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Abstract The rapid development (1) of gene-editing technologies has introduced new possibilities for preventing disease and enhancing human traits. From TALENs to CRISPR-Cas9, scientific abilities have stretched beyond what was once thought possible. Nevertheless, the emergence of these innovations still raises profound ethical concerns about the future of human reproduction and the boundaries of scientific intervention. This paper examines the ethical implications of gene e

What if the platforms that minors use every day to communicate, learn, and form their identities were suddenly taken away in the name of public health? Australia’s decision to restrict social media access for those under sixteen raises questions about whether government intervention is necessary to protect minors from neurological, mental, and behavioral harms. However, in a world where social media is deeply connected to friendship, self-expression, and community, it becomes

What if antibiotics could no longer eliminate bacterial infections, or prevent them from being contracted during surgeries? Due to the current rate at which we are using (and misusing) antibiotics, this terrifying scenario might become a reality. Antibiotic resistance is rising and spreading rapidly worldwide, jeopardizing healthcare as we know it, while research and innovation lags behind. Consequently, it becomes increasingly critical to re-examine our antibiotic prescribin

What do physicians owe to their patients? For years, scholars have debated the use of conscientious objections in healthcare, which allow physicians to refuse to participate in services they morally oppose. Recently, medical professionals have cited new legislation protecting these objections, to back their refusals to patient identities, rather than to certain treatments or procedures. This paper will dissect how conscientious objections are, and should be, used in medical s

This paper analyzes the ethical tensions that rise with private equity investment in medical institutions. When a private equity firm invests in a hospital, financial incentives often take priority over optimizing patient care. Considering the financial realities of today’s medical industrial complex, this paper will explore whether both of these goals, financial and personal, are able to be attended to simultaneously. Table of Contents Introduction Background The Rise of Fi

Scientists estimate that up to 50% of fertilized eggs fail to develop, often before a pregnancy is even detected. Despite the fact that infertility, miscarriage, and developmental disorders affect millions of people, much of early human development remains hidden from direct observation and poorly understood. Emerging technologies known as embryoids, stem cell-derived models that mimic aspects of early development, offer new opportunities to study these processes while simult

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us were scrambling to be vaccinated to protect ourselves from the notoriously destructive outbreak—but as we received our preventative treatments, did we truly consider that our ability to receive vaccines was not a global norm, but a privilege shaped by greater policy decisions? Vaccine nationalism, although a seemingly obscure philosophy, is much more prevalent in our world than the majority realizes. This policy of restrictin

What does a society owe to its eldest members, and how can something other than human fulfill that obligation? As robotic companions capable of lifting patients, detecting falls, and simulating emotional connection move from research labs into real care facilities, the question is no longer hypothetical. This paper weighs whether deploying them at scale is something America can do with integrity, interrogating what happens to human dignity when care becomes automated, whether

What if a simple genetic test could warn someone about a life-threatening risk of cancer before any symptoms appear? As population genomic screening becomes more common, especially among higher-risk groups like Ashkenazi Jewish women, medicine faces a difficult ethical dilemma regarding how far public health systems should go in identifying genetic risk. While these screenings have the potential to save lives through early detection and prevention, they also raise concerns ab

When you take a vitamin or supplement throughout your daily routine, do you ever wonder how effective it is, the meaning behind certain marketing claims, or, most importantly, who approved it? Dietary supplement regulation in the United States was vastly transformed by the passing of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) in 1994, yet, in a time marked by creatine craze, “GLP-1” supplements, and an overwhelming interest in wellness, it is imperative to ethica

What if anyone with a few hundred dollars and internet access could attempt genetic engineering from their own home? Biohacking refers to the practice of individuals, often amateurs, conducting bodily experimentation or developing “homemade” biological devices such as automatic insulin pumps, outside traditional institutional, academic, or clinical settings. While supporters argue that biohacking promotes innovation and medical autonomy, critics warn that it creates serious r

This paper focuses on medical mistrust as a product of flawed systems, and the strain that arises between the duty to protect individual autonomy and protect the health of the greater population. It examines how behavioral science, journalistic media, social media algorithmic personalization, the commercialization of medicine, and different policies across geographical areas all shape public trust in medicine. Using this research, the paper explores how and why mistrust devel

In recent decades, menopause has increasingly been framed as a medical condition rather than as a natural life transition. Menopause is a biological transition that marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years, resulting from the natural decline of ovarian function. While medical interventions can provide relief, their widespread use raises concerns about overmedicalization—treating a natural process as a disease in ways that may not always be necessary or beneficial. Overme

Today, we live in a world more populated than ever. The number of people on Earth continues to increase from our current population of 8.2 billion being projected to reach as high as 10 billion by 2060 (United Nations). However, this growth is not evenly distributed, with many lower-income countries likely to experience the biggest population booms of the 21st century. In contrast, industrialized countries’ birth rates are projected to continue to decrease, with many reaching

Introduction: This paper will discuss the ethics surrounding maternal and fetal healthcare for the unhoused population in the United States. It will evaluate the current standard of care and what services are being provided now to determine whether or not that standard has to be improved. The paper will explore the question: What is the most ethical approach to providing adequate maternal and fetal healthcare to homeless women, especially considering the various unique barrie

Introduction Across town at a research hospital, scientists work with stem cell technology to develop treatments for a child suffering from leukemia. Meanwhile, in a high-end spa in Beverly Hills, a 50-year-old woman pays around $5,000 for a stem cell facial treatment that promises to reverse aging effects. This contrast exposes concerns about how society allocates valuable resources. As stem cell technologies transfer from the research hospital to the cosmetic clinic, they e

Introduction: This paper will focus on the ethicality of parenthood for people with cognitive disabilities and whether society has the responsibility to support that right or not. Cognitive disability refers to a broad range of conditions, including intellectual impairments, autism spectrum disorders, and mental illnesses, which affect an individual’s ability to think, learn, remember, and make decisions. However, for the purpose of my research, I will define intellectual dis

Introduction In an age of rapidly evolving reproductive technologies, individuals who cannot carry a pregnancy to term are presented with two primary options: adoption or surrogacy. While both paths offer the opportunity to become a parent, they raise distinct ethical questions. This paper will examine the ethics of agency adoption and traditional/gestational surrogacy, and explore why adoption has historically been seen as the more socially acceptable choice. It will analyz

By 1999, Jack Kevorkian had aided in the deaths of over one hundred and thirty people. Kevorkian, a Michigan medical pathologist and advocate for self-determined death, used a self-made machine he coined the “mercitron” or the “thanatron.” Starting in 1992 with the death of Susan Atkins, a woman with Alzheimer's disease, Kevorkian’s actions attracted major media attention.

Except for occasional exposés and short-lived reform efforts, prison medicine has gone without public scrutiny… Outside of prisons and jails, health care providers and facilities have been inspected, licensed, certified, maintained, and regulated. Within the walls, in sharp contrast, almost anything could go on (Prout et al. 228). Introduction Many incarcerated women in the United States have had pregnancy experiences that could be considered inhumane, from not receiving rec