Issues 86, March 2009
BIOETHICS

Editorial

The Future of Humanity
Hiram Caton, Adjunct Professor, Griffith University
Bioethics is a thriving activity whose synoptic vision includes the promise and peril of engineering a higher human type.

Mercy in the Context of Euthanasia
Chelsea Pietsch, Research Officer, Southern Cross Bioethics Institute, Adelaide
Mercy is a concept that is difficult to define, especially in the face of life-ending decisions. Inextricably linked are ideas about relief, respect and relationships.

What’s Wrong with Human Enhancement?
John Weckert, Professorial Fellow, Canberra Division of the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, Charles Sturt University
Human enhancement technology ismaking greatmedical andmilitary advances, but John Weckert questions what social impacts may arise.

Living Forever: The Ethical Implications of Human Life Extension
Brad Partridge, School of Population Health, University of Queensland
Stories about the fountain of youth and eternal life tap into some of humankind’s oldest desires. Will discoveries in molecular biology and genetics one day allow vast extension to life?

Tiny Technologies Raise
Big Ethical Issues
Renee Kyle and Susan Dodds, ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, University of Wollongong
Nanotechnology shows potential for improving the health, social and environmental well-being of many people around the world. However, it may have unintended consequences, particularly for vulnerable populations.

Neuroethics
Matthew Tieu, Research Officer, Southern Cross Bioethics Institute (SCBI)
Matthew Tieu explains the field of neuroethics, comparing and contrasting the ethical questions it shares with the “genetic revolution”.

Ethical Aspects of Consent
Paul A. Komesaroff¹ and Malcolm Parker^2
1Professor of Medicine, Director, Monash Centre for Ethics in Medicine and Society
²Associate Professor of Medical Ethics, School of Medicine, University of Queensland
The legal and ethical nuances of consent and their applications in health care can be challenging and controversial. Determining competence is a key task.

Regulating Genetic Information under the Privacy Act
Alma Pekmezovic, Associate Lecturer, School of Law, La Trobe University
Harvard University’s Personal Genome Project highlights the difficulty of balancing progress and privacy.

Amputating Healthy Limbs
Christopher Ryan, Consultation Liaison Psychiatrist and Senior Clinical Lecturer, University of Sydney
Should people with body identity integrity disorder be allowed to amputate a healthy limb?

Should Animals Continue to Be Used in Research Experiments?
Cynthia Burnett, Humane Education Representative, Animals Australia Inc.
Animal experimentation is an established yet controversial practice. Should it continue and what are the alternatives?

Xenophobia
Bob Elliott, Medical Director, Living Cell Technologies
Bob Elliott argues that the current ban on xenotransplantation in Australia should be overturned.

Finding Out What Students Need to Know
Aimee Sanderson, Australian Stem Cell Centre
Aimee Sanderson explains the genesis of the Stem Cell Channel and the importance of informed public opinion on stem cells.

Stem Cells: Ethics Versus Patient Needs
Natalie Seach, Veronica Shannon and Richard Boyd, Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, Monash University
What is the current status of stem cell research and the moral and ethical concerns associated with stem cell research and its clinical translation?