Bioethics

Bioethical issues remain front-page news, with debate continuing to rage over issues including genetic modification, animal cloning, and 'designer babies'. With public opinion often driven by media speculation, how can we ensure that informed decisions regarding key bioethical issues are made in a reasoned, objective way? Bioethics: An Introduction for the Biosciences offers a balanced, objective introduction to the field of bioethics, ideal for any biosciences student who is new to the subject. With a focus on developing the students' power of reasoning and judgement, the book presents different perspectives to common themes in an impartial way, fostering debate and discussion. The opening section, 'The Ethical Groundwork', introduces students to the nature of bioethics and ethical theory. The book goes on to lead students through a broad range of bioethical issues relating to people, animals, and food, before concluding with an overview of bioethics in practice. The current generation of students will become the next generation of decision makers.Bioethics: An Introduction for the Biosciences is the perfect introduction to a field with which every biosciences student should be familiar. Online Resource Centre The Online Resource Centre features: For registered adopters of the book: - Figures from the book in electronic format, ready to download For students: - A web link library and hyperlinked reference list, giving ready access to additional information sources; - Topical updates: extensive summaries of the latest developments in those topics covered in the book, ensuring that the reader can remain up-to-date at all times.

 

1. THE THEORETICAL BACKGROUND TO BIOETHICS; 1. The nature of bioethics; 2. Theories of ethics; 3. A framework for ethical analysis; 2. BIOETHICS AND HUMAN FUTURES; 4. The biology of poverty; 5. Fertility and morality; 6. Genomics, eugenics and integrity; 3. BIOETHICS AND ANIMALS; 7. Human uses of animals; 8. Experiments on animals; 9. Animals and modern biotechnology; 4. BIOETHICS, PLANTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT; 10. The first generation of genetically modified crops; 11. Dietary futures; 12. Environmental sustainability; 5. BIOETHICS IN PRACTICE; 13. Risk, precaution and trust; 14. Politics and the biosciences; 15. Bioethics in the laboratory