Is Bio-engineering Ethical? - Riley Fox - Final Draft - Section 12

                                                                   

Riley Fox

Section 12

Final Draft

                                                      Is Bio-Engineering Ethical?

Biotechnology and bioengineering are disciplines of science, which use knowledge of biological sciences and advanced technologies to generate new and useful products and processes for the benefit of society. The potential of biotechnology and bioengineering is immense because it touches the entire spectrum of life including agriculture, food processing, medicine, and many other areas.

Apex regulatory agencies such as US FDA, Environmental Protection Agency, and ICMR has proposed “Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research on Human Subjects,” guidelines to regulate the developments in the area of Biomedical Science. The aim of this post is to delineate the ethical and safety concerns raised by applications of biotechnology and bioengineering.

Particular ethical questions arise in relation to human enhancement.  Whereas the devices and techniques developed by biomedical engineers are usually designed to support therapy or diagnosis, they may also be designed to enhance healthy human traits beyond a normal level.  This is called human enhancement, and it is morally controversial because it moves traits beyond boundaries of the human species, and therefore has the potential to create superhumans.  If medicine were to engage in human enhancement, it would move beyond its traditional mission, which is merely curative and preventive.  Enhancement may even require the impairment of healthy human tissue or organs to fit augmentations.  It therefore remains controversial whether biomedical engineers (and medical practitioners) should engage in human enhancement.

One argument commonly used to challenge the value of human enhancement is this: The means by which people achieve their goals in life matter. In other words, if a person uses a technological shortcut to achieve a goal, that choice may decrease the accomplishment's value. For instance, if a mountaineer reaches a summit using a helicopter rather than by physically climbing the mountain, that undermines the achievement's value.

Closely related is the ethical question raised about certain psychopharmacological substances, such as antidepressant medications. This argument holds that some uses may be morally undesirable forms of enhancement because, essentially, they transform the patient into someone else. 

A further reason for caution regarding human enhancement is that it may narrow a person's prospects, violating the principle of preserving an “open future.” Some enhancements might promote success early in life, but lead to serious disability later. A typical example would be the use of drugs that provide short-term gain—such as increasing physical strength or stimulating creativity—but which may also come with long-term health risks.

Among the biggest ethical issues surrounding human enhancements is the question of governance. Making numerous enhancements available will require having a range of decision makers charged with developing policies for their use and implies the need for social systems ensuring that everyone has affordable access to them.

A further societal concern is that enhancements might undermine some essential quality of our human identity that we would rather preserve. Other moral concerns are often folded into the fear of biotechnological change, notably the view that initiating such changes is akin to "playing God."

It's crucial to establish some general principles that govern the ethical conduct of human enhancement at all levels. This effort should include widespread independent consultation and investment into research principles.

Finally, perhaps the most pressing issue is the degree to which the use of human enhancements requires a global response, rather than just domestic policy. While such work has led to research leadership in multiple countries, there's much more to do before we can achieve a clear sense of the global implications of human enhancement and formulate a reasonable strategy for managing it.

Quiz:

1. What can bio-engineering be used for?

2.What are some agencies that discuss the ethical guidelines of bio-engineering?

Discussion Questions

1. Is there a limit to the idea of human enhancement?

2.How to we change our perspective of feats for bio-engineered events to "regular events"?

3.How do we regulate the idea of bio-engineering people?

Sources:

“Biomedical Engineering Ethics.” Ethics and Technology.

McWilliams, Kendall. “Is Bioengineering Ethical?” Prezi.com, 10 Nov. 2014, prezi.com/r7fttrimmaix/is-bioengineering-ethical/.

Miah, Andy. “The Ethics of Human Enhancement.” MIT Technology Review, MIT Technology Review, 8 Nov. 2019, www.technologyreview.com/s/602342/the-ethics-of-human-enhancement/.

Munshi, Anjana, and Vandana Sharma. “Safety and Ethics in Biotechnology and Bioengineering: What to Follow and What Not To.” Omics Technologies and Bio-Engineering, Academic Press, 8 Dec. 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128046593000257.

National Research Council (US) Committee on the Experiences and Challenges of Science and Ethics in the United States and Iran. “Bioengineering Ethics: The Ethics of the Linkage Between Engineering and Biology.” The Experiences and Challenges of Science and Ethics: Proceedings of an American–Iranian Workshop., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1970, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK208734/.

“What Is Biomedical Engineering?” LiveScience, Purch, www.livescience.com/48001-biomedical-engineering.html.

Comment Links:

https://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2019/12/final-report-anna-may-section-11.html?showComment=1575771207737#c3103393080421408914

https://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2019/12/forgiveness.html?showComment=1575772677751#c6252584520801940635