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The Humanitas
Project
The cultural
impact of the new biotechnologies, from life support systems to
cloning to genetic testing of embryos for sex selection, has not
been lost on the cultural commentators. In anticipation of even
further developments, some have already dubbed the 21st century
the “Biotech Century.”
The increasing
prominence of the new biotechnologies, along with the ideas that
guide their development and use, demands our attention as few
other cultural developments have. The purpose of The
Humanitas Project is to provide educational resources that
will help in making informed and wise decisions about supporting
and using these technologies.
The ethical issues
raised by the new technologies are the stuff of everyday life:
determining medical treatment for a newborn that will live only
a few days due to a genetic abnormality; deciding about life
support for an elderly parent who is the victim of a severe
stroke; considering in vitro fertilization because of
infertility problems. Making decisions or providing counsel
about such ethical issues is a task that we all will face,
sooner or later.
The issues of
bioethics are also the stuff of everyday politics and public
controversy. Abortion has been a major source of debate since
the sixties. Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide are the
sources of ongoing political struggles. The destruction of
human embryos to obtain stem cells is in the news on a weekly,
if not daily, basis. And cloning, for therapeutic purposes, is
part of the stem cell debate. Cloning may also be a precursor
of even more significant issues that some would describe as a
project to “redesign the human race.”
While many of the
biotechnologies present profound ethical challenges, others
offer great promise of health and healing; still others can be
used for both harmful and healing purposes. Thus, judgments
about the development and use of these technologies require
considerable understanding, discernment, and wisdom. The goal
of The Humanitas Project is to provide educational
resources that will contribute to the making of wise and ethical
decisions.
For additional information, see the
About
section.
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