Bioethics: Issues And Challenges

Abstract

Bioethics concerns itself with the ethical issues faced in the healthcare, biotechnology, research related system. It raises a question regarding the intersection between law, medicine, public policy etc. As we live in an interchanging and growing world these fields have brought different changes with those changes comes the question of ethics of that particular change. On how it would affect the society in whole or what would go against the law. The professional working in this field can be people who are philosophers, person related to legal profession, scientists and Health administrators. In the process, the input of each field is given in the area of resources and methodology to help make change or alter the practices and policies that raises the doubt or question on ethical concern. It discusses in depth regarding clinical research such as organ transplant, AIDS, genetics and so on. It talks about any occurring change and when such change takes place does it cover all the points that are ethical, which is nothing that goes against the nature and law. The emergence of Bioethics or such discussion on ethics had started taking place in the late 1960’s but the actual topic was raised in the year 1970, which was first proposed by a Biochemist Van Renesselaer Potter. When we talk further more on the topic then we shall get to know few challenges faced in the fields of Bioethics namely being genetics, environmental ethics and ethical treatment of animals and so on. The paper would go more around the explanation of bioethics, the history and challenges faced in different fields where there is a question raised on the ethical value of the particular change or biotechnology.

In a world where development is taking, place rapidly the growth in is also transpiring in different fields one such field is the medical field. As we keep reading or hearing about innovations or invention let, it be in research or biotechnology. When we talk about Bioethics, it concerns itself with the study of ethical, social and legal concerns that emerge in biomedicine and bioresearch. The subject includes medical ethics that focuses on healthcare, research ethics, which focuses in the conduct of research, environmental ethics that deals with the issues pertaining to the relationship between human activities and environment, public health issues those talks about issues relating to public health. As we talk about bioethics, it is important to know about bioethicist, they are people who conduct research on issues relating to legal issues regarding ethics in the sphere of biomedicines. They usually work for academic institutions, hospitals, Medical Centre, private company, government agencies and foundations[i].

The questions usually raised are how do I do? Alternatively, how should a person be treated? What are the obligations and responsibility towards an individual? What does it take to be a good doctor, nurse, or anyone relating to the medical field?

[i] What is Bioethics?, https://bioethicsarchive.georgetown.edu/  (last visited Dec 1, 2021).