Undergraduate - Area of study Bioethics

The growth of scientific knowledge and technical ability in medicine, genetics and the biological sciences has led to a number of ethical problems which perplex all of us, but especially those in the health care field. Is genetic enhancement of humans ethically justified? Is it unethical to select embryos for implantation on the basis of sex? Should research designed to find 'gay genes' be conducted given that the results of such work might be used against homosexual people? Is human embryonic stem cell research justified by the prospect it offers of alleviating some of the most debilitating diseases? Should we proceed with research trying to clone people? Does the fact that we can prolong the life of a patient in a permanent vegetative state mean that we should do so? Bioethics studies conducted by the Centre for Human BioethicsCentre for Human Bioethics (http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/bioethics/) attempts to develop ethical thinking so as to keep pace with advances in biomedical technology, anticipate future developments and assess what might be done if and when these anticipated developments become a reality.