Bioethics: Ethical Issues In The Medical Field

Bioethics is the field of education that asks philosophers, public policy workers and those working in medical and scientific fields to come together and review some of the most challenging ethical issues that our generation faces. These issues include the morality of abortion, euthanasia, and eugenics. It also questions moral qualities of genome editing to create designer babies, chimeras used to combat the dilemma of organ shortage and the advancement of STEM Cell research. Bioethics also looks at issues that arise in virtue of our biological nature such as the purpose of “identifying the basic ethical principles that should underlie the conduct of biomedical and behavioral research involving human subjects”(Ryan). The relationship between

These fields have always had ethical standards handed down to every professional, but now that medicine has begun improving almost exponentially, it is time for significant changes in treatment for the sick and the conduction of research to be brought about. Researchers and physicians tend to overlook the processes by which core beliefs about science impact public opinion and that references can become embedded in media coverage.

Bioethics focuses most of its attention on issues involving human life, more specifically whether it is moral to end it at any stage. When a hotly-contested topics like assisted dying and abortion are debated, all-or-nothing positions tend to come with little thought given to the desirability of compromise. Euthanasia and abortion, although occurring at opposite times in life, are the same thing since both are ethically conflicted with the boundaries of life. Voluntary euthanasia, or assisted suicide, is done with the consent of the patient and through the service of a certified physician. Proposition 106 was a proposed measure that would allow terminally ill patients to end their suffering

The Hippocratic Oath is a perfect example of how medicine and certain procedure have changed, leading them to become more accepted. The original Greek document states that physicians should refrain from administering poison or even suggesting it; this would prevent any physician from taking part in euthanasia and any involvement physician-assisted suicide (Hippocrates). While it is seen as a painless method of taking the life of another person using compassionate motives, the stigma around euthanasia remains high among religious groups. Bioethicists examine the intentions behind medical procedures and treatments to weigh the pros and cons. They understand that if a doctor provides a dying patient with a lethal dose with the intention of relieving pain, they themselves are not immoral, but simply doing their jobs. The possibility of the procedure failing could cause a disturbance in the patient and physician relationship. The question now posed is whether doctors will be able to opt out of performing these procedures. Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other such professionals are often forced to choose between their callings and participating in the