Bioethics

Engr. Excel D. De Guzman

Modern Biology
 BIOETHICS
Ethics - the branch of The term “bioethics” was introduced
philosophy which deals in the 70’s by Van Rensselaer Potter
with moral aspects of for a study aiming at ensuring the
preservation of the biosphere.
human behavior.

Bioethics can be defined From Greek words

as that discipline dealing
with ethical issues raised “Bios” – Life
by new developments in “Ethos” – Behavior
medicine and biological
science.
 BIOETHICS
Bioethicists are concerned Bioethics also helps establish a
with the ethical questions common ground for different
that arise in the relationships views, the democratic process
among life sciences, being facilitated by the
biotechnology, medicine, principle of giving equal and
political law, and philosophy. fair consideration to all sides or
It includes the study of values aspects of a given issue
relating to primary care and concerning human, animal or
environmental rights.
other branches of medicine.
 BIOETHICS
In the past (about 50 years Bioethics, born out of the rapidly
ago), bioethics was used to
expanding technical environment of
solve simple ethical
problems using the 1900s, is a specific domain of ethics
Hippocrates postulates and focused on moral issues in the field of
Christian humanism health care

During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt assembled a

committee to improve medical scientists’ coordination in addressing
the medical needs of the military. As often happens with wartime
research and advancements, the work aimed at addressing military
needs also affected civilian sectors, such as the field of medicine.
BIOETHICS TIMELINE
 BIOETHICAL PRINCIPLES
Autonomy Beneficence
The rights of the individual to Healthcare providers must
make decisions regarding their
own health must be act in the best interest of the
respected. patients.

Non-Maleficence Justice
Healthcare provides must Patients should share (more or
less) equally in the costs and
not hurt their patients. “First, benefits of the healthcare
do no harm.” system.
 SCOPE OF BIOETHICS
The scope of bioethics has expanded to include the ethical
questions raised by:

1. Human Genome Project

2. Stem Cell Research
3. Assisted Reproductive Technologies
4. Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis
5. The Synthesis of New Life-Forms (Synthetic Biology)
6. The Possibility of Successful Reproductive Cloning
 HUMAN GENOME PROJECT

The Human Genome

Project (HGP) was an The initial proposal for the
international project “Human Genome Project”
led by the US is considered to be the
Department of
Energy, National 1986 editorial by Renato
Institutes of Health & Dulbecco. He suggested
Welcome Trust (UK) that the fundamental
launched in 1990 to problems related to
map and sequence
the human genome. cancer can be addressed
by determining the
sequence of the entire
genome.
GOALS OF HUMAN GENOME PROJECT
• To identify all the genes in • To know the function of genes.
human DNA. • Determine the sequences of the
• To develop a genetic 3 billion chemical base pairs that
linkage map of human make up human DNA.
genome. • Store this information in public
• To obtain a physical map of databases.
human genome. • Develop tools for data analysis.
• To develop technology for • Transfer related technologies to
the management of human the private sectors.
genome information.
 STEM CELL RESEARCH
Stem cell research offers a great
promise for understanding basic
mechanisms of human development
and differentiation as well as hope for
new treatments for diseases such as
diabetes, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's
disease and myocardial infarction.
It can also be used to test different
substances like drugs and chemicals.
The most notable outcome of this
research is that in 2013, first time lab
grown meat is made from muscle cells
has been cooked and tasted.
 ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE
TECHNOLOGIES
Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) includes all fertility
treatments in which both eggs and embryos are handled.

In general, ART procedures involve surgically removing eggs

from a woman’s ovaries, combining them with sperm in the
laboratory, and returning them to the woman’s body or
donating them to another woman.

They do NOT include treatments in which only sperm are

handled (i.e., intrauterine—or artificial—insemination) or
procedures in which a woman takes medicine only to stimulate
egg production without the intention of having eggs retrieved.
 PRE-IMPLANTATION GENETIC DIAGNOSIS

Pre-implantation PGD provides an alternative

Genetic Diagnosis way forward, not only for
(PGD) is an evolving couples at risk of having a
technique that provides child with a severe or life
a practical alternative
to prenatal diagnosis threatening abnormality, but
and termination of also for couples who are
pregnancy for couples unable to establish a viable
who are at substantial pregnancy due to
risk of transmitting miscarriage caused by
serious genetic disorder chromosome
to their offspring. rearrangements.
 SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY

Synthetic biology (Synbio) It differs from recombinant DNA

broadly refers to the use of technology in that synthetic biology
computer-assisted, introduces synthetically constructed
biological engineering to parts and is not limited to the
design and construct new modification of natural organisms.
synthetic biological parts,
devices and systems that
do not exist in nature and
the redesign of existing
Construction of new life forms with
biological organisms.
no natural counterpart.
 REPRODUCTIVE CLONING

Human reproductive cloning would

Reproductive cloning is also threaten the psychological well-
the production of a being of cloned children, open the
genetic duplicate of an door to more powerful genetic
existing organism. A manipulation technologies, and raise
human clone would be
other social and ethical concerns.
a genetic copy of an
existing person. Some
oppose reproductive
cloning because of Animal cloning is seldom successful,
safety considerations. and many scientists believe that
reproductive cloning can never be
made safe.
 ISSUES IN BIOETHICS
With the continuous advancements in biology and medical
sciences, there are many bioethical issues that
simultaneously arise. The five (5) major issues are according
to the following:

1. Abortion
2. Euthanasia
3. Eugenics
4. Human Cloning
5. Stem Cell Research
 ABORTION
Abortion is the removal
of a fetus or embryo
from a woman's uterus
resulting in the
termination of a
pregnancy.

The controversy over

abortion is actually a
greater debate over
when life truly begins.
Pro-choice bioethicists place
emphasis on the ability of a
woman to have power over
her own body while anti-
choice supporters believe
life begins at conception.

As the public and political

debates over abortion are
overwhelmed by religious
beliefs, pro - life bioethicists
are generally secular in their
reasons and merely view a
fetus as a human life.
 EUTHANASIA

Euthanasia refers to
the act of purposefully Supporters of euthanasia view the
ending a life to course of action as a relief to
eliminate untreatable unnecessary suffering if a patient
suffering. It brings up it going to succumb to an
the question of what incurable disease either way.
constitutes a life worth However, opponents view life as
preserving and what sacred and fear a slippery slope
lengths should be
taken to preserve said into allowing treatable patients to
life. die of their own will.
 EUGENICS
Eugenics is a type of
DNA manipulation that
creates selective
breeding to improve
the human race.
Bioethicists who
support gene selection
obviously want to see
the advancement of
the species along with
the extinction of
certain genetic
diseases.
However, critics are worried about the
slippery slope that could occur. Since
eugenics has been associated and
discredited by the Nazis radical
experiments to achieve an Aryan race,
many opponents worry that one race will
be deemed inferior and eradicated.

This of course is the extreme argument, but

opponents debate that eugenics could
lead to discrimination against certain
races, disabled individuals, or even hair
color.
 HUMAN CLONING
Human cloning is the scientific
production of an identical
human cell, tissue, or entire
body. Bioethicists that support
human cloning see the
benefits of regenerative
medicine in terms of organ or
tissue donation. This would
eliminate the risk of a body
rejecting a transplant and the
issue of scarcity of organs and
tissues to be donated.
Critics fear that the process
will produce an onslaught
of severely disabled
children since the cloning
process has not been
perfected. As well, they
fear that cloning humans
for their body parts will
produce human farming
and the killing of clones for
their vital organs
STEM CELL RESEARCH
Stem cells are capable of
multiplying themselves through
mitotic cell division and
embryonic stem cells even
possess the ability to
differentiate into a range of
specialized cell types.

This makes them incredibly valuable

to disease research. The controversy
surrounds the use of these
embryonic cells.
Supporters see the potential this
research has in curing diseases such as
Parkinson's Disease. As well, the majority
of embryos used for research are left
over from in-vitro fertility treatments and
are on their way to being destroyed
anyways.

However, most of the opponents are

also pro-life on abortion. They see the
embryos as the potential for new life
and destruction of such embryos as the
destruction of life.