[Regene Coleman]

[Deviance and Social Psychology]

[Beverly J. Mason]

[Medical Ethics]

Medical Ethics

Introduction

The reason, why I have selected this topic is due to the fact that overall, human genetics concerns figure prominently in statements issued by international and regional health- and culture-related organizations. Some of the policy documents of such organizations specifically mention disability.

Problem Statement

In response to advances in human genetics and biotechnology, a number of governmental and nongovernmental organizations at the international and regional levels have taken an interest in addressing genetics within a human rights framework. A broad consensus of remarkable consistency is emerging. It addresses four ethical principles: justice, nondiscrimination, diversity, and autonomy.

Research Question

Q1 Is it ethical to use human tissue cell for research?

Literature Review

As depicted in the book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, by author Rebecca Skloot (rebeccaskloot.com), it has been more than a half century since the publication of Watson and Crick's (1953) landmark paper on the structure of DNA and its implications for the transmission of heritable information. In that time, genetics has become one of the most exalted areas in all of science. Really, more of the sheets of research, the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, are devoted to study that in one way or another engages genes than any other facet of science. Genetics has furthermore apprehended the well liked press like couple of other localities of science. Completion of the sequencing of the human genome, for instance, has been celebrated as one of the greatest achievements in the history of human intellectual endeavor (Andrews, 2008).

Possibly nowhere has genetics seeped into well liked heritage more pervasively, neither more erroneously, than in the area of human behavior? This is, in part, based on the accolades and hubris with which genes have been encouraged as the key to unraveling the secrets of humanity. The Nationwide Institute of Mental Wellbeing has put recognising the genetic bases of convoluted behaviors and genetic origins of mental sickness as cornerstones of their funding initiatives. The American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society (APS) have joined this movement with broad-scale support of behavioral genetics research (Asch, 2006). The APA Genetics in Psychology world wide web location declares, for instance, that “soon the genetic bases of widespread psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and despondency, are likely to be unraveled” (Flint, 2004).

Picking up on the euphoric optimism that mainstream behavioral science has for genes in interpreting demeanor, the well liked press is replete with headline-grabbing tales about researchers recognising the genetic basis for schizophrenia, despondency, homosexuality, aggression, perceptions of injustice, infidelity; and the register continues. Although, when one reads the research of genetics nearly, a key, if not the foundation, facet of genetic research is missing from the scientific and well liked press headline anecdotes: development. As geneticists are learning every day, the role of genes cannot be separated from the process of development (Andrews, 2008).

Getting human tissue units to augment in a Petri dish was a long-sought goal of investigators in the early half of ...