Part One: The Medical Profession and Healthcare
1. Read "Autonomy: Does Doctor Know Best?" Should a physician have the right to impose medical decisions upon a patient without the patient's knowledge or consent? What obligations to doctors have? What rights to patients have?
2. Read the excerpt written by Dr. Donald Hayes of the University of North Carolina Medical Center. As you read, imagine what it must be like to have to make critical life and death decisions as a doctor. We'll be discussing the decisions Hayes made and whether or not you agree with them.
3. Read the excerpt about "mercy death" and case studies that follow, and "When Living is a Fate Worse Than Death" by Christine Mitchell. What are your thoughts about mercy death and mercy killing?
4. Read, "Before the Court, the Sanctity of Life and of
Death" by Linda Greenhouse
and "Whose Right to Die" by Ezekiel Emanuel. Take
notes on both sides of the ethical issue surrounding physician-assisted
suicide and be prepared for a discussion in class on the issue.
5. Read "What is the Value of a Voice?" by Dr. Linda Peeno. Take notes on the tension that exists between giving the best medical care and the costs and problems that come with it. We will have a discussion about the status of medical care in the US today.
Part Two: Scientific Research
1. Read the excerpt on Human Experimentation and the case studies that follow. To what degree do you believe that human beings can or should be experimented on? Under what conditions would you allow such experimentation? Who should act as the "guinea pigs" for drug testing when harmful side effects may occur?
2. Read about The National Commission for the Protection of
Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavior Research, "The
National Bioethics Advisory Commission" by Harold T. Shapiro,
"Panel Seeks Balance on Stem Cell Research" by Diane
M. Glanelli, and "The Stem Cell Report" by Kevin Wm.
Wildes
Do you think a National Bioethics Advisory Commission is necessary?
What are you thoughts about manipulating human embryos? Should
your tax money go towards this kind of research?
3. Read "A Desire to Duplicate" by Margaret Talbot? What are you thoughts about human cloning? What are your predictions for the future?
Writing Assignment:
Choose one ethical dilemma that we have discussed in relation
to medical ethics and explain how you would solve it. You will
need to find at least one other source other than the readings
from this class, but this is not a major research paper. You
must incorporate the ethical terminology that we have discussed
this semester. (Typed, double-spaced, parenthetical citations,
bibliography).