Ethical Issues Analysis

Abstract

The medical field has developed in an extraordinary way over the past few decades. It has been helped by the enormous progress in technology and computer science that have vastly extended the possibilities of experimentation on human beings. These experiments have led to many saved lives and have lengthened our average life spans. But are some medical researchers pushing the envelope too far? In the article Sham Surgery, a doctor uses a very controversial “placebo” technique in trying to help a patient with Parkinson’s disease. In another article, The World Seen From Rome, the Pontifical Academy for Life states its commitments in biomedical work. The articles serve as examples of how some researchers push the limits of accepted ethical medical research, while others create guidelines in hopes of preventing researchers from crossing over ethical research boundaries. This analysis will discuss the ethical issues raised in the articles, the effect these issue...