justice – Ethics and Policy

Should we be trying to make ourselves smarter though cognitive enhancement?

In recent years, there has been controversy about the use of medications like Ritalin and amphetamines by people without a medical diagnosis to warrant their use to boost performance in school and on tests. Some feel that this is cheating, giving students with access to these medications an unfair advantage over those who do not.ContinueContinue reading “Should we be trying to make ourselves smarter though cognitive enhancement?”

Thank you for not smoking

Over the next few decades, we are likely to see major advances in our understanding of medicine and the technology of diagnosing and treating illness. We are learning more and more about the human genome and testing is becoming more readily available. Nanotechnology is likely going to revolutionize how we diagnose and treat disease. SyntheticContinueContinue reading “Thank you for not smoking”

We have the results of the prenatal genetic screening back…

Suppose you are expecting a baby and the obstetrician or genetic counselor tells you that they detected your future child possesses a gene which is associated with the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This neuromuscular disease with its severe progressive muscle weakness doesn’t usually begin to exhibit itself until after age 40. It’s earlyContinueContinue reading “We have the results of the prenatal genetic screening back…”