Should Sick People Be Paid to Risk Their Lives?

The dilemma concerning whether or not sick patients should be paid for medical research is raised in a solution proposed by two health policy experts. They argue that if drugs are already moderately effective, patients have no reason to risk their lives for drugs that may be better. However, rules exist which limit patients to only receiving stipends of certain values, and these rules are enforced to prevent people from risking their lives deliberately for cash. People who volunteer in medical research of this sort are always informed of the circumstances and the benefits which may result from the experiment.

Should there be monetary rewards for participants in life-risking experiments? Why or why not? Do the benefits of the experiments outweigh the risks for the patients?

Why Not Artificial Wombs?

This article talks about past experiments in using the wombs of animals for other species. Artificial wombs are on the horizon–or should scientists stick to using other organisms' wombs? There is thought that artificial wombs would relieve mothers of the burden of carrying their children. If so, the question of, "what does it mean to be a mother?" pops into place. With artificial wombs, fetus would be developed externally and might become things rather than people.

Should there be artificial wombs? Why or why not? Why would people want to use them?

The National Endowment for the Humanities

The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded The Hastings Center a challenge grant to support an endowment for a major new humanities research program. The $425,000 grant, to be matched by at least $1.275 million raised from private sources, will begin The Hastings Center Humanities Research Initiative, which aims to expand the Center’s core commitment to humanities-based scholarship in bioethics and to provide leadership in this area. This initiative will  provide financing of a Senior Humanities Research Scholar Chair who will pursue research in bioethics and the humanities and advance the humanities work of fellow people at Hastings. The Chair will also create and direct a Humanities Scholar-in-Residence Program.

Do you think its right for a research program to get this much money, than feeding the poor and hungry, or donating it to food banks?

Medical examiner gives unclaimed bodies to science

For November:

A medical examiner's office in Chicago set a two-week deadline for bodies to be claimed at the morgue, or risk their being donated for medical research. People claim that the time frame is short, but in response, people have argued that holding bodies for longer than two weeks becomes really complicated, which include identification, investigation, embalming, etc.


Do you agree with this policy? If someone doesn't claim a corpse in two weeks, it will be donated to science?

US mothers participate in clinical trials to make ends meet

This article is about how some mothers in the United States are participating in clinical trials to help their financial needs or make some extra cash. These clinical trials have helped most of these mothers secure themselves some health check-ups, free medication that is needed, and money. From this testing, some mothers have found diseases, like breast cancer, HIV, and hepatitis, which was good and the clinic would provide medication or medical attention to help them with their problems. However, with them being tested on by many drugs or medication, they can also have side effects on their bodies. Examples of negative side effects could be brain damage, heart problems, nausea, etc.

If you were a mother, would you do this to help lift your financial problems off your shoulders, but risk your life for your children and family?

German ethicists can’t agree on humanized animals

The German Ethics Council (Deutscher Ethikrat) has recommended that researchers be allowed to insert human genes into mice in a major report on human-animal mixtures. But special permission will be needed to insert human genes into apes. Some practices should be banned, it says: introducing animal material into human germlines, producing human sperm or eggs in an animal, and implanting animal embryos into humans.

However, on the highly controversial creation of cybrids (or chimeras), or growing embryos by inserting the nucleus of a human cell into an animal egg, the Council failed to reach a consensus. No German laws appear to cover the procedure, which some researchers hope to use to produce embryonic stem cell lines. Thirteen members of the council recommended that scientists should be allowed to do it; 11 were opposed.

Basically, should it be allowed for scientists to insert human genes into mice to humanize them?

Students' Meningitis Shots Should Be Required

People ages 15-24 are at high risk to get meningitis. Many people are scared at the thought of getting it and many are in fear of getting the vaccine. In 23 states, it is required for college freshman to get the meningitis vaccine. Every year, 3000 people get the disease.

Do you believe meningitis vaccines should be a requirement? Do you believe it is ethical mandate vaccinations or should it be one's choice to get the vaccine or not?