Tag Archives: Medical Ethics

#TOTW from 04-05-16 “Reversal of Death?”

Evening all!

Now I wasn’t quite sure whether the topic I have chosen for this week’s #TOTW was a late April Fools’ Day joke or some such like, because it all sounds a bit like something out of a science-fiction novel to be honest:

“will gain unique insights into the state of ” Morally/ethically acceptable?

The CEO of Bioquark Inc., Dr. Ira Pastor,  was quoted as saying:

“This represents the first trial of its kind and another step towards the eventual reversal of death in our lifetime.”

Really? Reversal of death? I have to confess to knowing very little about brain death and as such this article has prompted me to dig out some of the textbooks from my postgrad that have chapters on the subject. As to the ethical/moral debate around whether or not is is right to be carrying out such experiments, well until I know more about it then I wouldn’t like to say. My initial reaction however, is one of scepticism and a little unease.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Please feel free to share them by commenting here or on my Facebook page. I’d be really interested to hear other people’s views and opinions on this.

Take care,

Ben 🙂

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#TOTW (from: 12/10/14) ‘Northern Ireland abortion law: public consultation on proposed changes’

This week’s #TOTW I chose simply because I am currently doing a lot of reading in and around the topic of abortion for my first uni assignment and I happened across this:

‘Northern Ireland law: public consultation on proposed changes ‘

Abortion laws being different over in Northern Ireland than in other parts of the UK, I thought this was an interesting piece on the possibility of the Northern Ireland Government changing the law to allow abortion under certain circumstances, namely that of the unborn foetus having a lethal abnormality, or in cases of pregnancy that result from rape.

This is rather an emotive subject, and one which I am “enjoying” reading about and learning the different viewpoints both for and against allowing abortion to take place. I don’t as of yet really have an opinion on the matter, other than that which I have picked up over the years, mostly from the media. Having never studied the subject before I don’t feel able to agree or disagree with the rights and or wrongs of abortion. Suffice as to say, I think that it is the kind of matter that needs some reasoned knowledge before an opinion is given.

As i’m learning on my uni course, it’s all very well to say you agree or disagree with something – in this case abortion – but to be taken seriously, then you really need to have the reasons behind why you have a particular stance when looking at the ethics of something like this. So, if you don’t really know anything about abortion, other than what you have “learned” from the media, then take a look at this piece and maybe do a bit of research into the subject matter yourself!

Go on…you might learn something…I certainly am doing!