CHAPTER 6: BIOETHICS: The Philosophy of Safeguarding Life

(Reflection Paper)

In this lesson, it talks about a newly developed discipline, it is a subfield of ethics.

It is none other than bioethics, which is the morality of human life. It deals with ethical

issues arising from health care, advance in biological medicine or technology, crimes

against the integrity of human life, and self-defense. Despite of being an advantage since

it promotes the safeguarding of life, it also has its disadvantage. Since it examines the

nature of biological and technological discoveries and the responsible use of biomedical

advances, with particular emphasis upon their moral implications for our individual and

common humanity, bioethics sometimes become a limitation to an advance future and

some break-through in medical science.

Health care is not only a medical but also one of many moral issues, for it involves

decision making over health and healing, over life and death. It has several principles,

which is the principle of respect for the patient’s autonomy, principle of non-maleficience,

principle of beneficence, principle of justice, and also the principle of confidentiality. I think

this principles is in line with bioethics. It is to help the patient in securing his/her life

whenever s/he is in need of a health care. This may also for the reason not to defy the

ethical and moral issues regarding health care.

The rise in biological technology specifically human genome project holds a lot of

controversy to bioethicists. Although it is a break-through in medical science, we cannot

hide the fact that it manipulates the genes of human, which is a violation to natural law or
an alteration to God’s plan. For me, even if this can make a better offspring for human in

the future, same with bioethicists, I disagree with it. It is important for me the plan of God,

the natural way of making a human genes and DNA, thus I strongly disapprove in ways

that alters, modify, and recreating it.

Bioethics doesn’t gave its approval to crimes against human life such as suicide,

euthanasia or mercy-killing, abortion, mutilation, sterilization, human trafficking, and drug

addiction. As we all know, suicide is a violation to human life since it is killing of oneself,

which from the word kill, is a wrong doing. All the time it is caused by depression, and, in

my opinion, the victim here is their own self, and maybe leaving the society around them

as the predator. And although it is wrong to take your own life, you were forced to do it

maybe because the environment around them triggers their desire to make it done and

also for them to stop the pain they feel. So let’s always check on people to stop this kind

of thing, because it will never be their fault that they feel that urge, sometimes the pain is

just too much. Regarding to sterilization , I am kinda approve, since I think sometimes it

is strongly needed for family planning. And in mutilation, I am somewhat neutral. In

euthanasia, my mind can’t decide whether to disagree or kinda agree with it, disagree

because it is a violation to God since it is an intention of ending a life, but the thought that

what if a person is very sick that s/he can handle the pain anymore and it is an incurable

disease makes me want to somewhat agree. And for the remaining crimes, the human

trafficking and drug addiction, I strongly give my disapproval, since it is proven that many

has ruined life because of this.

Self-defense is the defending of oneself against unjust aggression. So why it

became an issue to bioethics? I think because it still involves a harm on human. But still,
self-defense is necessity for us especially when one has threathen your life. Just make

sure that it is not your intention to harm others but is the only resort to protect your own

self.

In summary, bioethics is a good thing for it helps us to protect the natural humanity,

but also restrict some things that maybe has the capability to enhance human race. For

me, just weigh things, know the pros and cons and determine what has the most.