Bioethics

Bioethics is concerned with the ethics of biological technology, science and medicine. The word was first used late in the 20th century to describe issues of right and wrong in the newly emerging life sciences. When applied to rules of conduct in scientific research, many disciplines are involved such as law, philosophy, theology, and medicine. Many public policy questions arise in bioethics discussions along a techno-progressive/bioconservative axis. Some in the field see "bioethics" as antithetical to their work. From Wikipedia: “Bioethicists often focus on using philosophy to help analyze issues, and philosophical ethicists … tend to treat the field as a branch of moral or ethical philosophy. However,, this approach is sometimes challenged, and bioethics is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. Many bioethicists come from backgrounds outside of academic philosophy, and some even claim that the methods of analytic philosophy have had a negative effect on the field's development. The percentage of bioethicists with professional backgrounds in health care, especially physicians, has been steadily increasing over time. … Some bioethicists, especially those who perform ethics consultation in clinical settings, emphasize the practical aspects of bioethics, and view the field as more closely related to clinical practice. Many religious bioethicists are Jewish or Christian scholars. However a growing number of religious scholars from other religions have become involved in this field as well. Islamic clerics have begun to write on this topic. Muslim bioethicists include Abdulaziz Sachedina, at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. There has been some criticism by liberal Muslims that only the more religiously conservative voices in Islam are being heard on this issue. In the case of most non-Western cultures a strict separation of religion from philosophy does not exist. In many Asian cultures, there is a lively (and often less dogmatic, but more pragmatic) discussion on bioethical issues. The discussion often refers to common demographic policies which are criticised, as in the case of China. Buddhist bioethics, in general, is characterised by a naturalistic outlook that leads to a rationalistic, pragmatic approach. “ Bioethical issues include (from dKoso): Abortion, reproductive rights Artificial insemination Artificial life Biopiracy Circumcision Confidentiality of medical records and their abuse in interrogation of prisoners Contraception Cloning Cryogenics Direct mind-computer interface Donating one's sperm or eggs Donated organs when bought illegally (transplant trade) Eugenics Fair allocation of donated organs, class and race biases Drug pricing, HIV/AIDS drugs in Sub-Saharan Africa Genetic engineering, genetically modified food crops Genomics Homosexuality Human cloning Medical torture Non-human animal cloning Immortality Treating infertility Obligations of the individual, corporate employer, local, sub-national or national state and global community to provide health care and/or health insurance. Primate rights under law Stem cell cloning Suicide, assisted suicide and human euthanasia Non-human animal euthanasia Pain management Parthenogenesis Population control Recreational drug use Reprogenetics Scientific ignorance Selling one's own blood or blood plasma Spiritual drug use Synthetic Biology Transhumanism Transsexuality When to use, and when to withhold, life-support When to use, and when to withhold, artificial hydration and artificial nutrition Use of surrogate mothers Use of nanotechnology as medical treatment Use of artificial wombs