I recently received an email from someone trying to better herself and her family through education. She seemed to be in desperate economic straits. Working on her Associate's degree and in need of advice on how to acquire the necessary resources to do her work online, she ostensibly needed a laptop computer. In her email she mentioned that she was taking course work online from Westwood College. Curious, I Googled Westwood and immediately found extensive references to unethical practices in the Ripoff Report. See this link for specific allegations of unethical or perhaps even fraudulent practices.
It sickens me that such places exist. Graduates of Westwood can expect to be in tens of thousands of dollars of debt, and with no marketable degree. To take advantage of others' desperation and desire to better themselves is morally obscene.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Genetic Testing & Research: Some Questions for us to Think about. . . .
1. Is the manipulation and alteration of the human genome immoral? Why or why not?
2. Human embryonic stem cell research offers the promise of curing diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s, diabetes, heart disease, and spinal cord injuries. It also has the potential to make health care more effective by personally tailoring treatment to each individual's genomic characteristics. Gene therapy research requires, however, the use and destruction of human embryos. Is this immoral? Do blastocysts or embryos have intrinsic moral worth? Or do the potential benefits of stem cell research outweigh the moral concerns about using human embryos as a means to the end of helping others?
3. To what extent is it morally justified to use someone for the benefit of another? What makes one life more valuable than another?
4. Is the cloning of humans immoral? What are the main reasons for thinking that reproductive cloning is morally right or wrong? Is there a right to a unique genetic identity?
5. As more genetic information about you is gathered, there is greater potential for abuse. You might, for example, lose your job if your employer were to find out that you have a higher than normal probability for developing a serious disease. How important is genetic privacy? How much do others have a right to know about your genetic makeup?
6. Would it be wrong to create “designer children,” either through selective breeding or by the vitro modification of genes? Why or why not?
7. If your parents paid a lot of money to a reproductive geneticist for your “designer genes,” would you have an obligation to pay them back if you don’t live up to their expectations? Could they sue the geneticist for breach of contract?
8. Would it be wrong to give birth knowingly to a baby with inherited genetic defects? If, using prenatal testing procedures like amniocentesis or ultrasound, the results show that a fetus has Down Syndrome, Tay-Sachs, or spina bifida, would it be morally wrong to continue the pregnancy? Could the parents be held liable for punitive damages in a ‘wrongful life’ or ‘wrongful birth’ lawsuit?
9. If parents decide to have a child with birth defects, can health insurers deny them coverage?
10. Should eugenics be left to the marketplace? If there is a bias, reinforced in the marketplace, that favors a genetic advantage of the wealthy over the poor, won’t this result in a Bio-Divide between the ‘Gen-Rich’ and ‘Gen-Poor’? Won’t the genetically rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, placing the latter at a competitive disadvantage? Won't genetic inequality accelerate social and economic inequality?
11. Should everyone who is born have equal access to genetic opportunity?
12. Should genes be patented? Is there a slippery slope in treating human genetic material as a commodity? Would it be wrong, e.g., to produce jewelry made out of human genetic material?
13. Are anthropocentric cultural attitudes toward human life as superior to other forms of life justified given our genetic similarities to other species? Given our common genetic 'language,' are other forms of life "essentially" different? (The human genome, e.g., only has approximately twice as many genes as a fruit fly. The mouse and roundworm have approximately the same number of genes as the human genome.)
14. The more we learn about how our genes influence our intellectual ability, metabolism, gender identity, and risk for disease, the more question there seems to be whether we really have control over who we are and what we do. Do our genes determine who we are?
15. In 1927 the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in the Virginia case of Buck vs. Bell that compulsory sterilization of the “mentally retarded and feebleminded” was legally justified because they posed a “genetic threat to society.” Given that there is historical precedent for state enforced eugenics, should we be concerned about the intervention of the government in parental decisions about reproductive choice?
16. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was signed into law in 2008. It prohibits health insurance companies and employers from using genetic information to deny or restrict access to health care and fire or refuse to hire employees. Does this go far enough in protecting our privacy and preventing potential discrimination?
17. Forensic DNA testing has freed innocent people from jail, and even death row. It has also assisted law enforcement in matching criminals to their crimes. Should individuals be required to submit DNA samples to a national DNA database for the purpose of assisting criminal investigations?
18. In criminal investigations, individuals may be asked by law enforcement to submit "rule-out" samples of their DNA to assist with the investigation. If asked by the police, should you voluntarily submit your DNA? Is it ethical to pressure people to cooperate with criminal investigations by submitting samples of their DNA? (Christa Worthington case)
19. Genetic testing can identify the gene for Huntington’s Disease, a progressive, fatal neurological disease that typically afflicts people in mid-life. What would you advise in the following case? Jessica’s maternal grandfather died of Huntington’s Disease (and her father does not carry the HD gene). Her mother, now in her mid-40s, seems asymptomatic but has been a bit forgetful and has been acting somewhat clumsily lately. Jessica would like to get tested for HD before she decides to marry and have a family. If her test results come back positive for HD, should she tell her mother? Should she tell her other siblings?
2. Human embryonic stem cell research offers the promise of curing diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s, diabetes, heart disease, and spinal cord injuries. It also has the potential to make health care more effective by personally tailoring treatment to each individual's genomic characteristics. Gene therapy research requires, however, the use and destruction of human embryos. Is this immoral? Do blastocysts or embryos have intrinsic moral worth? Or do the potential benefits of stem cell research outweigh the moral concerns about using human embryos as a means to the end of helping others?
3. To what extent is it morally justified to use someone for the benefit of another? What makes one life more valuable than another?
4. Is the cloning of humans immoral? What are the main reasons for thinking that reproductive cloning is morally right or wrong? Is there a right to a unique genetic identity?
5. As more genetic information about you is gathered, there is greater potential for abuse. You might, for example, lose your job if your employer were to find out that you have a higher than normal probability for developing a serious disease. How important is genetic privacy? How much do others have a right to know about your genetic makeup?
6. Would it be wrong to create “designer children,” either through selective breeding or by the vitro modification of genes? Why or why not?
7. If your parents paid a lot of money to a reproductive geneticist for your “designer genes,” would you have an obligation to pay them back if you don’t live up to their expectations? Could they sue the geneticist for breach of contract?
8. Would it be wrong to give birth knowingly to a baby with inherited genetic defects? If, using prenatal testing procedures like amniocentesis or ultrasound, the results show that a fetus has Down Syndrome, Tay-Sachs, or spina bifida, would it be morally wrong to continue the pregnancy? Could the parents be held liable for punitive damages in a ‘wrongful life’ or ‘wrongful birth’ lawsuit?
9. If parents decide to have a child with birth defects, can health insurers deny them coverage?
10. Should eugenics be left to the marketplace? If there is a bias, reinforced in the marketplace, that favors a genetic advantage of the wealthy over the poor, won’t this result in a Bio-Divide between the ‘Gen-Rich’ and ‘Gen-Poor’? Won’t the genetically rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, placing the latter at a competitive disadvantage? Won't genetic inequality accelerate social and economic inequality?
11. Should everyone who is born have equal access to genetic opportunity?
12. Should genes be patented? Is there a slippery slope in treating human genetic material as a commodity? Would it be wrong, e.g., to produce jewelry made out of human genetic material?
13. Are anthropocentric cultural attitudes toward human life as superior to other forms of life justified given our genetic similarities to other species? Given our common genetic 'language,' are other forms of life "essentially" different? (The human genome, e.g., only has approximately twice as many genes as a fruit fly. The mouse and roundworm have approximately the same number of genes as the human genome.)
14. The more we learn about how our genes influence our intellectual ability, metabolism, gender identity, and risk for disease, the more question there seems to be whether we really have control over who we are and what we do. Do our genes determine who we are?
15. In 1927 the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in the Virginia case of Buck vs. Bell that compulsory sterilization of the “mentally retarded and feebleminded” was legally justified because they posed a “genetic threat to society.” Given that there is historical precedent for state enforced eugenics, should we be concerned about the intervention of the government in parental decisions about reproductive choice?
16. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was signed into law in 2008. It prohibits health insurance companies and employers from using genetic information to deny or restrict access to health care and fire or refuse to hire employees. Does this go far enough in protecting our privacy and preventing potential discrimination?
17. Forensic DNA testing has freed innocent people from jail, and even death row. It has also assisted law enforcement in matching criminals to their crimes. Should individuals be required to submit DNA samples to a national DNA database for the purpose of assisting criminal investigations?
18. In criminal investigations, individuals may be asked by law enforcement to submit "rule-out" samples of their DNA to assist with the investigation. If asked by the police, should you voluntarily submit your DNA? Is it ethical to pressure people to cooperate with criminal investigations by submitting samples of their DNA? (Christa Worthington case)
19. Genetic testing can identify the gene for Huntington’s Disease, a progressive, fatal neurological disease that typically afflicts people in mid-life. What would you advise in the following case? Jessica’s maternal grandfather died of Huntington’s Disease (and her father does not carry the HD gene). Her mother, now in her mid-40s, seems asymptomatic but has been a bit forgetful and has been acting somewhat clumsily lately. Jessica would like to get tested for HD before she decides to marry and have a family. If her test results come back positive for HD, should she tell her mother? Should she tell her other siblings?
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