What is the nature of life? What sort of value does life have - is it intrinsic, or dependent upon something like intelligence? What sorts of responsibilities do doctors have towards their patients - should they relieve any pain, even if it means killing a person? These are the sorts of questions addressed in the field of bioethics - find out more about some recent books on the subject.
Most people are aware that one of the fundamental moral principles for all doctors is to 'do no harm,' a principle which can be traced back to Hippocrates and the very beginnings of the Western medical tradition. Unfortunately, not all doctors heed this precept: the worst and most extreme examples can be found in the history of Nazi Germany...
Reproduction is fundamental to any species - without offspring, a species will die off. It's established in most societies that people have right to reproduce, in that the state cannot interfere and prevent them from having children. Do people, though, have a right to children such that they have a right to medical assistance when they can't have children naturally?
Biotechnology is advancing at a rapid pace - far faster than most anyone could have realistically predicted even just a few years ago. Our ability to manipulate the human genome is growing almost every day. One of the consequences of this is that we have learned a great deal about human embryos, and if things go as expected, we may be able to make use of them for medical treatments. But should we?
Modern biotechnology is creating ethical questions faster than most people can properly consider and learn to understand them, much less develop coherent and reasonable answers. We need time and resources to think about what is at stake and what we should do - much of our future as a species may depend upon how we deal with these ethical issues today and in the coming years.
Euthanasia is a thorny medical and legal dilemma. As the population of the West ages, the debate about it will continue to grow more important and the problem more divisive. Should some form of euthanasia be permitted, or should it be treated as murder? Is it a moral act to aid a suffering person, or is it a selfish and immoral deed?
Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in modern US history, perhaps even more so than homosexuality. The sharp divisions cut through politics, religion and even families themselves. At times, it does not seem as though anything like a civil resolution to the conflict will happen anytime soon.
Munson's book covers a few recent topics like stem cell research and the growth of new organs. Also, it is aimed at people who don't have much experience either with medicine or with ethical philosophy, making it a good introduction for the average reader.
Caplan's book, with 34 articles from a wide variety of professionals in medicine and bioethics, provides a great deal of information. The essays are usually reprints form medical journals, and as such they are generally written for an audience of professionals, but lay readers can still get a lot out of them.
