The Most Pressing Issues In Bioethics

Who owns medical and genetic data? How to regulate gene editing? Where is the boundary of enhancing physical or cognitive human capabilities? What to do with biological differences widening the gap of the haves and have-nots? Could we define where is the boundary to augment life? Will we sue robots or algorithms for medical malpractice? With the constant advancement of technology, unprecedented moral, ethical and legal concerns are surfacing. Channeling them into substantial debates will get us closer to their fair solution step by step. Here, we collected the most pressing issues in bioethics. Bioethicists of the world, unite! In November 2018, a scientist in China claims to have edited a gene in two human embryos and implanted them in the mother’s womb, resulting in the birth of genetically altered twin girls. The case caused international outrage in scientific circles, and a couple of months later, many scientists called for a global moratorium on gene editing embryos. However, that’s just one story from the ethically challenging situations on the edges of medical scientific innovation. The billionaires of Silicon Valley, as well as other prime examples of the “haves”, are pouring money into research of longevity and aging, which might result in the even more widening gap between the life expectancies of the affluent and the masses. Dr. David Himmelstein, the co-founder of the Physicians for a National Health Program and a lecturer in medicine at Harvard ...
Source: The Medical Futurist - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Bioethics Cyborgization Genomics bioethical data debate DNA future gene editing genetic genetics Innovation legal longevity medical medical data moral sex sexuality technology Source Type: blogs