Jocelyn Downie – The Conversation

Synthetic human embryos mimic the development of “natural human embryos,” those created by fertilization. (Shutterstock)

July 25, 2023

Synthetic human embryos could allow for research beyond the 14‑day limit, but this raises ethical questions

Françoise Baylis, Dalhousie University and Jocelyn Downie, Dalhousie University

In June, the possibility of synthetic embryos was announced at a conference. This allows some research to extend beyond the 14-day rule, which restricts experimentation on embryos beyond this period.

A health-care worker in protective gear at a COVID-19 assessment centre at the Scarborough Hospital in Scarborough, Ont., on April 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

April 13, 2020

Coronavirus triage protocols: Hard choices over ventilator shortages shouldn’t put doctors at legal risk

Jocelyn Downie, Dalhousie University

If COVID-19 causes a ventilator shortage in hospitals, triage protocols will dictate who gets life-saving treatment. Health-care workers need protection from liability for following those protocols.

The province of Nova Scotia is leading the way in defining the terms of Canada’s ambiguous law on medically assisted dying. Here Liana Brittain is seen in Halifax in front of a projection of her late husband Paul B. Couvrette, who received a medically assisted death in P.E.I. on Sept. 15, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)

April 23, 2018

Can we die? The seriously ill need clarity

Jocelyn Downie, Dalhousie University and Jennifer Chandler, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

In Nova Scotia, it’s clearer now who qualifies for medical assistance in dying. Will the other provinces and territories follow suit?

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