J.A. Bryant - Introduction to Bioethics

1. Chapter 01
2. Chapter 10
3. Chapter 13

1. Chapter 01
2. Chapter 03
3. Chapter 04
4. Chapter 05
5. Chapter 06
6. Chapter 07
7. Chapter 09
8. Chapter 10
9. Chapter 12
10. Chapter 13
11. Chapter 14

Second Edition

John A. Bryant

University of Exeter
Exeter, UK

Linda la Velle

University of Plymouth
Plymouth, UK

This edition first published 2019
2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

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Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Names: Bryant, J. A., author. | Baggott la Velle, Linda, author.
Title: Introduction to bioethics / by John A. Bryant and Linda la Velle.
Description: Second edition. | Hoboken, NJ : WileyBlackwell, 2018. | John Bryant, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; Linda la Velle, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Identifiers: LCCN 2017061639 (print) | LCCN 2018000727 (ebook) | ISBN 9781118719589 (pdf) | ISBN 9781119080152 (epub) | ISBN 9781118719619 (hardback) | ISBN 9781118719596 (paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Bioethics. | BISAC: SCIENCE / Life Sciences / General.
Classification: LCC QH332 (ebook) | LCC QH332 .B79 2018 (print) | DDC 174.2dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017061639

Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Images: (Corn) Candus Camera/Shutterstock; (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) Phanie / Alamy Stock Photo; (Sheep) Binnerstam/Gettyimages; (DNA sequence) Gio_tto/Gettyimages; (Tobacco cells) Courtesy of Dr Dennis Francis; (Mouse) Bliznetsov/Gettyimages; (Sky) spooh/Gettyimages; (Forest) AustralianCamera/Shutterstock

Each new power won by man is a power over man as well. Each advance leaves him weaker as well as stronger. In every victory, besides being the general who triumphs, he is also the prisoner who follows the triumphal car.

These words, written in 1947 by the scholar of medieval English, CS Lewis, headed the Preface of the first edition of this book. The quotation, from the book The Abolition of Man, illustrates the ambiguity inherent in many scientific advances and technological inventions: they can be used for good or bad. It is probable that one of the issues that Lewis had in mind was nuclear fission but we can trace similar concerns down through the decades in other fields, including medicine, agriculture and biotechnology.

The idea is also expressed well by the historian Francis Fukuyama in his 2002 book, Our Posthuman Future:

Biotechnology presents us with a special moral dilemma, because any reservations we may have about progress need to be tempered with a recognition of its undisputed promise.

Thus, there has been a growing awareness of the need for informed discussion on the ethical issues arising in biological and biomedical sciences. This has led to bioethics courses being added to university degree programmes in life sciences, thus providing the impetus for our first edition, which was specifically written for students as well as for academics who were not yet engaged with bioethical issues. Feedback from members of our target audiences has been very positive and this has encouraged us to produce this second updated edition. Progress in many areas of biological and biomedical science has been spectacular in the 13 years since the first edition was published, providing huge opportunities for new developments in medicine, agriculture and biotechnology but also raising new ethical issues (or at the least, new versions of old ethical issues). Further, this is set against a background of the expanding human population of our planet and of increasing concern about environmental issues, especially climate change.

All this has led us to an almost complete reworking of the book, although several useful case studies and examples from the first edition remain in this one. We have tried to be as up to date as is humanly possible but the speed of progress means that for some topics discussed here, further developments will have taken place in the few months between completion of the manuscript and publication. However, we will provide updates plus links to other relevant material on the books website www.wiley.com/go/Bryant/IntroductiontoBioethics2e, which will provide a very useful adjunct to the text.

It is a pleasure to express our thanks to the many people who have helped us in our thinking. First we must mention John Searle, our coauthor for the first edition but who, because of other commitments, has been unable to work with us on this edition. Nevertheless, he has always been willing to discuss bioethical issues, especially those arising at the end of life. We are very grateful for his support. We continue to be grateful to all those who helped us during our writing of the first edition. It has been a privilege for JB to work with Chris Willmott in our roles as bioethics advisors to the UKs Higher Education Academy, during which we have enjoyed ongoing discussions of many bioethical issues. In relation to specific topics in this edition, we thank Alex Aylward and members of South West NHS Genomic Medicine Centre, Exeter (human genetics and genomics); Suzi Leather and Philippa Taylor (fertility issues and human embryology); Elaine Storkey (selective abortion); John CliftonBrown, John Love and David Stafford (biofuels); Margot Hodson, Martin Hodson, Rachel Oates and Chris Southgate (environmental issues); Steve Hughes (GM crops and biofuels); Hannah Farrimond (science/ethics); Tim Miller (for introducing us to futurology literature); Mike Fowler (genetic piracy in relation to phytopharmacology).