Introduction
This is a brief introduction to topic of Bioethics, and an explanation of why this class is important for everyone. This is a look at the five dominate ethical principle in biomedical research: autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, utility, and justice. Finally there is a brief description of the major ethical theories that are relevant to this class: Utilitarianism, Kantian Ethics, Principlism, Natural Law Theory, Rawl’s Contract theory, Virtue Ethics, Ethics of Care, Feminist Ethics, and Casuistry.
1.2
Introduction to Bioethics and Ethical Principles
1.4
Ethical Theories
Pandemic Ethics
This look at the ethical questions around pandemics starts with a history of vaccine efficacy and vaccine hesitancy. Then, we look at Kowalik’s argument that there is no ethical obligation for individuals to get vaccinated for the sake of those who cannot be vaccinated, nor in the interest of public health. Then, there is a look at the ethical questions that merged from the Covid 2019 pandemic specifically:
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How do we equitably distribute scarce life saving resources, like ventilators, ICU beds, and vaccines?
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What are healthcare workers obligations to society? Since we all need healthcare what are our new obligations to them?
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What are our moral obligations to each other to socially distance and wear masks?
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What are our obligations to overcome racial and ethnic inequalities in treatment and prevention?
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Is there a safe way to speed up the vaccine trials, without exposing patients to unnecessary risk?
Finally, we looked at Ballantyne’s argument that in the COVID-19 pandemic, triage protocols can rely too heavily on the principle of utility at the expense of equity.
2.1
Vaccines
2.2
Ethics of Vaccine Refusal
2.3
Pandemic Ethics
2.4
Ballantyne - ICU Triage
Heath Care and the Opioid Crisis
This is a look at the ethical questions around the opioid crisis and the American healthcare system. Specifically this is a look at the cause of the opioid crisis, questions about who is morally responsible for this crisis, and finally how the health care system and society should help addicts caught up in it. Finally, there is a look at the heath care system as a whole in America.
3.1
Opioid Crisis
3.2​
Health Care
Abortion
This is a look at the moral permissibility of abortions. To be clear, this is not about the ethics of the legal access to the medical procedure, but rather this is about whether that medical procedure is ethical to perform. We start with some history of abortions and the accompanying ethics and the dominate philosophic views. Then we go deeper into the moderate position (some but not all abortion are permissible) through the presentation of Thompson’s famous article a defense of abortion.
For more check out the lecture Abortion is Immoral from the Intro to Philosophy course.
4.1
Abortion
4.2
Thompson - A Defense of Abortion
Organ Transplants
This looks as how we ration scarce life saving medical resources, specifically organs. We look at George Annas’ article about the ethical implication of different forms of rationing schemes and Jacob Appel’s argument that death row inmates should eligible to be on the organ donor waitlist. Finally, using the principle of act utilitarianism, I present the argument that all eligible donors have a moral obligation to be a non-directed kidney donor.
5.1
Organ Transplant
5.2
Annas - The Prostitute, the Playboy, and the Poet
5.3
Appel - Wanted Dead or Alive?
5.4
Obligation to Donate
Death and Euthanasia
This is a look at some of the ethical questions related to death:
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How is death defined?
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When is death a good thing?
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When and why can it be morally permissible to hasten a patient's death?
Then we look at the classic article from Timothy Quill about his patient Diane and her decision to die with dignity.
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For more check out the lecture Don't Fear the Reaper from the Intro to Philosophy course.
6.1
Death and Euthanasia
6.2
Quill - Death and Dignity
Genetics and CRISPR
This is a look at some of the ethical question around Genetics.
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Should genetic testing be used to identify or predict diseases even when no treatment is available?
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Who should control genetic information about a person, and what is a physician’s duty regarding truth-telling and confidentiality?
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Is it wrong for parents to use PGD and embryo selection to avoid having a disabled baby?
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Do these practices discriminate against disabled people?
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Should genetic technology be used to select a child’s gender or other attributes such as eye and hair color and musical or athletic ability?
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Can eugenics ever be justified?
On top of all that, we look at the new world of complications with CRISPR.
7.1
Genetics
7.2
CRISPR
7.3
Schaefer - Can Reproductive Genetic Manipulation Save Lives?
Patient's Rights
The main concern is to find the right balance between autonomy and paternalism. Autonomy being a person’s rational capacity for self-determination and paternalism being the interference with an individual’s autonomy for their own good. When and why it is permissible to violate a patient's autonomy? This is also a look at patient’s right to refuse treatment, ethical obligation when a patient demands a futile treatment, and a libertarian justification for vaccine mandates.
8.1
Patient's Rights
8.2
A Dialogue Between Dax Cowart and Robert Burt
8.3
Conley - Against Autonomy
Human Research
Medical science is driven by two values: knowledge and beneficence. The quest to find out why, and then use that knowledge to help others. When humans are the subjects of the medical research these values tend to clash. One of the main conflicts is between the patients in the study and the patients who might receive the treatment if it is proven effective. To get the knowledge of how to effectively treat people and do good, the experiments can sometimes harm participants. These experiments can give us knowledge that can transform our understanding of health and sickness, but they also bring up intersting moral conflicts about how we should treat other people.
9.1
Human Research
9.2
Race and Medicine
Q&A
Real medical professionals answering real student questions.
10.1
2022
10.2
2023
"I loved everything about this course. It was by far my favorite class, it was well organized and structured, had a very manageable workload, and Professor Costigan was always enthusiastic, willing to work with us and very available, and made his content very engaging."
"Introduction to Bioethics taught by Tom Costigan is hands down my favorite course I've taken in all my four years here at UCSB."
"This course helped me think about real life problems and consider how we treat people. This course felt so valuable because it opened up new ways of thought for me that I wouldn't have necessarily considered before, and helped my views to be more comprehensive and less narrow minded"
