Taking sides: Clashing views on bioethical issues

Medical decision making

Is informed consent still central to medical ethics?

Should truth-telling depend on the patient's culture?

Does direct-to-consumer drug advertising enhance patient choice

End-of-life dilemmas

Have advance directives failed?

Is "palliative sedation" ethically different from active euthanasia?

Should physicians be allowed to assist in patient suicide?

Choices in reproduction

Is abortion immoral?

Should a pregnant woman be punished for exposing her fetus to risk?

Children, adolescents, and bioethics

Should adolescents be allowed to make their own life-and-death decisions?

Is it ethical to use steroids and surgery to stunt disabled children's growth?

Should vaccination for HPV be mandated for teenage girls?

Genetics

Is genetic enhancement an unacceptable use of technology?

Do the potential benefits of synthetic biology outweigh the possible risks?

Human experimentation

Should new drugs be given to patients outside clinical trials?

- Does community consultation in research protect vulnerable groups?

Bioethics and public policy

Is it fair to require individuals to purchase health insurance?

Should there be a market in human organs?

Does military necessity override medical ethics?

Should performance-enhancing drugs be banned from sports?

Should pharmacists be allowed to deny prescriptions on grounds of conscience?

Will biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease be a good tool for life planning?

Is there an ethical duty to provide health care for all immigrants to the United States?

Is informed consent still central to medical ethics?

Should truth-telling depend on the patient's culture?

Does direct-to-consumer drug advertising enhance patient choice?

Do some advance directives limit patients' rights?

Do standard medical ethics apply in disaster conditions?

Should physicians be allowed to assist in patient suicide?

Should doctors be able to refuse demands for "futile" treatment?

Is abortion immoral?

Should a pregnant woman be punished for exposing her fetus to risk?

Should adolescents be allowed to make their own life-and-death decisions?

Do parents harm their children when they refuse medical treatment on religions [sic] grounds?

Is the ban on federal funding of human stem cell research justifiable?

Is genetic enhancement an unacceptable use of technology?

Should animal experimentation be permitted?

Should prisoners be allowed to participate in research?

Should federally funded health care be tied to following doctors' orders?

Dies military necessity override medical ethics?

Should performance-enhancing drugs be banned from sports?

Should there be a free market in body parts?

Should pharmacists be allowed to deny prescriptions on grounds of conscience?

Should public health override powers over individual liberty in combatting bioterrorism?