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Future? Applied Ethics: Bio-

Medical Ethics

South Island School : PRSSouth Island School : PRS

Bio-Medical Ethics:

• Abortion

• IVF & Embryo Research

• Cloning

And many others….

Examining Bio-medical issues

• Watch video detailing some of the future developments in bi-medical technology.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5040988246744133463

What ethical issues does this video raise?

The Future?The Future?‘Step forward to a dinner party in 2025. Your hostess warns you that

the tomatoes are the new cholesterol reducing ones. Your host grumbles as he eats only organic food. Your gay neighbour tells you how his clone (should you think of it as his son or brother?) is doing at school. Somebody mentions the amount the Smiths have paid to make sure their next daughter has blue eyes. Wouldn’t it have been better spent on making her musical? Somebody jokes about the couple who could have had a Margaret Thatcher clone but instead chose a Bill Clinton. On the drive back, the headlines are about attempts to raise the retirement age to 95.’

IDENTIFY THE MORAL ISSUES RAISED BY THIS EXTRACT

‘Step forward to a dinner party in 2025. Your hostess warns you that the tomatoes are the new cholesterol reducing ones. Your host grumbles as he eats only organic food. Your gay neighbour tells you how his clone (should you think of it as his son or brother?) is doing at school. Somebody mentions the amount the Smiths have paid to make sure their next daughter has blue eyes. Wouldn’t it have been better spent on making her musical? Somebody jokes about the couple who could have had a Margaret Thatcher clone but instead chose a Bill Clinton. On the drive back, the headlines are about attempts to raise the retirement age to 95.’

IDENTIFY THE MORAL ISSUES RAISED BY THIS EXTRACT

Group Debate: This house believes that Human Cloning should be

Legalized

Group Debate: This house believes that Human Cloning should be

Legalized 2 teams of 4: Proposition and

Opposition You have 20minutes to present your

case. Work on your arguments and use

examples to illustrate your points. Think of counter-arguments you can

use to address the opposition case.

2 teams of 4: Proposition and Opposition

You have 20minutes to present your case.

Work on your arguments and use examples to illustrate your points.

Think of counter-arguments you can use to address the opposition case.

Cloning debate resources

• http://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/cloning.html

• http://www.globalchange.com/clonlink.htm

• http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/mcgee.html

This house believes that HUMAN CLONING should be legalized.

The arguments…

Proposition:1. Organs could be used

as transplants for human beings.

2. Infertile couples could be granted the ability to have children of genetic linkage.

3. Opens doors to reducing the carriers genetic diseases.

4. Scientific research.

Opposition: 1.Religious contradictions2. Divide between rich and

poor3. Mutations and birth

defects4. Powerful leaders

abusing technology5. Cloning rendered futile

due to other technology6. Life Expectancy

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY? ???