Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Urging A Practical Beginning: Reimbursement Reform, Nurse-Managed Health Clinics, And Complete Professional Autonomy For Primary Care Nurse Practioners, Joy Luchico Austria

DePaul Journal of Health Care Law

No abstract provided.

Who Defines "Healthy"? Ethical Dilemmas Across Competing Interest Groups On Genetic Manipulation And Gene Patents, Haley Guion

DePaul Journal of Health Care Law

No abstract provided.

Might Houses Of Worship Enable Currently Uninsured, Economically Disadvantaged Individuals To Obtain Affordable Health Care Insurance?, Nina J. Crimm

Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development

No abstract provided.

Magic Bullet, Karen Haydock

The STEAM Journal

Two of the most powerful types of corporations in the world today are those that produce pharmaceuticals and weapons. While the corporations are concerned with increasing their profits, we wonder if their products have any magical powers.

[India ink on rag paper]

This poster explores the military-industrial complex. The weapons industry profits through imperialism. The pharmaceutical industry profits through by taking advantage of people’s illnesses.

The poster has multiple interpretations, hopefully encouraging the viewer to participate by asking relevant questions, such as:

“What is that person drinking?”

”Are they pills or bombs?”

“Medicines cure us - how can a pill …

Does The Iranian Model Of Kidney Donation Compensation Work As An Ethical Global Model?, Jordan Potter

Journal of Health Ethics

Throughout the world, there is a massive global shortage of viable organs available for transplantation, and systems of cadaveric organ donation have thus far been unable to address this shortage. One potential remedy to this problem is to incentive live organ donation via cash incentives and other benefits, i.e. an organ sale, and this is the type of system Iran has used to effectively eliminate its national kidney waiting list since the late 1990s. In this article, the Iranian model of kidney donation compensation will be analyzed for its ability and effectiveness as an ethical global model, and this is …

Family Planning And Population Control In Developing Countries: Ethical And Sociocultural Dilemmas., Edward A. Komu M.D, Salome N. N. Ethelberg

Journal of Health Ethics

Do governments have the right to restrict individual freedom and right to have fewer or more children? Is it justifiable to control population in order to benefit society as a whole? Most of family planning and population control policies and programs in developing countries face resistant from the same people it aims to help. This can be mainly due to some ethical, socio-cultural beliefs, and moral values held by individuals and society as a whole. The challenges call for a need of family planning and population control programs to invest in examining ethical and socio-cultural dilemmas pertaining to these programs …

Csr Activity Of Tobacco Companies In Indonesia: Is It A Genuine Social Responsibility?, Harsman Tandilittin, Christoph Luetge

Journal of Health Ethics

The adoption of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs in the tobacco industry has sparked a contentious debate in the international community. Tobacco industry’s CSR activities are honored by the government and Indonesian community with CSR awards due to their positive contributions. To assess the CSR activities of the tobacco companies and whether they are genuine forms of social responsibility or business motivation, we have collected the CSR activities and compared them with the negative impact of the tobacco industry in Indonesia. The CSR activities are in no way related to the negative impacts of tobacco in Indonesia. Therefore, CSR programs …

An Ethical Framework For End-Of-Life Discussions, Mark E. Lones

Bioethics in Faith and Practice

The primary goal of medical care is to assist patients to address medical issues which may threaten their health in order to preserve and restore the quality of the patients’ life. However, when a patient’s prognosis for meaningful survival is poor, there is a change in focus from restorative care to palliative care. The transition from “cure to comfort” is one of the most challenging and important medical care decisions the patient and family may encounter. The purpose of this article is to help give patients, families and care-givers an ethical framework to effectively discuss treatment options, values, and preferences …

The Abortion Decision: What About Dad?, Erica C. Graham

Bioethics in Faith and Practice

The modern utilitarian abortion debate focuses on how women are affected by abortion but has neglected the utilitarian concerns of men. Abortion is currently justified based on ethical claims that apply to both men and women equally. These ethical claims include empowerment in reproductive decisions, not desiring to become a parent, socioeconomic concerns, moral responsibility over children, pregnancy resulting from coercion, and autonomy. This paper reveals the equivalent ethical claims of men and women to these claims and argues for men having a legal say in deciding whether or not to abort.

A Call To Forward-Thinking Bioethics, Heather G. Kuruvilla

Bioethics in Faith and Practice

It is said that hindsight is always 20/20. However, a reasoned approach to practical bioethics requires an awareness of developing technologies and their potential applications to clinical practice.

Welcome To Bioethics In Faith And Practice, Dennis M. Sullivan

Bioethics in Faith and Practice

Welcome to Bioethics in Faith and Practice! Whether you are a healthcare professional, an academic, a member of the clergy, a student, or simply someone interested in these topics, we are glad you are here. This new enterprise is meant to bridge the gap between theory and practice, where moral philosophy and Christian faith are brought to bear on the everyday practice of medicine. It is important to understand why this new journal exists.

Factors Associated With Belief In Conspiracies About Hiv/Aids Among Hiv-Positive African-American Patients, Andrew A. Zekeri, Youssouf Diabate

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine factors associated with belief in conspiracies about HIV/AIDS among HIV-Positive African American patients. Survey data were collected from 256 African American patients living with HIV/AIDS attending two HIV clinics in Montgomery and Dothan, Alabama. The study used multiple regression analysis to examine how sociodemographic factors contribute to belief in conspiracies about HIV/AIDS. Education and age were significantly related to belief in conspiracies about HIV/AIDS among men and women. Beliefs in conspiracies about HIV/AIDS may be a barrier to HIV prevention among African Americans. Public health officials should work toward obtaining the …

Reproductive Genetics: Desired Genes, Gendered Ethics, And Eugenic Echoes, Marykate K. Bodnar

The Hilltop Review

Present knowledge of genetics and assisted reproduction make fertile ground for a new type of eugenics: reproductive genetics. Proponents of reproductive genetics aim to separate these techniques from the problematic and negative connotations associated with historical eugenic policies by claiming them as part of the liberal eugenic movement. In-vitro fertilization (IVF), the market for sperm and eggs, and prenatal genetic testing allow conscious decision-making regarding the potential genetic make-up of children. Decisions are made in a gendered and politicized environment, shaping understandings of genes, eggs, and sperm around stereotypes and ideal social norms. In choosing “desirable” characteristics, whatever they may …

Euthyphro’S Dilemma And Divine Command Ethics, Charis Steffel

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

Euthyphro, one of the Greek philosopher Plato’s earliest dialogues (about 380 B.C.), presents a dilemma that has troubled philosophers and theologians for centuries. The quandary is provoked by an assertion Euthyphro makes about piety in conversation with Socrates. Euthyphro is planning to prosecute his father for an unintentional murder to avoid being associated with him. He hopes that this will help his standing with the gods. Socrates shows great surprise at Euthyphro’s apparent knowledge of “religion and things pious and impious.” This leads to a discussion concerning the nature of piety, where Euthyphro proposes that whatever is pious and holy …

Pope Paul Vi And The Pill, Sara White

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

The Roman Catholic Church has strong moral rules opposing the use of oral contraceptives. The Church still holds the view that a “sexual union must always allow for the possibility of procreation” (Sullivan, 2006, p.1). Pope Paul VI, in his encyclical Humanae Vitae in 1968, stated that that the use of contraceptives was a sin against God. In this paper, I will present the views of Pope Paul VI from this encyclical, then present arguments against his claim that using them violates God’s law.

Abortion And The Link To Breast Cancer, Jennifer Heiden

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

“It is only reasonable to conclude, from all extant evidence, that induced abortion is indeed a risk factor for breast cancer, despite the strong and pervasive bias in the recent literature in the direction of viewing abortion as safe for women.” So states Joel Brind, in a landmark review of the evidence for the abortion - breast cancer (ABC) link (2005, p. 110). Over the last forty years, this issue has been an intriguing topic of research, for both scientific and ideological reasons. But what can we conclude from the published studies currently available? According to a comprehensive meta-analysis by …

If Kevorkian Could Meet Hippocrates, Scott Van Dyke

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

No abstract provided.

The Pro-Child Movement: Adopting A Compassionate Strategy, Jessica Seman

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

In vitro fertilization (IVF) has become the most common assisted reproductive technique in the United States, accounting for 48,000 births in one recent year alone. This has also given birth to a silent generation of over 500,000 human embryos, waiting in cryopreservation for their chance at birth (Grabill, 2006). For the Christian who believes that conception marks the beginning of human life, the fact of half a million frozen persons creates an ethical challenge of enormous proportion. Besides the obvious solution of not contributing to the problem (by freezing or discarding one’s own embryos), embryo adoption is often presented as …

Roe V. House: A Dialogue On Abortion, Katie Condit

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

No abstract provided.

Substance, Nature, And Human Personhood, John Wildman

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

What is a person? The answer to this foundational question may seem intuitive at the first glance. Many would respond, without much thought, that a person is a human being. However, proponents of empirical functionalist philosophy contend that personhood is based on the ability to perform certain actions in actual, not potential, form. They would therefore claim that some members of species homo sapiens may not actually be persons (Singer, 1985). To understand when personhood begins, it is first necessary to understand what a person is. This paper will apply the Aristotelian concepts of substance and nature to define person, …

Embryo Adoption: An Opportunity For Life, Carla Gaines

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

The world began a new revolution during the second half of the twentieth century. This revolution centered not on industry, but on biotechnology. Researchers unlocked the mysteries of procreation and genetics. The promise of science seduced common sense about the value of human life. Postmodern pluralism embraced the modernist idea of utopia through technology at the cost of the helpless.

Yet civilization is no closer to utopia than it was 50 years ago. Instead, we debate a whole host of new ethical dilemmas. Several debates focus on the creation, storage and eventual destiny of millions of human embryos. Hundreds of …

The Logic Of Birth Control: A Look At The Numbers, Lydia Wong

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

If personhood begins at the moment of conception, the failure of an embryo to implant results in the death of a person. Therefore, many in the pro-life community worry about the ethics of using oral contraceptives, if such hormonal birth control actually interferes with implantation (a so-called “abortifacient” effect). Obviously killing is wrong, and death should be avoided. However, even if contraceptives occasionally prevent implantation, a very good case can still be made in favor of their use. This paper seeks to show how contraceptives, even if they cause implantation failure, can be used with a clear conscience.

Life is …

Human Personhood From A Kantian Perspective, Jennifer Nelson

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

What sets humans apart from all other creatures? If you were to approach a biological Homo sapiens with the question “what makes you human?” how would they respond? Do we have value simply as humans, or are we nothing more than what we offer the world? Philosophers have discussed these questions for centuries and it seems that there have been a few concrete conclusions. These conclusions depend on how one views ethical theory.

Ethical theory and personhood go hand-in-hand. Immanuel Kant, one of the greatest philosophers of the 18th Century, developed his moral philosophy in what is now known as …

An Internal Ethical Revolution, Hillary Jones

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

Despite legislation to protect individuals from slavery and forced prostitution, many continue treating people as property. The Fourteenth Amendment states that persons have the right to “life, liberty, and property,” and U.S. society has never regarded persons as property. Unfortunately, some ethics do not consider all human beings as persons. Personhood denotes being a member of the “moral community.” I base personhood on an ontological perspective, meaning that all human beings are human persons. I also believe that there is no such thing as a “potential person” or a “human non-person” regardless of disability, race, ethnicity, gender or any other …

Tubman Versus Hodgson: A Conversation About Abortion, Nicole Brewin

CedarEthics: A Journal of Critical Thinking in Bioethics

No abstract provided.

A Consideration Of International Surrogacy Under Act-Utilitarian Ethics, Rosa Dale-Moore

Sound Decisions: An Undergraduate Bioethics Journal

Surrogacy is the practice of a woman who gestates a fetus for another person or couple. Through a contracted agreement, the surrogate gives up the child to this person or couple, who then adopt the baby. Surrogacy companies in other countries than the United States, especially India, has become very prevalent and successful. The surrogates conceivably earn much more money than they ever could at their permanent jobs, as well as often receiving housing and healthcare during and/or after their pregnancy. From a utilitarian point of view, international surrogacy is generally morally permissible because there are many more benefits to …

Ethics Of Ebola Quarantines, Aaron Pomerantz

Sound Decisions: An Undergraduate Bioethics Journal

The current outbreak of EVD has reached major cities, rather than just small, isolated villages. With this increased access to a far greater population of people, letting the disease burn itself out is no longer an option. By forcing cordon sanitaires, Public Health officials run an incredibly high ethical risk, which must be acknowledged, regardless of the danger posed to communities. If countries, NGO’s and the WHO can ensure that the basic needs of those who are caught in forced quarantines are met, then these methods may work. However, if these needs are not met, major ethical issues arise, and …

Is Euthanasia Morally Permissible? Why Or Why Not?, Rae Nathan

Sound Decisions: An Undergraduate Bioethics Journal

When understanding a specific case in bioethics, it is important to acknowledge four basic bioethical principles: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice^. These four principles are crucial to understanding, and devising a solution, for a case but certain principles are given more weight than others on a case-by-case determination. The principles guide particular cases, but are open to adjustment. In the biomedical issue of euthanasia pertaining to terminally ill consenting individuals, the most relevant bioethical principles are autonomy and beneficence. My argument is twofold: (1) Both active and passive euthanasia are morally permissible because the ability for patients to have …

Protecting Patients’ Autonomy: Supporting The “Right To Die”, Nick Lyon

Sound Decisions: An Undergraduate Bioethics Journal

Due to the intrinsically subjective nature of such complaints from a patient, the critical factor to be considered in the ethics of requests to die will be how the patient views their suffering and quality of life, not the observations of third parties. In this essay I will argue that if a patient makes a considered request to die rather than suffer prolonged physical or mental agony, then those who have the capability to do so should honor that request. I further argue that such an action is entirely morally justifiable. For the purposes of this essay I will use …

Who’S Still Missing: Arguments For The Inclusion Of Undocumented Immigrants In Universal Healthcare, Alix Melton

Sound Decisions: An Undergraduate Bioethics Journal

There are many arguments that have been deployed to argue for the inclusion of immigrants in the Affordable Care Act. The first, the “effortful immigrant frame,” argues that immigrants generally come to the United States for work and often take up employment in hard labor jobs with unsafe working conditions—jobs that most U.S. citizens do not in fact want. Based on their contributions to society, proponents of this viewpoint offer, they ought to qualify for health benefits. A second, and similar, frame is the injustice frame, which offers that undocumented immigrants are a victimized group and should be offered services …