Canadian members of parliament debated a proposed assisted suicide bill October 2--the first time such a bill has reached the second reading phase of the legislative process, according to the London Free Press.

Bill C-384 would change the homicide code by exempting doctors from prosecution if they aid in the death of anyone who suffered from "severe physical or mental pain without any prospect of relief" or a terminal illness.

The private member's bill was introduced by Bloc Québécois MP Francine Lalonde. During the debate, seven MPs gave their responses to Lalonde's proposal, with only one speaking in support, according to Canadian Catholic News.

Disability-rights, pro-life, religious, and physician groups have spoken out forcefully against such a change in the law. "It is hard to see how any legislation legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide would protect the most vulnerable in our society," wrote Archbishop V. James Weisgerber of Winnipeg, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a letter opposing the bill.  "What confidence and trust could they possibly have that their lives would continue to be protected by health-care providers, family and friends, or society at large? Euthanasia and assisted suicide, by their very nature, mean there is no longer a common duty for all to protect the lives of others."

A second hour of debate is scheduled for early November, after which a vote will be taken, according to Canadian Catholic News.

Complaint Filed against South Korean Embryo Research

A group of South Korean citizens filed a constitutional complaint against research that harms human embryos, objecting to programs heavily supported by the country's government, Korea Times reported.

For three years after the world discovered that Hwang Woo-suk faked research on human cloning, the South Korean government imposed limits on embryonic stem cell research. However, in April officials lifted the restrictions, and pledged to triple government funding of destructive research to about $103 million by 2015, according to the Times.

In response to government backing of embryo research, the citizens' complaint contends that embryos are human beings and should not be killed in experiments, the Times reported. The Constitutional Court heard their arguments in an October 8 hearing.

"Embryos are the fundamental source of new beings and personalities, and their dignity and value should be rightfully respected," the plaintiffs wrote in a statement, according to the Times.  "There is no reason or fundamental logic to treat embryos differently based on their state, whether or not they are expecting implantation within the human body or being kept outside of it for possible use for artificial insemination."

The National Bioethics Committee, the government agency that regulates embryonic stem cell research, sent a representative to oppose the complaint. "The human embryo should be respected as a potential human being, but should not be regarded with the same legal status as real persons," the representative said during the hearing, the Times reported. "So embryos must not be given the same constitutional rights as persons. The research using human embryos should be permitted under strict conditions."

Research Gives Hope for Brain-Injured Patients

Patients diagnosed as minimally conscious or in a vegetative state can respond to stimuli and even learn, according to a new study. The findings from researchers at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina; the University of Cambridge, England; and the Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Argentina, could enable doctors to better diagnose patients and could even lead to therapies for brain-injured patients.

"Although it requires further investigation, our finding that individuals with chronic pathologies of awareness can acquire trace conditioning (and may recover) suggests that there is a window for cognitive neuro-rehabilitation," the researchers wrote in the October issue of Nature Neuroscience. "Although extremely speculative, it is important to investigate whether training the circuits involved in awareness may help the recovery of consciousness."

The study involved a control group of volunteers who were under anesthesia along with patients who had been diagnosed as in a vegetative or minimally conscious state. The researchers blew a puff of air into their eyes, causing a reflexive blink, at the same time a sound was played.

After a time of training, researchers would play the sound and see if the patients' eyes would blink even without the puff of air. "The team found that most of the people diagnosed as being minimally conscious and some with a [vegetative state] diagnosis blinked on hearing the beep," New Scientist reported. "They were anticipating the air puff, even when it didn't come, a sign that they had learned to make the association."

The patients under anesthesia, however, did not react to the sound. This finding indicated that there is a significant difference between true unconsciousness and a minimally conscious state.

The research could also be used to develop a test to better diagnose brain injury.

"This test will hopefully become a useful, simple tool to test for consciousness without the need for imaging or instructions," lead researcher Dr. Tristan Bekinschtein of Cambridge University told Press Association. "Additionally, this research suggests that if the patient shows learning, then they are likely to recover to some degree."

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