Introduction to Bioethics introduces the various modes of ethical thinking and then helps the reader to apply that thinking to issues relating to the environment, to plants and animals and to humans.

Introduction to Bioethics focuses on key issues directly relevant to those studying courses ranging from medicine through to biology and agriculture.

Contents

Science and Society

• What's it all about?
• What is science?
• Modern science
• Science, ethics and values
• Attitudes to Science

Ethics and Bioethics

• What is ethics?
• The development of ethics
• The growth of bioethics
• Ethics in the 21st century
• Making ethical decisions

Humans and the Natural World

• What's the problem?
• Valuing the environment
• The place of humans in nature
• Some thoughts on stewardship
• Two current themes in environmental ethics
• Three current issues in environmental ethics

Humans and Non-human Animals

• Humankind's place in the animal kingdom
• Human use of animals
• The ethics of animal research
• Animals in sport, companionship, leisure and fashion
• Animals for food

Biotechnology and Bioethics

• General ethical issues related to genetic modification
• Nano-technology
• Cybernetics

Applications of Genetic Modification

• Pharmaceuticals
• Food and crops
• Genetic modification of animals
• Research uses of genetic modification

Human Genes and the Human Genome Project

• Some history
• Molecular genetics and the human genome project
• Some thoughts on eugenics
• Use of human genetic information
• Genetic modification of humans - fact or fiction?

Genes – the Wider Issues

• Crop GM technology, world trade and global justice
• Gene patenting
• Genetic piracy

Cloning and Stem Cells

• Frogs and sheep
• Genes and clones
• It’s not natural – it should be banned!
• The ethics of human cloning - an overview
• Unlocking the genetic potential of stem cells

The New Reproductive Technologies

• Gametes outside the body
• Techniques of assisted reproductive medicine
• Designer babies
• Men and women – do we need both?

Embryos, Foetuses and Abortion: Issues of Life Before Birth

• The early human embryo
• Embryo research
• Abortion

Decisions at the End of Life - When May I Die and When Am I Dead?

• How did we get here?
• What is euthanasia?
• The arguments for voluntary euthanasia
• The arguments against voluntary euthanasia
• When should medical treatment be withheld or withdrawn?

A Code of Ethics for Biologists?

• The wider responsibilities of a scientist
• Should there be an ethical code of practice for bioscientists?

A Code of Ethics for Bioscience

Index

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