Whether you are a regular listener or have heard Everyday Bioethics just once, you may wonder how I put together my commentaries. It follows a process that mirrors my thinking as a bioethicist. It’s the same kind of process that you can learn. It will help you interpret your culture. Here’s my advice: be alert, and ask the right questions.
What do I mean by that? Be alert means that there are bioethical questions all around us, in the news, at the movies, on the Internet. A science story on the progress in developing a prosthetic arm that can be controlled by simply thinking about it. An account of a sperm donor father with over 150 offspring. A Business Week story on the massive costs of treating a rare cancer. Each of these is an opportunity to think bioethically. Be alert. Notice what you see, read, and hear.
Next, ask questions. Knowing the right questions is a significant step toward resolving ethical issues. For example, in the case of the prosthetic arm, you could ask: should we celebrate this advance in restorative medicine? You could also ask: does this cross an impermissible boundary between the human body and biotechnology?
What questions come to mind as you think about IVF and sperm donation? Some sperm donor children are desperate to know their genetic father. Is it right to create children who may experience “genetic bewilderment”? Does society have an obligation to address the social issues of family boundaries?
What about spending over $600,000 to treat a rare cancer at the end of life? You might ask: if I say “no” to experimental drugs, am I giving up on life? When may I say, “enough is enough”?
Bioethical questions are all around you. I’d like to share a way of identifying the bioethical issues and framing the questions. First is what we at CBHD call Bioethics 1.0. These are the questions about the boundaries of human life. When does it begin? When does it end? Who counts as human? You may guess that these are the questions implicated in abortion, assisted suicide, and at the end of life. The “who counts” group includes the fetus, the embryo, those with disabilities, the comatose, the brain-injured.
Bioethics 2.0 questions alert us to the potential of biotechnology not just to destroy life, but to create and reshape it. These are technologies that promise to make us better than well, faster, smarter, and happier. They don’t raise black-and-white questions about taking human life. The questions are more complex: What does it mean to be human in the biotech century? What insights about human flourishing and the common good can we offer our culture? The ethical principles are broad; the applications are demanding.
If you want more help, The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity is here. Go to cbhd.org and sign up for the Bioethics Weekly or Monthly email updates. Be alert. Ask questions. Start thinking like an “everyday bioethicist.”