Who WE ARE.
We are a group of ENG4U students that strongly believe the youth today should be taught the ethics involved in biomedical innovation and experimentation in the past and present to better the future generations. After reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, we have noticed that an individual's medical information may not be as private as they thought and they may not even have a claim on their own bodies. This is why we created Bioethisphere. Our goal is for the knowledge of biomedical ethics to become public through secondary school education and, because of our always advancing technological society, through social media.
What does bioethics mean?
noun
the ethics of medical and biological research.
Bioethics looks at the questions about values and what matters in medicine, biological research, and care of people who cannot speak up for themselves (which includes the severely mentally ill, small children, prisoners). In greek, "Bio" means life, so essentially it is the study of ethics that relates to living things.
Once you hear a question that includes "should" regarding medicine or biological research, then you've touched upon the subject of bioethics. For example, "should genetic testing on newborns be more widespread?" and "should euthanasia be allowed?". |
SPECIFIC ISSUES STUDIED BY BIOETHICISTS:
- Interactions between health care providers and patients
- Helping patients and their families address end-of-life issues
- Figuring out the “best” way to allocate health care resources
- Determining what balance of risk to benefit is appropriate in a medical treatment or preventive measures
- Examining the role and impact of health policy on medical care
- Balancing the needs of communities with appropriate research
- Challenging stereotypes and norms with respect to vulnerable populations, such as persons with disabilities and mental health issues