(Posted October 31, 1997 ? Issue 19; archived December 5, 1997)
Thanks to advances in biotechnology and medical research, over the
last decade the field of bioethics has emerged into prominence. Recent
discoveries in cloning technology have provoked worldwide discussions about
bioethics issues. A survey of bioethics Web sites uncovers articles and
essays, discussion forums, collections of links, and bibliographies, all
available to explore topics in science and research ethics.
Essays and Articles
For a good introduction, visit
Bioethics
for Beginners, part of the Bioethics Internet
Project at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Bioethics. The
introduction
describes the origin of the bioethics and medical ethics fields.
The history begins with a description of professional codes such as the Greek Hippocratic
Oath and progresses to research ethics issues cited in 1966 by Henry Beecher of Harvard
University. Further discussion explores topics such as reproductive
medicine, the Human Genome Project, and defining death. In addition, the Bioethics Internet
Project features an extensive library
of articles, written by the Center for Bioethics faculty, addressing a variety of current
ethical issues in biology and medicine.
Several Web sites serve as gateways and collection sites for online
bioethics resources. The Genetics and Ethics Web
site, compiled by Bryn Williams-Jones at the University of British Columbia, is a
well-organized collection of links covering a broad range of topics. The
MacLean Center for Clinical Medical
Ethics at the University of Chicago contains an extensive number of bioethics
links. The
Ethics
Updates site of Lawrence M. Hinman features resources for ethical theory
and applied ethics, including some biology topics. This site also includes a
glossary of ethics terms,
tables of contents of ethics journals, and
is searchable.
Hinman's Ethics Updates site includes a
discussion forum for bioethics
issues such as The Ethics of Cloning and Artificial Human Reproduction. The site
presents current news and background references to educate readers on the topic
areas. Visitors can browse discussions as a guest or register for free to
participate.
Science magazine's first Web project was an interactive discussion
called Science Conduct On-Line. The project
presented five case scenarios of different ethics quandaries and invited readers'
comments. A panel of experts responded to the discussions. Cases include
"Whose Data Are They, Anyway?"
And "A Grant Reviewer's Quandary."
Although the project is no longer active, it is an excellent resource for thoughts about ethics
in research.
The Medical College of Wisconsin's Bioethics Database is a gopher-based service that
compiles relevant journal articles, news articles, court rulings, and legislative bills.
Another resource, the European Database
Network, is a collaboration of France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. The project
provides information for ethics in medicine, health professions, and health care. Users
can search for literature references and obtain copies of the original literature.
Bioethics is defined by Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary as
"a discipline dealing with the ethical implications of biological research and
applications especially in medicine." As public interest in bioethics
issues expands, the Internet will be an increasingly informative resource
for discussions and publications on science and research ethics.
Two humorous approaches to bioethics are the short
Biotechnology Code of Ethics and
a cartoon (a
lengthy download at 678K) from the Women and Genetics in Contemporary Society home page.
For a good introduction, visit
Bioethics
for Beginners, part of the Bioethics Internet
Project at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Bioethics. The
introduction
describes the origin of the bioethics and medical ethics fields.
The history begins with a description of professional codes such as the Greek Hippocratic
Oath and progresses to research ethics issues cited in 1966 by Henry Beecher of Harvard
University. Further discussion explores topics such as reproductive
medicine, the Human Genome Project, and defining death. In addition, the Bioethics Internet
Project features an extensive library
of articles, written by the Center for Bioethics faculty, addressing a variety of current
ethical issues in biology and medicine.
The 
Hinman's Ethics Updates site includes a
The Medical College of Wisconsin's 
