MCB 404 Final Exam
According to the information on the issue of inequality presented in the documentary "In the Family" as well as discussed in class describe the percentage of white women diagnosed that die from breast cancer and compare it to the African American population
12-29% more white women will be diagnosed with Breast cancer than African American women African American are 28% more likely to die from the disease African American women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer were significantly less likely than white women to be tested Less likely to be genetically tested (culture, socio-economic, not covered by all health insurance)
How did the family of Henrietta Lacks find out about the existence of cell culture from their mother?
20 years later her children learned about the existence of these cell lines while watching a news report
Explain what pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is, how it is performed, and what the uses of this technique are
A blastomere from a blastula is taken and its DNA is tested for genetic diseases This is used to be selective in what blastula will be implanted in the woman for IVF - screening for diseases and now gender and physical traits
Explain why it's necessary to use model organisms in research and what the basis and aim of selecting an organism for a particular research experiment are.
A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand a particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made int eh organism model will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Often used for treatments of disease.
In term of patenting of inventions, describe the condition that an invention must have in order to receive a patent and explain how the patent of a gene doesn't meet these conditions according to the discussions that took place during class.
A patent is an act of an invention a gene is not being invented just isolated
What is a right?
A right is the sovereignty to act without the permission of others You may exercise your rights as long as you do not violate the same rights of another-within this context, rights are an absoluted
Physical endurance
ACE gene, endurance during exercises, allele has 287 additional base pairs and the longer one means you have longer endurance because enhances your anabolic response to extensive exercise training
Explain why scientists are concerned with property ownership of tissue?
About profits inhibiting science from either side of the equation: researchers or patients hinder research by restricting access to the necessary raw materials create a field where with every cell sample a researcher purchases a ticket in a litigation lottery
Be familiar with the case of Abdlemalk Bayout and explain how the courts decided
Admitted killing and stabbing man in 2007 sentenced 9 years, 20 months 2 scientists performed genetic tests for 5 genes linked to genetic behavior 2009 court judge in Italy cut sentence by a year after found out he has gene variants linked to aggression 1st time Europe genes used as evidence 2010 another Judge revoked this
Explain who Henrietta Lacks was and what were the circumstances in which the HeLa cells were developed from her body.
African American patient diagnosed with cervical cancer During a biopsy doctors removed some of her tumor and without her permission cultivated her cells into a "cell culture" which were the first to be successfully maintained in vitro
Explain what are genetic home testing kits and describe the controversies around them as discussed in class.
Alzheimers at home test: saliva samples Navigenetics is company help prevent some diseases if early on tests aren't regulated Peggy 30% chance of alzheimers
Explain Dr. Singer's approach to determine the rights of non-human animals.
Animals have no capacity for reasoning, they do not know what an experiment is or how it benefits them but they have the same capacity for pain, anxiety, depression and excitement as humans
Explain in your own words the areas in which human animals and non-human animals should (and should not have) equal rights.
Animals should not be treated equally as humans but we need to take them into consideration and understand that they do feel suffering and pain and respect that
What did the advisory committee approve in this OTC gene therapy and how were these guidelines violated by the research group?
Approved: Only the use of a vector Guidelines on patients health (healthy and other FDA conditions) A pharmacology dose study, different patients different doses, concentration of vector vs. side effects Must be shut down if any side effects show Violated: OTC worsened at hospital Highest dose Received vector and gene (not consented) Did not report side effects Died two days into trial
From the TED video (Frans de Waal) know his initial studies that he performed indicate that chimpanzees are very aggressive but after fighting reconcile. Why does this behavior not make sense according to the speaker? What is the principle that allows this behavior to make sense for a male?
Because all that matters is that you win or lose, everything is about competition Have to mend an important relationship
Explain why we don't experiment on mentally disabled humans.
Because human beings are biased in favor of their own species
According to the New York Article posted in D2L, why is the informed consent form for molecular research of human samples different from consent forms obtained for experimental drugs or surgery?
Because with their scraps they have a feeling of ownership but this feeling doesn't hold up in court so they sign their consent over but with drugs or surgery they are signing consent to receive something experimental
Explain the philosophy of the Animal Liberation Front to defend the right of animals as explained in the video clips shown in class (and posted in D2L).
Believes that it is acceptable to use violence to free animals that are being used for research Beliefs are based on writings by Singer Believe in hurting the profits of corporations Targets property not people
According to this paper, did Dr. Wilson disclose his conflict of interest in the consent form that the participants of this trial signed
Briefly states on the consent form it said he owned Genovo and they had a financial interest in a successful outcome
According to the reading why does the recognition of property rights not necessarily mean that the owner has rights on how to use the tissue?
Calling something property does not necessarily mean that its owner has all possible rights to its exclusive use, donation, sale, alteration, and destruction, but this is a common bundle of rights associated with ownership of property. If this pattern were extended to tissues, then selling organs might become a matter of right. And cadaveric tissue could become the property of heirs, rendering unusable even old repositories such as the one used to sequence the 1918 influenza virus. Of course, labeling something as "property" does not foreclose limitations on its use: governments can sometimes take property for public purposes or forbid its sale or alteration. But generally, calling something "property" will enhance the owner's interests considerably, especially with regard to prohibiting others from using it
Describe the experiments and results of the fairness experiments discussed in the video.
Capuchins monkeys reject unequal pay Throws cucumber wants grape
When was this precedent made and how was it interpreted back then?
Court decision made in 1614 Defendant caught digging up corpses to steal there clothes and court decided what is in your dead body is not the property of the person that is contained in that body therefore the content of your body does not belong to you
Explain according to the documentary entitled "In the Family" what could be the possible causes of the inequality
Cultural component Socio-economic differences Not all health insurance company cover this cost
Relevant information and genetic causes of thrill seeking
D4DR gene affects dopamine and makes brain feel good linked to anger in adolescence connection of this allele and sex drive
Recently a court decided that gene patents should not be granted, describe the main point of this decision that legal decision.
DNA is a "product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated"
Describe the experiments in altruism performed in chimpanzees.
Do chimpanzees care about the welfare of others? Pro-social Choice Test. Two color tokens. Pick a color, one is selfish and the other helps the other chimpanzee get food. Prefer the pro-social token.
One of the many non-anticipated consequences of sperm banks is the issue of donor siblings. Describe in your own words what donor siblings are and what the negative consequences that this issue has caused are.
Donor-sibling is someone that you share biological DNA with due to having the same donor being one of your biological parents There is now a site that connects these people and now people are realizing that some donors have over hundred kids - all who are related but are unaware of such, unless they all register on the site
Describe the development and outcome of this conflict for Dr. Catalona, Washington University, and the patients. How did the courts decide in this case and what precedent was used in this decision?
Dr. Catalona moved to Northwestern University in Chicago He wrote to his patients asking them to authorize the movement of their tumors to his new institution Washington sued Dr. Catalona for writing to patients Patients sued Washington because tissues belonged to them and they wanted them to stay with Catalona Court decided when tumor is removed from your body the patient gives up his property rights to that issue Could only request to be destroyed not moved to another institution Cited a precedent known as the "no property in a body"
Describe the circumstances that resulted in the lawsuit of John Moore vs. the Reagents of University of California. How did the courts decide in this legal case?
Dr. David Golde harvested cells from John Moore's bone marrow and used his "waste" to create a possible vaccine for AIDS He got a patent on his cells and his work with them-that way John couldn't sell them to anyone else John sued him for deceiving him and using his cells without consent Courts ruled not in favor of Moore but agreed with the two main points- lack of informed consent and withholding financial interest reason they ruled against was to keep from creating precedent of challenging out of body property rights
What are the two channels of empathy? Describe the examples in which these channels of empathy was discussed in the video.
Emotional channel (body)-if you are talking to someone sad you will become sad Cognitive channel (elephants and apes can but very few animals can)
In determining the rights of non-human animals, should we ask for equality for animals? Explain.
Equality is equal considered, not equal treatment so for different beings it may lead to different treatment and different rights
Describe the criticism that experiments on fairness received and how the experimenter replied to those issues.
Fairness is a complex issues and animals cannot have it, invented during French Revolution, Fairness would be if the one that got grapes refused grapes Philosophers need to rethink their philosophy
When John Moore sued UCLA and Dr. Golde, he claimed property right over his cells, why were the researchers concerned that the court could acknowledge his rights?
First person to legally stake claim over his tissue and sure for profits and damages
Describe the different decisions taken by several courts in this case and explain why the Supreme court of California said that Moore could not own his cells.
First time his case was dismissed then moore apealed and won because they said its his property once removed from body then golde appealed and won because ownership vanishes when removed from your body but golde was charged for lack of informed consent and breach of fiduciary duty
Explain the irregularities in this clinical trial.
First version tested in baboons and two died Wilson re-modified virus to say it was safe and did not report the two monkey deaths Lower doses had reactions that went unreported No report that Jesse's OTC got worse on hospital arrival His dose was larger than FDA approved Genovo
Explain how the financial ties that Dr. Wilson had to his biotechnology company affected his scientific subjectivity.
Founder and owner of Genvo Research supported by company Company raised 13 million in investments Company's only aim was to develop gene therapy Not required to disclose this information Financial stake in the variation tested on Jesse Very marketable if successful Genovo had access to all of Wilson's discoveries which minimized their business risk Genovo-Biogen deal: market and sell Genezyme deal: develop liver-directed gene therapy for metabolic disorders
Describe the case of John Moore and the legal decision taken by the court.
Hairy-cell leukemia, filled spleen with blood cells, liver weighed 22 lbs. Doctor lied about financial worth of cells. Patent his cells. Moore got not compensation from his cells but doctor got in trouble for lying to him about financial worth
Explain why many people believe that the document he wrote should not be considered an apology. What does this article talk about?
He never apologizes for what he did to Jesse and his family but he thought it was an apology and so did the court. He took responsibility for his actions and discussed the lessons he learned
Be familiar with the case of Tony Mobley and explain how the courts decided
Healthy family Robbed a Domino's Pizza in Georgia killed store manager Death by electrocution In jail he was still violent: fought, raped, threatened Lawyers argued behavior because of scientific defect Submitted affidavits from doctors Court denied this evidence to jury courts will not generally accept scientific research into evidence as long as connection is casual between gene and violent behavior its not accepted
Cognitive capacity
IQ gene CHRM2 predicts intelligence by looking at memory, attention, higher cognition
Apply the concepts of right, natural right, and consideration to the issue involving animals as experimental models.
If animals have rights then we are acting on them without their permission which is wrong. We are not being thoughtful and taking their lives into consideration and with regards to natural rights it doesn't matter the time or place we are in the animals are still guaranteed rights by nature.
Explain why Dr. Singer uses the argument that if we accept the use of experimentation on animals, then we should also accept experimentation on severely mentally disabled humans?
If lack of reasoning is the reason for using animals in research then, it should be permissible to use severe mentally disabled humans in research the same way
According to the video clip "The Gift of Immortal Cells", why is John Hopkins University reluctant to compensate the surviving family of Henrietta Lacks?
If you compensate one person you have to compensate everyone and it sets a precedent
According to the study of Lori d'Agincourt-Canning discussed in class, explain who our society is responsible for communicating the result from a genetic rest
Immediate family Extended relatives Significant others Friends Women carry the responsibility of keeping a genetic record of the family Women feel responsible for communicating positive results to the immediate and extended family member as well
Explain the meaning and possible consequences for each of the results of a BRCA mutation.
Increase predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer No mutation detected (having this result does not mean that the women will never develop breast or ovarian cancer) Positive for a deleterious mutation (Deleterious mutations are changes in the DNA that will lower the fitness of the individual to survive or to reproduce) Variant of uncertain significance (the test indicate that there is a change in the gene, but it cannot be determined if this change could increase the risk of developing cancer/not all changes in genes cause the gene to function improperly)
Describe the guidelines that insurance companies have to determine whether or not they will cover a genetic test
Is the test itself accurate and reliable? Is it related to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of an illness? Will it drive clinical decision-making about appropriate treatment? Will it improve the clinical outcome?
Describe in which way this decision establishes a precedent for future (and maybe past cases) that involves questions on ownership of human biological material.
It establishes that if something happens without someones knowledge or beliefs then they are entitled to compensation but it messes with past decisions because it gives them property rights outside their body
According to this paper what was the lesson that we learned from this clinical trial in term of conflict of interest?
It is very difficult to manage real or perceived financial conflicts of interest in clinical trials
What are minisatellites and microsatellites and give an example of how changes in them can cause a disease.
Microsatellites: Short tandem repeats (STRS) Repeats are shorter than in a minisatellite Only 7 to 40 repeats are found in each STRs locus change in one base pair is a carrier a change in two base pairs is the disease
Explain in your own words what genetic testing is and what are the different uses of it.
Molecular test that identifies DNA markers, and/or changes in chromosomes and genes Mostly used to find changes that are associated with inherited disorders Can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition
Describe the examples that the presenter discussed in which reciprocity and cooperation were shown to exist in the animal kingdom.
Monkeys pulling the rope to get food, one slacks after he has been fed, they return favors Elephants work together to pull rope, testing to see if they understand cooperation
In the essay entitled "Tools for Research", Dr. Singer describes the learned hopelessness condition experiment performed on different species of non-human animals to support his argument that most experiments performed on animals don't have any fruitful results. Describe these experiments and explain why they didn't contribute to any scientific knowledge.
Most animal experiments don't result in useful data Research has not significantly contributed to extend the life span of humans (medical intervention only responsible for 3.5%) Train dog to jump from one part of cage to other part of cage then applied an electrical shock to one part of cage and he jumped back to where there is no electricity. Put up plexiglass so dog can't escape. Tries to hold electrical shock as well as he could. Learned helplessness in animals is different than in humans so it did is invaluable
Describe the circumstances that lead to the lawsuit between the Havasupai Indian Reservation and the Arizona Board of Reagents.
Much of tribe as diabetes so they approached a scientist at ASU that took blood samples of many of the members but could not find any link to diabetes but the blood samples were later used for other things without the knowledge of the Havasuapi
Does Dr. Wilson discuss the death of any Rhesus monkeys in his laboratory while testing the third generation of the vector?
No only 1st generation - speaks of the affected Baboons
Jesse Gelsinger's medical condition
Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTC) Urea cycle disorder Reduction in ammonia incorporation Elevated ammonia in blood mutation spontaneous not inherited 4 years old 50% of liver cells were "sick"
Dr. Singer argues that the increase of the human lifespan is not a result of animal experimentation. Explain the factors that are the main contributors to the increase in human lifespan observed in western countries.
Our life span is mainly the result of better education and sanitation
What was the result of Dr. Catalona's Research? Describe the conflict between Dr. Catalona and Washington University when Hybertech requested prostate tumor samples.
PSA (Prostate Specific Antibody) was developed He wanted to send Hybertech samples for free because it was the wish of his patients that their tissues be used for research in Prostate cancer but the University of Washington wanted to charge $100,000 to the company for the tissues
Describe the arguments of the Americans for Medical Progress to justify animal experimentation.
Perfectly moral and ethical to perform experiments on animals Let dogs play and socialize Amount of regulation (more for animals than humans) Ethics committee Compassionate people, practicing physicians Clean facilities and well structured
Explain in what respect a positive result of a genetic test for Huntington's disease is different from being positive for deleterious BRCA mutation in term of the decisions that the person can take to prevent the onset of the disease.
Positive for Huntington's disease there is no cure of effective treatment Positive for deleterious BRCA mutation you can have a double mastectomy as well as the removal of the ovaries (Oophorectomy) to reduce chance of developing cancer
According to the article "Body of Research-Ownership and Use of Human Tissue" what will be the possible consequences for biomedical research if property rights were to recognize tissues?
Possible losses to the collective interest in research and organ donation Enhanced regulations protecting human subjects Threaten ability to use stored tissue samples effectively
Describe the behavior of the pair-bonding of prairie voles and meadow voles and explain the genetic differences that could account for their behavior.
Prairie vole is monogamous and doesn't establish more than one pair-bonding relationship Meadow vole is less social, abandons female after mating, aggressive against partner if she follows him Identified DNA markers present in one vole but absent in the other Identify the genes in the region Determine the proteins encoded by the regions that could cause this behavior PV have longer RS3 microsatellite repeat MV have shorter RS3
Describe what Jesse consented to in this clinical trial.
Receive a dose of the vector so its safety could be tested Was going to be exposed intravenously to the vector, not the gene 18 patients involved, he was number 18, signed consent forms at age 18
Describe the pillars of morality according to the material presented in this video.
Reciprocity (fairness) Empathy (compassion)
Describe the work of Dr. William Catalona and explain the commitments that he made with the patients that donated their tumors for research.
Renowned prostate surgeon Removes tumor and leaves behind nerves Asked patients to donate their tumors so they could be studied and kept his patients/donors informed of the progress in his research Idea was to develop a diagnostic kit to allow the earlier detection of prostate tumors
What is a natural right?
Rights which persons possess by nature, that is, without the intervention of agreement, or in the absence of political and legal institutions Attributable to individuals without distinction of time or place
List the research projects done with the material provided by the Havasupai tribe that the tribesmen did not agree to.
Schizophrenia alcoholism effects of intermarriage
Explain what the article "Adverse Events in Gene Transfer Trials and an Agenda for the New Year" is about and what motivated Dr. Wilson to write this article.
Side adverse effects in other trials that prove that though there has been progress in regulating the trials there is more to be done in aspects of informed consent and self-interest conflicts The article was about not allowing people to die from this because it causes the public to no longer support gene therapy
How does the case of Ted Slavin differ from the case of John Moore in terms of monetary compensation?
Slavin made his cells into a business so he sold them himself but Moore's doctor had a patent on Moore's cells so in court he received no monetary compensation
How the information obtained in the genetic causes of the pair-bonding behavior in voles could be applied to human?
Studies suggest an association between a single gene and pair-bonding behavior in humans, and indicate that the well characterized influence of AVP on pair-bonding in voles may be of relevance also for humans
Why do some researchers not think that further regulation is necessary and that the current mechanisms are effective?
Supporters of the status quo argue that passing new, tissue-specific legislation is unnecessary. They point to science's internal oversight mechanisms: academic institutions (and many private companies) have institutional review boards that decide whether consent is needed for tissue research. There are many professional guidelines, like the American Medical Association's code of ethics (which requires doctors to inform patients if their tissue samples might lead to profits).
According to this video, what is empathy?
The ability to understand and share the feelings of another
Explain the idea behind the genius sperm bank and describe whether or not the kids from this program turn out to meet the expectations of this program.
The genius sperm bank gets its material from people with high IQ. the children are expected to have similar IQ and to follow a similar path of success this is not the case though many show a high IQ as well but they dont have the same passions and not all have the high IQ
What is consideration?
The process of giving careful thought to something Circumstance: information that should be kept in mind when making a decision Thoughtful act
Explain what happens to the tissue that an individual leaves behind after a medical procedure.
The stuff you leave behind doesn't always get thrown out. Doctors, hospitals and laboratories keep them. often indefinitely.
Describe the comparisons made by Dr. Singer between the vindication for women's rights and the animal liberation movement and how he uses this argument to propose that animals should have equal rights as humans.
There are some significant differences and similarities between a man and a woman Both must be equal in those areas in which similarities are found It is meaningless to talk about rights in areas in which man and women are different
Describe the importance of the HeLa cell in the advancement of biomedical research. List some of the important experiments in which HeLa cells were used as described in the video clip. Were these cells related to the Henrietta's treatment?
They never die they just keep multiplying and no one knows why. They were sent to space to see how cells react in space and have been used in many cancer experimentation's. Just her cells not her treatment.
Explain why the cells of John Moore were so valuable for researchers.
They produced several valuable proteins used to treat infections and cancer and carried a rare virus that might lead to treatments for HIV
What compensation did they receive as part of this decision?
They received a cash settlement
Briefly explain how the study was done in humans.
They reported an association between one of the human AVPR1a repeat polymorphisms and traits reflecting pair-bonding behavior in men, including partner bonding, perceived marital problems, and marital status, and show that the RS3 genotype of the males also affects martial quality as perceived by their spouses.
What was the understanding of the members of the tribe when they agreed to participate in this research?
They were giving blood samples to test for connections in the high number of congenital diabetes
Currently some couples have opted for using PGD to select the sex of their child. An IVF clinic in Los Angeles proposed (and dropped) the idea of allowing parent to select embryos with some physical traits. Explain in your own words the possible consequences of using PGD for this type of selection
This is a case of euthanasia and could lead to creating a master race - designer babies It is not the natural order to select what your child is too look like - diversity would be lost
As a result of in-vitro fertilization, an egg donor market has been created in the US. Describe the ethical issue of this market and highlight the possible negative consequences of having such a market.
This market targets college aged women and pays about $5000 per donation Some banks pay more for eggs from women fitting a more marketable file- physical traits, IQ, etc. This makes the recipient pay more and is not an equal pay to all who donate-special treatment there is no regulation on how much is paid or what has to be tested
Describe the legal settlement of the University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Wilson's research team, as well as the disciplinary actions imposed on Dr. Wilson
University settled for $517,000 U Penn fined with research restrictions Did not have to admit they were wrong Wanted apology from Wilson After 10 years Wilson wrote an article and took responsibility for his actions but never apologized Mild disciplinary actions, banned from experimenting with human subjects until august 2010
Explain how it was proved that the genetic differences observed were in fact responsible for the different behavior observed in the voles.
Using a virus as a vector they inserted a longer version of the RS3 microsatellite along with the AVPRa1 gene into the meadow vole The new meadow showed a monogamous behavior
Explain the term speciesist and how Dr. Singer uses this term to explain why we abuse animals.
When non-animals believe that all other species of animals are inferior and may therefore be used for human benefit without regard to the suffering that can be inflicted on them Singer says that we discriminate because we believe they have no interest because they are not capable of suffering
Social behavior
Williams syndrome, very social but low IQ, linked with a different copy of genetic material, trigger a hormone that turns us on or off socially, environment also plays a major role
In the EMBO report paper entitled "The Ethics of Animal Research", the argument in favor of using animals as experimental models is raised. The paper discusses the effort of the British Government to protect animals used in experimental procedures. You must familiarize yourself with these arguments as they are presented in the paper and explain the principles of reduction, replacement, and refinement.
access all possible harm that can come to the animals Provide independent ethical advice, particularly with respect to applications for project licences, and standards of animal care and welfare; to provide support to licenses regarding animal welfare and ethical issues; and to promote ethical analysis to increase awareness of animal welfare issues and to develop initiatives for the widest possible application of the 3R's-replacement, reduction and refinement of the use of animals in research.
According to Lori Andrews, why should people keep control of their tissues?
allowing people to express their desires people the tissues come from don't matter moore decision backfired, gave commercial value to researchers
What are the main points proposed by normative relativism.
an ethical decision should be made based on.... what society determines to be right a persons' convictions - based on actions and thus normative
Explain why courts in the United States are reluctant to accept (in most cases) genetic evidence to reduce or exonerate a person accused for a violent crime.
because if they have an aggressive or violent disposition once exonerated they are likely to commit another violent crime
In class we showed a series of video clips in which experiments done on rhesus monkeys resulted in scientific knowledge that can lead to the development of technology that will allow quadriplegics to walk and manipulate computers with their mind. Describe the initial aim of those experiments.
brain implantation of electrodes to allow them to do things with their thoughts such as write emails, move a cursor on a computer screen and even move bionic limbs
Describe what the tenets of cultural relativism are and why they are not necessary true.
concept of rightness and wrongness is contingent on the specific culture and historical context not necessarily true when moral codes between culture or individuals differ
In the second column of page 152 Dr. Wilson wrote "Phase I dose escalation study using safety measures as the primary endpoints, although metabolic correction was also considered." What does he mean with the phrase "...metabolic correction was also considered"?
connection to genezyme deal?
How can this information affect the relationship with significant other?
financial reasons and if they have children they could have the disease
Describe some of the results obtained by the researches that the Havasupai found offensive.
found to be stigmatizing or went against their belief system
Why must we keep track of how Ted Slavin dealt with his cells?
his relationship to those cells was unique: they weren't just part of his body; they were his business, his property
David Korn said, "I think people are morally obligated to allow their bits and pieces to be used to advance knowledge to help others. Since everybody benefits, everybody can accept the small risks of having their tissue scraps used in research." Relate this quote to the two ethical theories that we covered in class in regards to therapeutic and non-therapeutic human experimentation.
if they are personally benefiting from the use of their bits and pieces than it is therapeutic but if there is no direct benefit for the person whose tissues are being used than this idea is non-therapeutic
How did the court decide in this case?
in favor of the havasuapi because it went against their beliefs
It is expected that, in the future, PGD could be used in conjunction with other techniques to add traits to an embryo. Describe the possible consequences that this genetic enhancement could have on our society.
it could be used to create a master human race
List the criticisms to gene patenting
lead to profit seekers slow scientific process companies need to negotiate with donors patients demand montary compensation
What was the justification that the court gave for its decision?
moore couldn't own his cells because that would conflict with golde's patent (transformed cells into invention)
Explain in your own words why some ethicists believe there are not absolute morals.
moral code is set by the community/ society
In what type of research does the stored tissue, with or without our consent, get used for?
no uniformity, education and research
What is the purpose of the chimp retirement homes according to the video clips posted in D2L?
once they are done being used for research it is where they go to be cared for
Explain the difference between the relativism of judgment and relativism of standards.
relativism of making a decision- can have the same moral code but differing ways of implementation common morality is equal to all and cultural morality is relative there is no norm of morals that all are set to abide by
Explain the common rule and why it doesn't necessarily apply to human tissues.
requires that scientists tell people if they are participating in research, that the research is voluntary and that they can withdraw at any time without penalty. consent forms. governs research on living, breathing humans, not their disembodied tissues.
Describe how some Chinese parents are using genetic testing to determine the abilities of their children.
summer camp age 3-12 take DNA test to identify their genetic gift. sports to art. tell parents what talents they should nurture.
According to most bioethicists, a positive result of a genetic test belongs to the immediate family. Explain why?
the genetic information is shared with members of immediate family so they should know
Describe the two perspectives from which we can evaluate normative relativism.
the objectivity of the morals within the culture the foolish consequences of a consistent commitment of moral relativism
Explain why these two rules can't modify a person's ethical position
these rules are not influenced by an individual and thus an individuals ethical position is shaped by their preferences
Goal of gene therapy & "vector problem"
to retrain human genes or heal the mutant genes vehicle used in order to deliver the gene. It was a modified version of an advenovirus.
Describe the two rules that are pervasively acknowledged within every culture.
universal (common) morality "cultural morality"- significant measures of moral agreements (objectivity) - both cannot be modified by a person's preferences
What is the stand of most bioethicist with regards to extended family?
unsure the ethicists are split on whether or not to tell the extended family
Explain how the experiments of synchronization and the observation of consolation in chimpanzees relate to empathy.
yawns are contagious people who have problems with empathy do not express synchronization chimpanzee watches animation of yawing chimpanzee and yawns consolation calms down people, empathy driven because they feel bad
