EurekAlert! News by Subject: Policy & Ethics - News by Subject: Policy & Ethics

Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 18-Dec-2025 18:11 ET (18-Dec-2025 23:11 GMT/UTC)

The number of abortions decreased by nearly a quarter in Spain during the two months of strict lockdown due to COVID-19

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona
Peer-Reviewed Publication

esearch involving Pompeu Fabra University has concluded that abortions in Spain fell by around 24% during the two months of strict lockdown due to covid-19 in the spring of 2020. The study, conducted by the researchers Libertad González (UPF Department of Economics and Business and Barcelona School of Economics) and Karina Trommlerová (Institute of Public Policy of Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia), reveals that this reduction was not due to the closure of clinics or difficulties getting access to the health service, but to a decrease in unwanted pregnancies, especially among single women

Journal: Population and Development Review
Funder: Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness - Severo Ochoa Program Program for Centers of Excellence in R&D

Sustainability-focused companies benefit more from audit transparency

Nagoya University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Companies with strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) track records performed better than their peers after being required to adopt more rigorous auditing standards. This is according to a new study from researchers at Nagoya University in Japan, which is the first to examine the connection between the implementation of “key audit matters” (KAMs) and firms’ sustainability practices.

Journal: Managerial Auditing Journal
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tsao Family Foundation

Invisible indoor threats: emerging household contaminants and their growing risks to human health

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Indoor dust, air and everyday products are exposing people to a growing mix of “new contaminants” inside homes, schools and workplaces, according to a new perspective published in the journal New Contaminants. The authors warn that these emerging chemicals may quietly increase the risk of heart disease, cancer and developmental problems while remaining largely unregulated and poorly monitored indoors.

China’s ecological redlines offer fast track to 30 x 30 global conservation goal

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new commentary in Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes proposes a practical pathway for countries to meet the global goal of protecting 30 percent of land and sea by 2030, known as the 30 × 30 target, by rethinking how existing ecological policies are counted and governed. Focusing on China, the authors argue that the country’s Ecological Protection Redline policy offers a ready model for turning ambitious maps into real conservation outcomes while balancing development needs.

University Hospitals CEO Cliff Megerian, MD, FACS, honored at Values-in-Action Celebration of Goodness with the Sam Miller Goodness Award

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Grant and Award Announcement

University Hospitals CEO, Cliff Megerian, MD, FACS, was honored to receive the Sam Miller Goodness Award by the Values-in-Action Foundation on Dec. 8, joining an inspiring lineup of honorees who shine their light throughout Northeast Ohio and contribute to making the community a better place to live. Each year, the Values-in-Action Foundation honors individuals who represent goodness, caring and respect beyond the norm.

Funder: Values-in-Action

Supplemental nutrition assistance program policies and food insecurity

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study, adoption of state-level policies associated with higher Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation was also associated with lower county-level food insecurity rates. Policies that lower barriers to SNAP participation may help address rising food insecurity rates observed in 2022 and 2023.

Journal: JAMA Health Forum

URI-based Global RIghts Project report spotlights continued troubling trends in worldwide inhumane treatment

University of Rhode Island
Reports and Proceedings

Researchers from the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies noted in their 2025 Global RIghts Project (GRIP) report that there are continued troubling trends in inhumane treatment across the globe. Governments in some countries use surveillance or legal pressure to discourage journalists and citizens from criticizing top officials. Also, the number of atrocities committed in countries—people killed by state officials—reached all-time highs in 2022.

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