Wondergenes

Wondergenes PDF Author: Maxwell J. Mehlman
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253111056
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Wondergenes not only imagines a future world in which genetic enhancement is the norm, but asserts that this future has already begun. Genetically engineered substances are already in use by athletes, in vitro fertilization already provides the primitive means by which parents can "select" an embryo, and the ability to create new forms of genetically engineered human beings is not far off. What happens when gene therapy becomes gene enhancement? Who will benefit and who might be left behind? What are the costs to our values and beliefs, and to the future of our society? To answer these questions, Maxwell J. Mehlman provides an overview of the scientific advances that have led to the present state of genetic enhancement and explains how these advances will be used in the future to redefine what we think of as a normal human being. He explores the ethical dilemmas already facing researchers and medical practitioners, and the dilemmas we will all be expected to face. In his forecast of the dangers inherent in this technology, he is particularly concerned with the emergence of a "genobility" made up of those able to afford increasingly expensive enhancement. Wondergenes is a serious, accessible introduction to the social and personal implications of genetic engineering. Mehlman weighs the social and economic costs of the many proposals to regulate or limit genetic engineering and provides six concrete policy recommendations -- from professional licensing to a ban on germ-line enhancement -- that propose to make the future of genetic enhancement more equitable and safe.

Wondergenes

Wondergenes PDF Author: Maxwell J. Mehlman
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253111056
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Get Book Here

Book Description
Wondergenes not only imagines a future world in which genetic enhancement is the norm, but asserts that this future has already begun. Genetically engineered substances are already in use by athletes, in vitro fertilization already provides the primitive means by which parents can "select" an embryo, and the ability to create new forms of genetically engineered human beings is not far off. What happens when gene therapy becomes gene enhancement? Who will benefit and who might be left behind? What are the costs to our values and beliefs, and to the future of our society? To answer these questions, Maxwell J. Mehlman provides an overview of the scientific advances that have led to the present state of genetic enhancement and explains how these advances will be used in the future to redefine what we think of as a normal human being. He explores the ethical dilemmas already facing researchers and medical practitioners, and the dilemmas we will all be expected to face. In his forecast of the dangers inherent in this technology, he is particularly concerned with the emergence of a "genobility" made up of those able to afford increasingly expensive enhancement. Wondergenes is a serious, accessible introduction to the social and personal implications of genetic engineering. Mehlman weighs the social and economic costs of the many proposals to regulate or limit genetic engineering and provides six concrete policy recommendations -- from professional licensing to a ban on germ-line enhancement -- that propose to make the future of genetic enhancement more equitable and safe.

The Price of Perfection

The Price of Perfection PDF Author: Maxwell J. Mehlman
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 0801892635
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
Few would question the necessity of artificial limbs for amputees. But what of surgery to lengthen the legs of children who are merely shorter than average? Hardly anyone would challenge the decision to prescribe Aricept to people with dementia. But is it acceptable to give the same medication to airline pilots seeking sharper mental focus on long-haul flights? Humans have engaged in biological self-improvement since long before recorded history, from the impotence-curing wild lotus brew of the ancient Egyptians to the herbal energy drink favored by early Olympians. Now biomedical enhancements are pushing the boundaries of possibility and acceptability. Where do we draw the line? How do we know the true ramifications of pioneering medicine? What price are we willing to pay for perfection? Maxwell J. Mehlman's provocative examination of these issues speaks to fundamental questions of what it means to be human. He finds public officials ill-equipped to handle the ethical, scientific, and public policy quandaries of biomedical enhancement. Instead of engaging difficult questions of morality, access, fairness, and freedom, elected officials have crafted toothless and counterproductive laws and regulations. Mehlman outlines policy options to boost the societal benefits and minimize the risks from these technologies. In the process, he urges the public to face the ethical issues surrounding biomedical enhancement, lest our quest for perfection compromise our very humanity.

Making Sense of Intersex

Making Sense of Intersex PDF Author: Ellen K. Feder
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253012325
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 279

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Book Description
A philosopher offers a framework for the treatment of intersex children, and a moral argument for responsibility to them and their families. Putting the ethical tools of philosophy to work, Ellen K. Feder seeks to clarify how we should understand “the problem” of intersex. Adults often report that medical interventions they underwent as children to “correct” atypical sex anatomies caused them physical and psychological harm. Proposing a philosophical framework for the treatment of children with intersex conditions—one that acknowledges the intertwined identities of parents, children, and their doctors—Feder presents a persuasive moral argument for collective responsibility to these children and their families. “In a voice both urgent and nuanced, Feder squarely faces the complexities that accompany the care of people with atypical sex anatomies in medical science. . . . Rich with cross-discipline potential, Feder’s engaging argument should provide a new approach for doctors and parents caring for children with atypical sex anatomy.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “Feder’s book is a welcome injection of new ideas into feminist scholarship on intersex, post-Consensus Statement era.” —Women’s Review of Books “Is a work of philosophy capable of bringing insightful new perspectives or illuminating and forceful arguments to an urgent social matter so as truly to effect a felt change in the lives of people concerned by it? Feder’s book is capable of this effect. As such, it takes the risk of calling forth a new public, or a new readership, and so is a work whose appeal could well be ahead of its time. But its time should be here.” —International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics “Making Sense of Intersex significantly enhances our understanding of intersex and the ethical issues involved in medical practice more generally.” —Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal

A Century of Eugenics in America

A Century of Eugenics in America PDF Author: Paul A. Lombardo
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253222699
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
This volume assesses the history of eugenics in the United States and its status in the age of the Human Genome Project. The essays explore the early support of compulsory sterilization by doctors and legislators.

The Search for an AIDS Vaccine

The Search for an AIDS Vaccine PDF Author: Christine Grady
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253112729
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
"The book is a balanced and comprehensive treatment of an important social issue. It is accessible to the general reader and belongs in public as well as academic libraries." -- Religious Studies Review "Painstaking analysis of the knotty ethical problems involved in human-subjects research, and a well-thought-out proposal for a community approach to conducting field trials for an HIV vaccine.... Highly recommended for medical ethicists and anyone concerned about the AIDS epidemic and how HIV research is conducted."Â -- Kirkus Reviews "... a carefully reasoned account of how research for and trial of a preventive vaccine differ from the methods used to discover a therapy."Â -- Booklist "I highly recommend reading this book which I would attest to be a thrilling, ethically challenging, and informative descent into the allopathic solution." -- Ryan Hosken, Bastyr University Library Newsletter "As the scientific effort to produce an efficacious vaccine continues, [Grady's] work provides an ethical compass that will guide us well, regardless of where phase III HIV vaccine trials ultimately occur." -- Journal of the American Medical Association "Highly recommended... " -- AIDS Book Review Journal "A remarkable treatment of a most difficult and complex subject... Grady's book is of special merit because it is simple, readable, and understandable, while conveying in-depth perceptions that are critical to the reader. A useful and essential reference work for those who would engage in the initiative to bring about a resolution of a mighty human health problem." -- Maurice R. Hilleman, Ph.D., D.Sc., Director, Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research "Dr. Grady's important study captures the complexity of the search for an AIDS vaccine with startling clarity. Her insights into the full range of forces that shape our national response to AIDS vaccine development should read like signposts to vaccinologists, AIDS community activists, and most importantly, the Public Health Service. An impressive contribution." -- Derek Hodel, Gay Men's Health Crisis "This book is recommended to medical ethicists, those involved in non-HIV vaccine trials, and all persons involved in HIV vaccine trials, including investigators, sponsors, study subjects and communities at risk." -- Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law The creation of a vaccine now seems the best hope for controlling AIDS. Yet developing and testing an HIV vaccine raises a host of difficult ethical issues. These concerns are the focus of this timely and important book. Essential reading for everyone interested in ethics and the conduct of HIV vaccine research.

If I Were a Rich Man Could I Buy a Pancreas?

If I Were a Rich Man Could I Buy a Pancreas? PDF Author: Arthur L. Caplan
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253113245
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 380

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Book Description
"An important contribution to a debate that will continue for some time." -- Health and Canadian Society "Insightful and thought-provoking.... As Caplan has demonstrated so clearly... we would all be better off if the ethicists spoke first and not last." -- The Washington Post "Caplan's views are important and instructive.... [This] book represents some of his best work." -- New England Journal of Medicine "Caplan's [book] is thought provoking, insightful, and well argued. I recommend it highly."Â -- The Journal of the American Medical Association "... a generously illustrated discourse on method in medical and practical ethics." -- Ethics A member of the President's Task Force on National Health Care Reform examines some of the most controversial biomedical issues of our time.

Biotechnology

Biotechnology PDF Author: Sean D. Sutton
Publisher: SUNY Press
ISBN: 9781438426860
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
Considers the ethics and challenges of biotechnology.

Children, Ethics, and Modern Medicine

Children, Ethics, and Modern Medicine PDF Author: Richard B. Miller
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
Utilizing a form of medical ethnography to investigate a variety of pediatric contexts, Richard B. Miller tests the fit of different ethical approaches in various medical settings to arrive at a new paradigm for how best to care for children. Miller contends that the principle of beneficence must take priority over autonomy in the treatment of children. Yet doctors alone cannot decide what is best for the child. Determining and implementing such decisions, Miller argues, doctors must become part of a "therapeutic alliance" with families and the child undergoing medical care to arrive at the best course of treatment.Children, Ethics, and Modern Medicine combines strong philosophical argumentation with firsthand knowledge of the issues facing children and families in pediatric care. This book will be an invaluable resource for medical ethicists and practitioners in pediatric care, as well as parents struggling with ethical issues in the care and treatment of their children.

Physician-Assisted Suicide

Physician-Assisted Suicide PDF Author: Robert F. Weir
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253112910
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
"The book is extremely well balanced: in each section there is usually an argument for and against the positions raised. It is a useful and well-thought-out text. It will make people think and discuss the problems raised, which I think is the editor's main purpose." -- Journal of Medical Ethics "... a volume that is to be commended for the clarity of its contributions, and for the depth it gains from its narrow focus. In places, this is a deeply moving, as well as closely argued, book." -- Times Literary Supplement "This work is an excellent historical and philosophical resource on a very difficult subject." -- Choice "This collection of well-written and carefully argued essays should be interesting, illuminating, and thought provoking for students, clinicians, and scholars." -- New England Journal of Medicine "This book is highly recommended..." -- Pharmacy Book Review "This is a well-balanced collection and the essays are of uniformly good quality.... very readable.... should be useful to anyone interested in this topic." -- Doody's Health Sciences Book Review Home Page "Physician-Assisted Suicide continues in the fine tradition of the Medical Ethics series published by Indiana University Press. Chapters are authored by outstanding scholars from both sides of the debate, providing a balanced, in-depth exploration of physician-assisted suicide along clinical, ethical, historical, and public policy dimensions. It is important reading for those who want to better understand the complex, multilayered issues that underlie this emotionally-laden topic." -- Timothy Quill, M.D. "Robert Weir has produced the finest collection of essays on physician assisted dying yet assembled in one volume. Physician assisted dying involves ethical and legal issues of enormous complexity. The deep strength of this anthology is its multi-disciplinary approach, which insightfully brings to bear interpretations from history, moral philosophy, religion, clinical practice, and law. This is a subject, much like abortion, that has divided America. This volume provides balanced scholarship that will help inform opinions from the hospital and hospice bedside to the halls of federal and state legislatures and courtrooms." -- Lawrence O. Gostin, Co-Director, Georgetown/Johns Hopkins Program on Law and Public Health "This book is a timely and valuable contribution to the debate. Highly recommended for academic collections." -- Library Journal These essays shed light and perspective on today's hotly contested issue of physician-assisted suicide. The authors were selected not only because of their experience and scholarship, but also because they provide readers with differing points of view on this complex subject -- and a potential moral quandary for us all.

Bioethics and Organ Transplantation in a Muslim Society

Bioethics and Organ Transplantation in a Muslim Society PDF Author: Farhat Moazam
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253112206
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
"Dr. Farhat Moazam has written a wonderful book, based on her extraordinary first-hand study.... [S]he is an exceptionally gifted and evocative writer. Her book not only has the attributes of a superb piece of intellectual work, but it has literary artistic merit." -- Renee C. Fox, Annenberg Professor Emerita of the Social Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania This is an ethnographic study of live, related kidney donation in Pakistan, based on Farhat Moazam's participant-observer research conducted at a public hospital. Her narrative is both a "thick" description of renal transplant cases and the cultural, ethical, and family conflicts that accompany them, and an object lesson in comparative bioethics.