagement der Mitglieder des Komitees und der Kolleg*innen in der klinischen Praxis, in deren Alltag Ethik konkret wird.

At the Circular Economy - Interdisciplinary Conference 2026 in Toulouse, Nikola Biller-Andorno presented on behalf of the Ethics Advice Mechanism to the European Commission on the ethical dimensions of Europe's circular economy transition.

The talk argued that circularity alone does not resolve key ethical questions — who benefits, who bears the burdens, and what is protected or rendered invisible. Using the example of electric vehicle battery circularity, it showed that circularity is not automatically
just or nature-positive, and that ecological grounding and justice sensitivity must be considered alongside it.

The presentation drew on recent Opinions from the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE), which offer an ethical reference framework for making these issues more explicit and policy-relevant for Europe's Green Transition.

You can find the full EGE Opinions on the links below:
"Valuing nature: Implications for EU governance”: https://ethicsadvice.eu/advice/valuing-nature/
"Towards a just green transition: addressing structural inequities”: https://ethicsadvice.eu/advice/towards-a-just-green-transition-addressing-structural-inequities/

The Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine congratulates Dr Giovanni Spitale on obtaining the Italian National Scientific Qualification for Associate Professor.

The qualification recognises his academic profile and research contributions in the fields of bioethics, philosophy of science, public health ethics, and the ethical and societal implications of emerging technologies.

We warmly congratulate Giovanni on this important achievement.

The IBME will be represented by several team members at the World Congress of Bioethics 2026 in Johannesburg, presenting on a wide range of topics.

Giovanni Spitale and Nikola Biller-Andorno will speak on The Future of Bioethics Publishing and will, together with Anna Naishtat, host a workshop on Democracy and Health. Nikola Biller will present on behalf of the EGE on Valuing Nature. Anna Naisthat will have a poster presentation together with Nikola Biller-Andorno on No Longer Patient as a governance model for community-based AI-enabled patient narrative platforms, and Dr. Felicitas Sofia Holzer will speak on 'Behavioural Influence' in the Technological Age: Rethinking Mental Liberty and the Diversity of the Mind.

We look forward to engaging with the global bioethics community on these topics.

Home - 2026 World Congress of Bioethics - Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre The Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics, University of the Witwatersrand, and the Congress Africa Hosting Committee look forward to welcoming you to the 18th World Congress of Bioethics (WCB), which will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 8 to 10 July 2026.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀: 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀"

Giovanni Spitale (ITE Lab, IBME, University of Zurich) and Federico Germani (ITE Lab, IBME, University of Zurich; Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Boğaziçi University) have published a new paper in Ethics and Information Technology addressing the ethical governance of AI-mediated digital afterlife technologies, i.e. systems that simulate the communicative presence of deceased individuals, commonly referred to as "deadbots," "griefbots," or "posthumous avatars."

The rapid proliferation of these technologies, from chatbots trained on personal messages to voice clones and video avatars, has generated substantial ethical debate. Yet despite growing consensus on the moral risks involved (privacy violations, threats to dignity and autonomy, psychological harms to the bereaved), existing frameworks have not translated ethical principles into operational design requirements.

The paper addresses this gap by introducing a nine-dimensional taxonomy of digital afterlife systems, mapping the morally salient design features that determine their ethical profile: timing of creation, consent, data sources, interaction modality, fidelity and disclosure, purpose, audience and access, governance and ownership, and autonomy/behavioral agency.

Building on this taxonomy, the authors derive a two-tier structure of design constraints. Three threshold conditions — consent, fidelity/disclosure, and purpose — function as near-absolute requirements for permissibility. Six further contextual dimensions modulate the ethical risk profile without individually determining it. A system that fails any single Tier 1 constraint is impermissible regardless of how well it performs on the remaining dimensions.

The framework is explicitly designed to be auditable and actionable. By locating normative assessment at the level of design configuration rather than stated intent alone, the paper offers a concrete bridge between ethical consensus and the governance of AI-mediated digital afterlives, one that regulators, platform designers, professional bodies, and legislators can draw on directly.

The paper is published open access.

Spitale, G., & Germani, F. (2026). The making of digital ghosts: designing ethical AI afterlives. Ethics and Information Technology, 28, 34.

The making of digital ghosts: designing ethical AI afterlives - Ethics and Information Technology The rapid proliferation of AI-mediated digital afterlife technologies, from chatbots trained on personal data to voice clones and posthumous avatars, has generated a substantial body of ethical literature identifying the moral risks of posthumous simulation. Yet this growing consensus has not been m...