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Bioethics
I was reading a book last night by Dean R. Koontz. Anyone who knows his work will agree that most of the stuff he writes about really gets you thinkin', "this stuff could actually happen... frightening stuff!"
Anyhow, the book is called "One Door Away From Heaven". On of the the characters is a doctor and a bioethicist. The main female character gets on the internet to read up on this man and bioethics. As I read it I thought... "ok, is he making this up or not? If not, holy shit!!"
Soooooooo, I did a little search myself. It does exist.
I didn't do much reading, just checked to see if it's real. I need to do some more research but if it's anything like the great Koontz describes in his book, human kind is screwed if these people ever get their way! It's sick! Plain and simple, it's WRONG!!
Anyone here know about this stuff? Please, enlighten me, if you will.
Anyhow, this is my topic for the week.
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| July 20, 2007, 09:39 |
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pepper
56 / female
daytona, Florida, US
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Re: Bioethics
I do read Dean Koontz, I am waiting for the third installment in his "Frankenstein" series. I haven't read the one you're referring to yet, but you have raised my curiosity, so I will go look it up.
  
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| July 20, 2007, 10:04 |
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Mooant
41 / male
New Britain, Connecticut, US
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Re: Bioethics
I'm a Biologist. Yes, there is something in almost every area of biology that could potentially destroy the world if scientists make too many mistakes. Microbiology is kinda obvious at its dangers with all the diseases we can make. Doctors prescribe antibiotics before they know if they'll be effective. We are constantly destroying natural habitats that affect the animals we live with. If we continue destroying ecosystems, there wont be a world left for us to live in.
Not that this is entirely bad, but medical advances are making us live longer, which is making out population place more of a strain on our world.
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| July 20, 2007, 11:32 |
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User no longer registered.
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Re: Bioethics
I've been doing a bit of reading up on this and it is very scary. Bioethicists, I believe, want perfect humans in an imperfect world. I'll give you an idea of one of their beliefs without going into the subject too much. They believe that an infant can be euthanized as old as 7 months of age because they have not yet developed a "moral system," so to speak.
They're the ones who wholeheartedly backed the decision to pull the tubes from Terry Schiavo, letting her starve to death.
There's a case of a woman who woke from a 16 year coma and walked and talked normal. She even wrote a letter as soon as she awoke!
Another case where a child had a brain injury and was in a coma.... he was running such a high fever that you couldn't touch the back of his neck for too long, it was so hot... the parents urged the nurses to do something for him. The attending physician was on vacation. You know what the nurses told them? "We have to call and get the doctors orders first." It's a long story but he told them not to do anything for this child....
FUCK the doctors orders! Treat the child!
There's so much more I could write about these crazy people but it would take me a week! I just think it's something that everyone should know about. Especially when they're teaching it to medical students at leading universities. Hell, one of the most well know Bioethicists is a professor at Princeton!  
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| July 23, 2007, 09:49 |
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darkmark666
52 / male
millville, New Jersey, US
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Re: Bioethics
Sounds like old-fashioned Eugenics...I will have to do some reading.hmmmm...
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| July 23, 2007, 10:20 |
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Re: Bioethics
I do believe they're the same.
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| July 23, 2007, 10:31 |
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darkmark666
52 / male
millville, New Jersey, US
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Re: Bioethics
interesting subject...there is, as there usually is, some stuff that makes sense in the argument...actually, a LOT that makes sense...but, it runs very contrary to most ethical, as well as racial, and religious beliefs...
It is compelling, I will have to re-up my knowledge base on this...I remember it being dicey...
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| July 23, 2007, 10:41 |
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User no longer registered.
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Re: Bioethics
I do agree with a few of the things they're striving for. Cures for diseases... ridding people of imperfect genetics (to a certain extent!)... But there are scientists and doctors out there that are already working on those subjects that keep their moral ethics in tact.
I think Bioethics goes much deeper than we think. To a much scarier depth than we can imagine. If you want to make a person's life better, that's great! But when you can't find a cure and think they'd be better off dead to spare themselves from an unhappy life (so they think) and to spare their family from the pain and suffering of raising a child with disabilities... ??? I don't think they have a right to determine who lives and who dies. That part, as sad as it sounds, happens.. and I believe it's wrong.
And yes, this is a very interesting subject. I'm waiting for the book store to call me about my order for the book, "Culture of Death : The Assault on Medical Ethics in America."
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| July 23, 2007, 10:52 |
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darkmark666
52 / male
millville, New Jersey, US
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Re: Bioethics
yeah...the "playing god part" is touchy...the third Reich dabbled in this, I must admit, that I feel that some things are an Abomination, and I would rather not have been allowed to live in that fashion...but, I also have trouble with the concept that anyone else should make that decision for me...I believe certain religious (fringe) sects embrace this as well...???
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| July 23, 2007, 11:11 |
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Mooant
41 / male
New Britain, Connecticut, US
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Re: Bioethics
They're just eugenics using the term Bioethics as a basis for their arguments. Bioethics itself is just what we believe is right or wrong with what doctors and biologists do. Its the whole moral debate on controversial issues. Is it right to let a person be in a coma until their death, or should we do our best to hope they eventually wake up? If we know a child is going to have serious medical conditions due to his genetics, should we save him the misery of life? If someone wants to commits suicide, but is medically incapable of it, should we assist them?
Bioethics is just that, an ethical debate. People using this as their sole argument for doing something should not be in the place to make a decision, but it can be a supportive evidence for their decision if they have other relevant FACTs to supply.
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| July 23, 2007, 11:13 |
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Re: Re: Bioethics
QUOTE (darkmark666 @ July 23, 2007, 11:11)yeah...the "playing god part" is touchy...the third Reich dabbled in this, I must admit, that I feel that some things are an Abomination, and I would rather not have been allowed to live in that fashion...but, I also have trouble with the concept that anyone else should make that decision for me...I believe certain religious (fringe) sects embrace this as well...???
This is where it gets difficult. Who makes that decision for you? The majority believe that "God" will take you when he's ready. I'm sure a lot of us on here have been in a situation, medical wise, where we've have to make that decision. I, myself, didn't make the decision but agreed to it. But the doctor's left that up to us, the family. They didn't take us to court to have the machines turned off. They let us decide, in our own time, what to do.
There are so many different angles to look at this subject from. It's a matter of belief, yes, and people will probably argue this case till the end of time.
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| July 23, 2007, 11:21 |
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Re: Re: Bioethics
QUOTE (Mooant @ July 23, 2007, 11:13)They're just eugenics using the term Bioethics as a basis for their arguments. Bioethics itself is just what we believe is right or wrong with what doctors and biologists do. Its the whole moral debate on controversial issues. Is it right to let a person be in a coma until their death, or should we do our best to hope they eventually wake up? If we know a child is going to have serious medical conditions due to his genetics, should we save him the misery of life? If someone wants to commits suicide, but is medically incapable of it, should we assist them?
Bioethics is just that, an ethical debate. People using this as their sole argument for doing something should not be in the place to make a decision, but it can be a supportive evidence for their decision if they have other relevant FACTs to supply.
That's what irks me. That's where I draw the line on the matter. Say, for instance, you have a child with a genetic defect that may cause problems down the road. Yes, I'm referring to one of mine. Although they believe now that there will be no serious problems if tumors occur, they may come out 10 years from now and say that they'll be life threatening? Should it be up to these sickos to determine whether or not my child should live??
That's the terrifying part. It happens! It has happened and will continue to happen! Doctors are justifying these cases in court and getting away with murder more than I'd like to think.
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| July 23, 2007, 11:26 |
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Re: Bioethics
I plan on reading up on this...my family has a horrid genetic hereditary disease. It only effects the women.
My mother is one of three sisters, only one of these three was a carrier for this disease that killed their mother.
It's a horrible slow agonizing death. The one sister that did carry the gene, had no way of knowing she did, she had nine children, 6 were girls and only two survive...all of them had daughters.
In this family, we've often prayed that there could be someday a way of detecting this and knowing who carries this gene... BUT...only so our young women can make their own decisions as to whether or not to have a family.
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| July 23, 2007, 14:50 |
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Mooant
41 / male
New Britain, Connecticut, US
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Re: Bioethics
Exactly, no one should be making the decision of who lives or dies, you should do what you can to prolong the life of everyone unless they make arrangements ahead of time to have the plugs pulled under certain conditions.
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| July 24, 2007, 00:22 |
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Re: Bioethics
Very interesting subject. In the meantime, science and all that stuff aside, it makes an excellent argument for making the decision yourself....for yourself....long before the need might arise. Unfortunately, many people will not face their own mortality, and fewer will make the effort to have their estate documents drawn up, properly and regularly updated, and so forth.
That said, by default, the decision becomes a matter for others to make...who are not always who you might think.
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| July 24, 2007, 10:39 |
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User no longer registered.
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Re: Bioethics
Well, I'm halfway through the book I ordered. There will be a lot of opinions on bioethics. Always have been, always will be... with that said, I will opine...
The majority of these people are sick bastards and the extreme bioethicists are the ones I'd shoot dead on the spot if I ever met one face to face!
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| August 7, 2007, 11:31 |
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dave2big
81 / male
somewhere, Nebraska, US
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Re: Bioethics
i am with you Moon, i AM very interested in bioethics too........the problem for me is, i just dont understand words with THAT many syllables.......lol
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| August 7, 2007, 11:50 |
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Darkmoon
55 / male
Athens, Greece
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Re: Bioethics
Ti might sound irrelevant, but well, we screwed up every single species on this planet, it was about time we started screwing ourselves too
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| August 8, 2007, 04:03 |
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