Bioethics Part 2: Should You Have The Right To End Your Own Life?
Dr. Brooke Ellison, a quadriplegic, and Dr. Jeffrey Bishop explore the many ethical decisions that surround end-of-life care.
“There’s No ‘Normal’ Person”: The Intersection of Ethics and Disability
Experts explain how the disabled community is often left behind in society, medicine, and bioethics.
Medical Notes: June 18, 2023
How to keep your kids safe in pools this summer. It’s time for camping, grilling, and avoiding mosquitoes. New treatments for eye disease may be right around the corner. Forget about our digital fingerprints, our actual DNA can be found almost anywhere in the world.
Pig Organs Could Solve the Organ Shortage Crisis
Doctors successfully transplanted pig kidneys into a brain-dead human for the first time. An expert discusses the future of organ transplants.
Forced Sterilization Still Exists in the U.S.
Entertainer Britney Spears claims in court that her conservator father won’t let her remove birth control. It’s merely the most celebrated recent case of something most people find surprising: forced sterilization still exists in the US, usually in cases of guardianship. Experts explain its legality, history & use.
Genetic Testing and Life Insurance
It’s illegal for health insurers to use genetic testing to discriminate against policyholders. However, life insurers can and do discriminate on that basis if the test is in your medical file.
When Does Genetic Engineering Go Too Far? (2019)
Advancements in genetic science are often clouded in ethical controversy. Often, scientists are accused of “playing God.” Experts discuss a new platform where scientists and public can debate it, and from which education can be disseminated.
The Vaccine Race and Ethics
Dr. Meredith Wadman discusses the controversial history of vaccines, and the balance of need and ethics in science and medicine.
NFL Team Doctors: In Whose Interest?
Injured NFL players are treated by doctors employed by teams, but a Harvard study claims there is an inherent conflict of interest in that arrangement.
Drug Shortages
Hospitals have been plagued by shortages of important drugs, sometimes forcing doctors to decide who will receive them and who will die.
Gene Editing
Scientists have developed the technology to edit single genes, which could eliminate some inherited diseases.
Measles and Vaccination
Measles is more widespread than it has been in years. The current measles outbreak in several states has prompted questions about the responsibility of parents to have their children immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases. Experts discuss this "social contract" cited by courts since colonial times, and why highly-contagious measles is a good test …
