Where Science and Ethics Meet: Dilemmas at the Frontiers of Medicine and Biology

Through engaging case studies and clear explanations of the underlying science, this book makes the social impacts and ethical consequences of recent advances in biomedicine understandable for general readers.

Recent biomedical discoveries promise considerable improvement in the quality of human life, but they also hold the potential to permanently alter society. Are the anticipated benefits worth the price we would have to pay for them? In Where Science and Ethics Meet: Dilemmas at the Frontiers of Medicine and Biology, a biochemist and a biomedical researcher who are highly experienced in explaining ethics for lay audiences present the most innovative advances in biomedicine and enable readers to develop their own opinions about the ethical and social consequences these technologies will bring.

Each controversial topic in modern medicine and ethics is introduced through a hypothetical case study that highlights thorny ethical issues before explaining the key aspects of the science and technology involved and addressing the associated ethical considerations in detail. The interdisciplinary treatment of the topics makes the book relevant to students of science, medicine, ethics, law, and sociology as well as health care professionals.

• Provides clear, easily understandable information for nonspecialist readers with sufficient detail to enable an understanding of the science behind the discoveries and the range of ethical problems they generate

• Presents a dynamic mix of present or near-future case studies (fictional), scientific explanations, and discussions of ethics

• Addresses topics that are frequently in the media, such as cloning, organ transplantation, and genetic modification, and clarifies concepts that people have heard about but may not fully understand

• Summarizes arguments in favor and against to allow readers to form their own opinions on important ethical debates