Secrets of Mind and Reality

Medical Ethics

Ever since the origin of the Hippocratic oath, medical ethics have been an issue of fascination and concern for society. Although most of the medical ethics debate nowadays seems to center around physician assisted suicide and abortion, these are just too narrow cases. Ethics in medicine are much broader than either of these issues, and there is some question about whether these are even the most important things. It is important to look into because, as citizens of the 21st century, we are going to be faced with more perplexing questions about ethics in medicine than any other people the world has ever known.

For me, one of the most fascinating areas is bioethics. For the first time in history, medicine has the ability to screen and test for genetic diseases and, potentially, remove weaknesses and perceived weaknesses from the human species. This has some fascinating, wonderful, and terrifying implications. The question of whether or not we have the right to play God may soon be a moot point – people everywhere might be playing God. Indeed, many people say we already are there. No one questions the medical ethics of heart transplants, for example, or of removing cancerous tumors, even though these radical procedures prolong a life that otherwise would end naturally. Is there even a line to draw?

Of course, there are some things that we could do with a new technology that are clearly against any sane principles of medical ethics. For example, we could potentially use genetic engineering to make people want to be more obedient to figures of authority or less likely to question what they are told. We could create a Brave New World like society where people of differing intelligences are created for different tasks. All of that stuff is pretty dystopian, but at least it is a good to see that there are some things that are clearly wrong. After all, in the world of medical ethics, things are often more slippery.

With all of the high-handed medical ethic debate, people rarely discuss health care ethics. Thy talk about whether it is right or wrong to do certain radical procedures, but few people talk about the fact that, while some people have the luxury of undergoing incredible procedures to prolong their lives, others are dying for want of simple treatments. To me, this is the height of unethical medical policy, and something has to be done about it.