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Bioethics

Bioethics. Bethune Cookman University Ethics Prof. Rodriguez. Challenges of Bioethics. A new area of scientific exploration Offers great potential Offers great challenges

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Bioethics

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  1. Bioethics Bethune Cookman University Ethics Prof. Rodriguez

  2. Challenges of Bioethics • A new area of scientific exploration • Offers great potential • Offers great challenges • Men ought not learn to play God before they learn to be men, and after they have learned to be men they will not play God. [emphasis mine] (Paul Ramsey)

  3. Introduction • Johan Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) • Father of Genetics

  4. Introduction • James Watson & Francis Crick • Discovery of Double Helix (DNA) 1953

  5. Introduction • Human Genome Project (1990-2003) • Identified 20-25,000 genes in human DNA • http://www.nhgri.nih.gov/HGP/

  6. Example 1: Potential & Challenge:Reproductive Technologies • Potential: • Assist infertile couples in having children • Address causes of infertility • Challenges: • Commodification of life • Legal issues/problems • Racism • Economic inequality • Abuse • Confusion family roles (traditional family) • Ethical concerns: scarce med. resources, selfish motives, eugenics

  7. Example 2: Potential & Challenge:Face transplants • Potential: • Assisting severely injured persons • Addressing psychological concerns • Giving people a chance at a normal life • Challenges: • Donor concerns • Family concerns • Legal concerns • “Yuck” factor

  8. Example 3: Potential & Challenge:Stem Cell Research • Importance: • ‘Blank cells’ (unspecialized) • Capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods of time (proliferation and renewal) • Have the potential to give rise to specialized cell types (differentiation)

  9. Stem Cell Research

  10. Stem Cell Research • Ethical Debate: Normal Sexual Reproduction:

  11. Stem Cell Research

  12. Stem Cell Research • Two important cells: • Pluripotent cells- cells from which any body organ can develop • Multipotent cells- cells from which limited or specific types of organs can develop

  13. Stem CELL RESEARCH

  14. Stem Cell Research Ethical Debate: • Destruction of human embryos • Creation of chimeras (animals with human cells and organs • Destruction of frozen embryos not being used

  15. Sheep-Goat Chimera

  16. Para-Human Chimera: Artists Conception (Patricia Piccinini) http://www.patriciapiccinini.net/

  17. Stem Cell Research • Ethical Guidelines: • Do not let chimeraic animals mate (could lead to conceiving a human being) • Do not allow human stem cells to become a part of animal’s brain or injected into other primates • Embryos should not be allowed to develop more than 14 days

  18. Example 4: Potential & Challenge:Human Cloning Two types of cloning: • A) Therapeutic: Cloning for medical purposes. Cloning tissues. Allowed and legal in U.S. • B) Reproductive: Cloning to create a duplicate human being. Condemned and illegal in the U.S.

  19. Human Cloning • Moral dilemma: • Cloning is asexual reproduction

  20. Human Cloning • Dolly the sheep (1997-2003)

  21. Human Cloning

  22. Human Cloning Ethical Issues: • Cloning human beings • Playing God • Moral and legal status of clones • Abnormalities in perfecting the procedure • Aesthetic concerns (moral revulsion, abomination, “yuck factor”)

  23. Example 5: Potential & Challenge:Genetic Engineering Benefits: • Address genetic abnormalities • Cure diseases • Tailor medicine and diet to specific individual needs • Locate genes that cause various diseases, conditions and traits

  24. Genetic Engineering Ethical Concerns: • Designer babies and Eugenics • Gene Therapy may undermine free will and autonomy (turning off certain genes that determine behavior; “religious gene” or “gay gene”) • Experimentation: (1) Are desperate individuals giving their true consent? (2) Abuse • Upsetting the balance in nature

  25. Genetic Modification of Food • Genetic modification of plants and vegetables:

  26. Genetic Modification of Food • Genetic manipulation of animals

  27. Genetic Manipulation of Food Ethical Concerns: • Weighing benefits & risks: • Benefits: Longer healthier lives • Risks: Unknown risks • Interfering with nature • Animals can be modified to include pharmaceuticals in their milk • Genetic manipulation in order to harvest organs (pigs and heart valves) • Cloned animals in food supply

  28. Example 6: Potential & Challenge:Xenotransplantation • Pros: • Ameliorates organ shortage • Replacement of the heart, lungs, liver, & kidneys • Biochemical profile of pigs & human are similar • Genetic similarities with primates • Cons: • Animals are GE • Animals destroyed for harvesting • Rejection of organs by human immune system as foreign • Retro viruses • Viral infections • Human must refrain from procreating

  29. Similarities between human & porcine organs

  30. Organ harvesting

  31. Example 7: Potential & Challenge:Genetic Screening

  32. Genetic Screening Ethical Concerns: • Privacy • People have a right to privacy • Public access to records • Who should have access to your personal medical records? • Data Banks • Conflicts of Interest (Employment, Insurance) • Genetic Discrimination • Discriminating people based on condition and predisposition • Genetic Profiling

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