Sunday, October 18, 2009

October 27 meeting article

At our meeting this week, we will be discussing "Child DNA Donors should have their say" published in Nature on August 13, 2009. The article highlights the views of bioethicists on genetic repositories.
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090813/full/news.2009.819.html

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Links to case studies

Here are the links to the case studies that we discussed at the past two Bioethics Committee meetings. These case studies are from the New York Presbyterian Hospital Ethics Committee and were presented to the public during the Columbia Center for Bioethics Ethics for Lunch series.

"A Patient's Request for Removal of a Ventricular Assist Device: Is it ethical? Is it legal?"
http://www.bioethicscolumbia.org/pdf/Ventricular_Assist_Device_11_28_06.pdf

"Advertisting for a Kidney: Is it ethical? Is it legal?"
http://www.bioethicscolumbia.org/pdf/Advertising_Kidney_5_9_06.pdf

"When Parents Request an Untested Experimental Therapy for their Extremely Ill Child"
http://www.bioethicscolumbia.org/pdf/Experimental_Therapy_2_16_06.pdf

"A Blind and Psychotic PatientRefusing Cataract Surgery: Beneficent Paternalism or Irrational Autonomy?"
http://asp.cumc.columbia.edu/bioethics/upload/Prager_11-15.07_Ethics_Lunch_Write_Up-1.pdf

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Another interesting article

This article, "Novartis chip ensures bitter pills are swallowed" discusses the use of microchips in pills as a way of monitoring patients' adherence to their prescriptions. Please follow the link to the article on the Financial Times website:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c1473442-a6f4-11de-bd14-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

Is this an ethically appropriate method of ensuring that patients follow their doctors' prescriptions? Do you view this technology as infringing on individual rights and privacy or as promoting the health and safety of these individuals?

An interesting article

This article discusses growing skepticism towards vaccination, in the context of the H1N1 vaccine. Here is the link to the article:

http://news.aol.com/article/growing-vaccine-skepticism-worries/698882#


What do you think of individuals' views about vaccination compared to the statistics which are provided? Is the media partially to blame for this growing trend? Are parents' justified in preventing their children from being vaccinated for infectious diseases?





Please comment; we will not be discussing this article at the committee meeting this week, so we hope to start a discussion about it online.