Bioethics

What is Bioethics Ethics seeks to determine what a person SHOULD do, or the best course of action, and provides reasons why. It also helps people decide how to behave and treat one another, and what kids of communities would be good to live in BIOETHICS explores ethical questions related to the life sciences

Bioethics Ethics addresses questions such as which actions should be permitted and which action is the best by providing arguments and reasons BIOETHICS addresses ethical questions that arise with respect to biological advances, such as should running with an artificial limb be permitted in the Olympics?

21st Century Issues New inventions, medications, biomedical procedures, etc. are available now that have never before been offered. As a result we are dealing with new ethical dilemmas What if a new genetic test was available for a fatal disease that you knew ran in your family? Should you have the test? People who used to die due to organ failure can now continue living if they receive a transplant, but the number of available organs is limited. Who should receive and organ transplant? Should the organ go to someone who is sickest or who is the most likely to live longer if the receive it?

Enhancement Scenario A group of college students is staying up late together to study for exams. Several of them have been drinking coffee all day and are wide awake, although feeling jittery. One of the students, Lisa, mentions that she has recently started taking a prescription medication that helps her stay awake because of a medical condition. Lisa had previously been a heavy coffee drinker, consuming 4+ cups of coffee a day in her struggle to stay awake. Since starting on the new medication, she is able to stay awake easily for more than 24 hours and is not experiencing any serious negative side effects. “It’s better than coffee,” she tells her friends, “but is a lot more expensive.” Should Lisa give her friends her medication?

Reasoning/Justification Ethics involves finding and giving reasons for positions Analyzing situations Simply stating “because it’s just wrong” or “I think it’s OK and that’s just what I believe” does not provide a deep enough understanding or reasoning to take a stance on an ethical issue

How do I approach Bioethical Dilemmas? Four key questions you must ask yourself What is the ethical question? What are the relevant facts? Who or what could be affected by the way questions get resolved? What are the relevant ethical considerations? Respect for persons Minimizing harms while maximizing benefits fairness

Why do you think ethics is important?

Ethics impacts the individual and communities Enhancement scenario: Lisa needs to decide whether she should give her friends her medication (individual) Lisa’s friends need to decide whether or not they should take it if offered (community)

What is the Ethical Question? Moral Imagination/Sensitivity: The ability to see the ethical dimensions of a given situation The ability to distinguish an ethical question from other kinds of questions (legal, scientific, personal-preference) Things can be legal but unethical or illegal and ethical Personal-preference is typically cultural. If no one is harmed or disadvantaged it may not be considered an ethical issue.

Bioethical vs. Scientific Questions What people SHOULD do Examples? Seek to understand phenomena in the world Describes what IS Examples?

Bioethical vs. Scientific Questions Should athletes be allowed to use steroids? Should we modify a mouse so that it can produce human antibodies? Should there be limits to how much people modify the natural world using technology? Should all students be required to have vaccinations? If you take a genetic test, who should know the results? What are the physical risks of using steroids? How can we genetically modify a mouse to produce human antibodies for use as therapeutics?

What are the Relevant Facts? What scientific facts are important? Important for establishing potential harms/benefits Which social science facts should be considered? What psychological, sociological, anthropological, historical, and economic facts/concepts are needed to understand the available choices?

Who/What Could Be Affected by the Way the Question Gets Resolved? Consider the range of individuals, groups, or institutions that may have a stake in the outcome of an ethical situation. How will these entities be affected (physically, emotionally, economically). Stakeholders are not always human Animals Plants Organisms Environment “Put yourself in someone else’s shoes”

What are the Relevant Ethical Considerations? Respect for Persons: not treating someone as a means to an end/goal. More than just listening; hearing and attempting to understand what other people are trying to say/not belittling or making fun of thoughts/feelings/perspectives Minimizing Harms While Maximizing Benefits “Do no harm”/Nonmaleficence Fairness Does not necessarily entail equal shares; depends on other factors too

Justification: Why is your decision the best decision or best recommendation? Elements of a strong justification Elements of a weak justification High degree of relevance to the ethical question Reference to the most important science/social science facts Description of the potential effects of a decision on others Identifying and applying the relevant core ethical considerations Analysis of the ways the recommended course of action satisfies those considerations and of the strengths and weaknesses of other solutions Logical reasoning (conclusion follows from reasons given Errors in the facts of the situation or the history surrounding the case (science/social science) Errors in understanding or applying core ethical considerations (mistakes of interpretation) Errors in logic (conclusion does not follow from the reasons given