Bioethical Issues – In the 3 chapters covered in Week 4 of General Biology, we have learned about how science interacts with our daily lives. Below is a list of  Bioethical Issues based on topics/ideas discussed during Week 4.

Research one of the Bioethical issues below and submit a 250-300 word essay using the submission link above. This assignment must be original writing and in your own words. Information presented in the essay about the Bioethical Issue must be supported by reliable academic resources (facts supported by research). Do not plagiarize. You are required to include at least one reference (a reliable academic resource) in your Bioethical Issues Essay. Do not use Wikipedia, Blurtit, Yahoo Answers or any open blog where anyone can post responses and the information is not verified. These are unacceptable academic resources; be sure to use reliable sources of information and research carefully. Do not copy and paste from the Internet. If you do quote a phrase word for word (verbatim) from a resource, be sure to explain the phrase afterwards. Also, enclose the “quoted information” in quotation marks (“”), and be sure that you show which reference the quote came from. Neither quoted materials nor the citation of a reference count towards your 250-300 word count requirement. Your completed Bioethical Issues Essay must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST Sunday, before the close of the session.

 

When your essay is ready to submit, click Week Four Bioethical Essay, above, and scroll down to the Assignment Material Area. Attach your completed essay word doc, type “completed” in the Comment Box, and click Submit.

Below are the options to select from for the Bioethical Issues Essay:

1. Mandatory DNA Fingerprinting. Read the information presented in Section 12.1 (Chapter 12) and consider the following questions when writing your Bioethical Issues Essay: Should the United States government require all citizens, or only those who are arrested for any reason, to submit samples of DNA Fingerprinting? Or would this be a violation of the United States Constitution? [Cite at least one reference in your essay response.]

 

2. Gene Therapy Trials. First read the information presented in section 13.4 (Chapter 13) and consider the following questions when writing your Bioethical Issues Essay: Should the National Institute of Health (NIH) increase the supervision of gene therapy trials and increase the penalties for violations, even if it limits gene therapy trials and slows the progress of research? Or are current safeguards sufficient? Are the small adverse side effects, even those that have led to the death of patients, worth the advance of gene therapy overall? [Cite at least one reference in your essay response.]