Class One/Discuss

From Cyberlaw

Class One (Feb 06) – Setting the Stage: Health Law, Bioethics and Human Rights

Class One Questions and Discussion

Administrative

1. What is the latest date we can turn our paper in? (5)

Nesson here: May 5

2. as to the class itself - any chance we can take it pass/fail? (5)

Nesson here: no, sorry. I would if i could but am not permitted. Bullshit. you can audit.

3. do you foresee this class being discussion oriented or more a series of guest lectures? (1)

Nesson here: Are those my only two choices? i see this class as an adventure. we are in quest of structure for governing ourselves.

4. can the class take a field trip to an appropriately "cool" biotech lab?

Bruce, what do you say?

Class Questions

1. From what source (text, tradition, culture, other) are the ethics of bioethics derived? (5)

• Nesson here: read fried on inidvidual liberty. Bottom line:

"It is the rock-bottom, indigestible fact of each person’s lonely individuality, his ultimate responsibility for his own beliefs, judgments and choices that grounds our demand that we be free, that is the ground for our liberty." (Fried)

2. What's the problem with conflating treatment and research? Isn't it preferable to having a separate research regime that relies on subjects needing nothing but some compensation? (4)

• Nesson here: a wonderful question, to which i add my vote for answer, discussion, response.

3. in the utopian human rights-rich world, what do we do with terrorism? (4)

4. Is bioethics a subset of health law or a parallel field? (3)

5. Should bioethics move towards globally unified principles? Or is it better for each country to decide what is right or wrong based on the situation of its citizens? (3)

6. (1) Are the prices of drugs, tailored or not, sure to go ever higher (take personal computers for a counter example)? (2) Does the increasing cost of the use of human subjects cause this? (2)