Medical bioethics is the study of ethical issues arising from medical and biological technologies, discussing moral and regulatory dilemmas. It covers topics such as abortion, assisted suicide, gene cloning, organ donation, healthcare, and human stem cell research. Medical bioethicists hold conflicting opinions and emphasize traditional or conservative viewpoints, personal freedom, or the use of technology for creating a new and superior form of human being. The emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches has led many non-philosophers to become active in the field.
Medical bioethics is the study of ethical issues arising from the development of medical and biological technologies. People who are medical bioethicists discuss the moral and regulatory dilemmas that come with such advances. Derived from the classical philosophical study of ethics, these problems can be approached from the perspective of fundamental philosophical questions. Because many issues in medical bioethics address the future of humanity as a whole, these debates typically ask profound questions about the essence of what it means to be a human being and what it means to live within a society.
The study of medical bioethics is a diverse area of philosophical inquiry. Examples of issues include abortion, assisted suicide, gene cloning, organ donation, health care, and human stem cell research. Medical bioethics argues for or against these notions, using traditional concepts such as individual rights or normative values. It differs from bioethics in its emphasis on issues related to the medical and health care fields.
Medical bioethics became a completely independent branch of ethical study in the 1960s. This was partly in response to publicly disclosed information about Nazi biomedical experiments conducted during World War II. In the early 1970s, many of the first institutes were formed wholly dedicated to the study of medical bioethics.
Due to the relative nature of ethics, medical bioethicists hold many conflicting opinions. Insofar as it is difficult to reach consensus on any moral or ethical issue, medical bioethics reflects this same tension. Arguments for or against abortion, for example, can emphasize the fetal right to life or give meaning to a woman’s right to choose.
Medical bioethicists who emphasize traditional or conservative viewpoints interpret the emergence of new medical and biological technologies as potentially upending the traditional structure of society. Others may see these technologies as conflicting with inherited religious values. Conversely, medical bioethicists may argue that an individual’s personal freedom must be protected by any social or community norms and rules. Other perspectives, such as those of transhumanists, advocate the use of technology for the creation of a new and superior form of human being.
Because most medical bioethicists are trained in philosophy, they typically see the benefit of examining these issues through debate and dialogue. Being aware of and respectful of the variety of different ethical viewpoints that exist, solutions should usually be approached in a way that takes into account other perspectives, rather than exclusionary ones. The emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches to medical bioethics has led many non-philosophers to become active in the field. These ethicists may come from, for example, theological, scientific or medical backgrounds.
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