POLITICAL SCIENCE 322 -- POLITICS AND THE LIFE SCIENCES
Fall 2005
Andrea Bonnicksen, Zulauf 401, 753-7059, albcorn@niu.edu
This semester we will examine policy and ethical issues arising from selected biomedical technologies. Innovative technologies are frequently debated in everyday news, and they affect us personally if we have to make decisions about genetic testing, organ donation, assisted conception, and end-of-life medical treatments. Issues related to these technologies can be contentious, and an introduction to the science, ethics, and policies of each will contribute to informed discussion about policy.
During the semester we will look at issues in biomedical ethics and policy with two overarching questions. First, what is and what should be the role of medical technology in today’s society? We tend to assume that medical technologies will benefit us, but it is important to ask what ends we want from medical innovation, whether these ends are being met, and whether innovation in itself might introduce new challenges. Second, how should we resolve tensions between private choice and public control? Medicine has traditionally been regulated only minimally in this country. State governments oversee licensing, enable malpractice claims, and enact various regulations, but professional associations and other private sector organizations traditionally oversee the practice of medicine. Periodically, however, legislatures and courts become involved in medical research and practice, which leads to discussions about when and under what conditions government involvement is appropriate. Our exploration of these issues will help shape perspectives about future medical innovations and about the values that guide medical research and practice.
REQUIRED READINGS
Carol Levine, Clashing Views on Controversial Bioethical Issues. Dubuque, IA:
McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2006. Eleventh Edition.
CP: readings indicated as CP below are in the course packet, which is required and is available for sale in the university bookstore.
DL: readings indicated as DL below can be downloaded from the internet.
Other class materials occasionally will be placed on NIU’s Blackboard system.
Some general websites are:
http://bioethics.georgetown.edu (search for articles and books)
www.mcw.edu/bioethics/news.html
www.bioethics.gov (President’s Council on Bioethics)
http://thomas.loc.gov (primary government documents)
What is meant by biomedical policy? What is meant by biomedical ethics? What principles guide biomedical ethics? Who makes biomedical policy? What are and what should be goals of biomedical innovation?
Levine, “Medicine and Moral Arguments,” in Levine, pp. xvi-xxvi
Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson, “Deliberating About Bioethics.” Hastings Center
Report 27:38-41 (May/June 1997). CP
President’s Council on Bioethics, Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of
Happiness. 2003. Chapter 1 (“Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness: An
Introduction”). CP
Daniel Callahan, What Price Better Health? Hazards of the Research Imperative.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003, Chapter 1, pp. 1-8. Available at
http://bioethicsprint.bioethics.gov/background/callahan_intro.html CP
II. REPRODUCTIVE
TECHNOLOGIES (AUG. 30, SEPT. 1, 6)
What are assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) and why are they practiced? How should decisions be made about compensating egg donors for their services? Should ARTs be regulated more closely?
TREATMENTS
Browse through www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/art.htm
President’s Council on Bioethics, Reproduction and Responsibility: The Regulation of
New Biotechnologies. 2004. Chapter 2 (“Assisted Reproduction”). CP
COMPENSATION FOR GAMETE DONATION
Ethics Committee, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, “Financial Incentives
in the Recruitment of Oocyte Donors.” Fertility and Sterility 74(2):216-20
(August 2000) CP
Rebecca Mead, “Eggs for Sale.” The New Yorker, August 9, 1999, pp. 56-65.
FERTILITY PRESERVATION
Ethics Committee, American Society for Reproduction Medicine, “Fertility Preservation
and Reproduction in Cancer Patients.” Fertility and Sterility 83(6):1622-1628
(June 2005). CP
ART REGULATION
President’s Council on Bioethics, Reproduction and Reponsibility: The Regulation of
New Biotechnologies. 2004.
“Executive Summary.” CP
Kathy Hudson, “Something Old and Something New.” Hastings Center Report 34(4):14-
15 (July/August 2004). CP
III. EMBRYONIC STEM
CELL RESEARCH (SEPT. 8, 13, 15)
What ethical and policy issues are raised by embryonic stem (ES) cell research? Should the federal government expand funding for this research? What is the impact of ES cell legislation by California, New Jersey, and other states?
STEM CELL SCIENCE
National Institutes of Health. “Pluripotent Stem Cells: A Primer.” CP
President’s Council on Bioethics, Monitoring Stem Cell Research. 2004. “Introduction”
CP
Rick Weiss, “The Power to Divide.” National Geographic, July 2005, pp. 3+. CP
FUNDING ES CELL RESEARCH
Levine, pp. 210-219, “Should the Federal Government Fund Embryonic Stem Cell
Research?”
YES: Baltimore, “Don’t Impede Medical Research”
NO: Bush, “Remarks by George W. Bush on Stem Cell Research”
Susan Okie, “Stem-Cell Research – Signposts and Roadblocks.” New England Journal of
Medicine 353(1):1-5 (July 7, 2005). CP
Gretchen Vogel, “Ready or Not? Human ES Cells Head Toward the Clinic.” Science
308:1534-38 (June 10, 2005). CP
H.R. 810 “Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005” (passed by House) CP
“Executive Order Creating the Illinois Regenerative Institute for Stem Cell Research.”
July 12, 2005. CP
IV. HUMAN
REPRODUCTIVE CLONING (SEPT. 20)
What issues are associated with reproductive cloning? Should it be made illegal?
Dan W. Brock, “Cloning Human Beings: An Assessment of the Ethical Issues Pro and
Con.” In National Bioethics Advisory Commission, Cloning Human Beings,
Volume II,
Commissioned Papers, June 1997, pp. E1-E23. CP
Martha C. Nussbaum, “Little C.” In Martha C. Nussbaum and Cass R. Sunstein, eds.
Clones and Clones. New York: W.W. Norton
& Co., 1998, pp. 338-346.
V. GENETICS AND
SOCIETY (SEPT. 22, 27, 29)
What medical goals are envisioned for genetic research? How does genetic information affect reproductive decisions? Should policy makers be thinking about how to respond to the potential use of inheritable genetic modifications (IGMs) with humans? Can genetic information harm individuals?
GENETICS AND REPRODUCTION
Genetics and Public Policy Center, Johns Hopkins University.
Reproductive Genetic
Testing:
Issues and Options for Policymakers. 2004. Available at http://tools-content.labvelocity.com/pdfs/5/66755.pdf
DL
INHERITABLE GENETIC MODIFICATIONS
American Association for the Advancement of Science, Human Inheritable Genetic
Modifications. 2000. Available at http://www.aaas.org/spp/sfrl/projects/germline/report.pdf DL
Eric T. Juengst, “Germ-Line Gene Therapy: Back to Basics.” Journal of Medicine and
Philosophy 16(6):587-592 (December 1991). CP
Lee Silver, Remaking Eden. New York: Avon Books, Inc., 1997, pp. 1-13, 281-93. CP
GENETICS AND DISCRIMINATION
Levine, pp. 220-233, “Will Genetic Testing Lead to Denial of Insurance and
Employment?”
YES: Markham, “Genetic Discrimination Arising from Cancer Risk Assessments:
A Societal Dilemma”
NO: Fisher, “Genetic Testing and Health Insurance: Can They Coexist?”
PAPER TOPICS DUE IN
WRITING (SEPTEMBER 27)
EXAMINATION # 1 (OCTOBER 4)
What policy governs research using human participants today? What is meant by the Common Rule? What are current issues raised by research using human participants?
CURRENT POLICY
National Institutes of Health, “What is a Clinical Trial?” CP
Timothy Murphy, “Oversight and Study Design.” In Timothy F.
Murphy, Case Studies in
Biomedical Research Ethics. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 2004, pp. 1-11. CP
Common Rule (Google search of “45 CFR 46”) (skim)
ISSUES RAISED BY PLACEBO STUDIES
Levine, pp. 254-272, “Is Sham Surgery Ethically Acceptable in Clinical Research?”
YES: Freeman, “Use of Placebo Surgery in Controlled Trials of a Cellular-Based
Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease”
NO: Macklin, “Ethical Problems with Sham Surgery
in Clinical Research”
INCENTIVES FOR RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS
Neil Dickert and Christine Grady, “What’s the Price of a Research Subject?” New
England Journal of Medicine 341(3:198-203 (July 15, 1999). CP
VII. RESEARCH USING
ANIMALS (OCT. 18, 20)
What is current policy on animal research? Is there an ethics of animal research? What challenges are posed by interspecies research?
ETHICAL ISSUES
Levine, pp. 236-253, “Should Animal Experimentation Be Permitted?”
YES: Loeb, “Human vs. Animal Rights: In Defense of Animal Research”
NO: Regan, “Ill-Gotten Gains”
CURRENT POLICY
Elizabeth Heitman, “The Humane Care and Use of Animals in Research.” In Ruth Bulger
et al., eds, The Ethical Dimensions of the Biological and Health Sciences. 2nd ed.
New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 183-91. CP
Timothy Murphy, “Use of Animals.” In Timothy F. Murphy, Case Studies in Biomedical
Research Ethics. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 2004, pp. 249-52 CP
Timothy Murphy, “Expanding the Animal Welfare Act.” In
Timothy F. Murphy, Case
Studies in Biomedical Research Ethics. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 2004, pp.
269-70. CP
INTERSPECIES RESEARCH
Julian Savulescu, “Human-Animal Transgenesis and Chimeras Might Be an Expression
of Our Humanity.” American Journal of Bioethics 3(3):22-25 (2003). CP
Mark Greene, et al., “Moral Issues of Human-Non-Human Primate Neural Grafting.”
Science 309(5733):385-86 (July 15, 2005). CP
ADVANCE DIRECTIVES
NO: Luttrell and Sommerville, “Limiting Risks by Curtailing Rights: A Response
to Dr. Ryan”
ADOLESCENTS AND END-OF-LIFE DECISIONS
Levine, pp. 176-190, “Should Adolescents Make Their Own Life-and-Death Decisions?”
YES: Weir and Peters, “Affirming the Decisions Adolescents Make About Life
and Death”
NO: Ross, “Health Care Decisionmaking by Children”
PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE
Timothy E. Quill, “Death and Dignity: A Case of Individualized Decision Making.” New
England Journal of Medicine 324(10):691-694 (March 7, 1991). CP
Levine, pp. 80-99, “Should Physicians Be Allowed to Assist in Patient Suicide?”
YES: Angell, “The Supreme Court and Physician-Assisted Suicide—The
Ultimate Right”
NO: Foley, “Competent Care for the Dying Instead of Physician-Assisted
Suicide”
“Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act” CP
Katrina Hedberg, “Five Years of Legal Physician-Assisted Suicide in Oregon.” New
England Journal of Medicine 348:961-64 (March 6, 2003). CP
Kate Christensen, “Kate Christensen Speaks with Pat Matheny, A Recipient of Lethal
Medication under Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act.” Cambridge Quarterly of
Healthcare Ethics 8(4):564-568 (1999). CP
ALTERNATIVE END-OF-LIFE OPTIONS
David M. Eddy, “A Conversation with My Mother.” NEJM 272(3):179-181. CP
Timothy E. Quill, “Dying and Decision Making – Evolution of End-of-Life Options.”
New England Journal of Medicine 350(20):2029-32 (May 13, 2004). CP
Barry Yeoman, “Going Home.” AARP Magazine 48:62+ (January/February 2005).
TREATMENT DEEMED FUTILE BY PHYSICIANS
Levine, pp. 121-132, “Should Doctors Be Able to Refuse Demands for ‘Futile’
Treatment?”
YES: Miles, “Informed Demand for ‘Non-Beneficial’ Medical Treatment”
NO: Ackerman, “The Significance of a Wish”
EXAMINATION # 2 (NOVEMBER 3)
IX. ENHANCEMENT
TECHNOLOGIES (NOV. 8, 10)
ENHANCEMENT TECHNOLOGIES IN SPORTS
Levine, pp. 303-312, “Should Performance-Enhancing Drugs Be Banned from Sports?”
YES: Murray, “Drugs, Sports, and Ethics”
NO: Savulescu, et al., “Why We Should Allow Performance Enhancing Drugs in
Sport”
President’s Council on Bioethics, Beyond Therapy:Biotechnology and the Pursuit of
Happiness.
2003. Chapter 3 (“Superior Performance”). Available at http://bioethicsprint.bioethics.gov/reports/beyondtherapy/chapter3.htmlDL
AGE EXTENSION
President’s Council on Bioethics, Beyond Therapy:Biotechnology and the Pursuit of
Happiness. 2003. Chapter 4 (“Ageless Bodies”). Available at http://bioethicsprint.bioethics.gov/reports/beyondtherapy/chapter4.htmlDL
PAPERS DUE (NOVEMBER
15)
X. BIOETHICS AND ISSUES
OF SECURITY (NOV. 15)
What issues are posed for the medical profession when national security is in question? What tensions arise between private liberties and public health?
BIOETHICS IN TIME OF WAR
Levine, pp. 288-302, “Does Military Necessity Override Medical Ethics?
YES: Gross, “Bioethics and Armed Conflict”
NO: Bloche and Marks, “When Doctors Go to War”
Case Study, “Dialysis for a Prisoner of War.” Hastings Center Report 34(6):11-12
(November-December 2004). CP
PUBLIC HEALTH AND BIOTERRORISM
Levine, pp. 350-363, “Should Public Health Be Given Sweeping Powers Over Individual Liberty in a Bioterrorist Threat?”
YES: Gostin, “Law and Ethics in a Public Health Emergency”
NO: Annas, “Bioterrorism, Public Health, and Human Rights”
XI. ALLOCATION OF
HEALTH CARE RESOURCES (NOV. 17)
What are features of health care reimbursement in the U.S. today? How can resources be more equitably distributed?
CURRENT SYSTEM OF HEALTH INSURANCE
Levine, pp. 276-287, “Should Health Insurance Be Based on Employment?”
YES: Custer et al., “Why We Should Keep the Employment-Based Health
Insurance System”
NO: Reinhardt, “Employer-Based Health Insurance: A Balance Sheet”
Robert J. Blendon et al., “Health Care in the 2004 Presidential Election.” New England
Journal of Medicine 351(13):1314-22 (September 23, 2004). CP
Fifty years after the first successful organ transplant, what issues remain? How can organ donation rates for cadavers be increased? What should be done to protect living donors?
Browse through www.giftofhope.org and www.livingdonorsonline.org.
Levine, pp. 313-330, “Should There Be a Market in Body Parts?”
YES: Radcliffe-Richards et al., “Case for Allowing Kidney Sales”
NO: Rothman, “International Organ Traffic”
Francis L. Delmonico, et al., “Ethical Incentives – Not Payment – for Organ Donation.”
New England Journal of Medicine 346(25):2002-05 (June 20, 2002). CP
Robert Steinbrook, “Public Solicitation of Organ Donors.” New England Journal of
Medicine 353(5):441-444 (August 4, 2005). CP
Robert Truog, “The Ethics of Organ Donation by Living
Donors.” New England Journal
of Medicine 353(5):444-446 (August 4, 2005). CP
Julie R. Ingelfinger, “Risks and Benefits to the Living
Donor.” New England Journal of
Medicine 353(5):447-449 (August 4, 2005). CP
Levine, pp. 1-20, “Is Informed Consent Still Central to Medical Ethics?”
NO: O’Neill, “Gaining Autonomy and Losing Trust?”
WHOSE AUTONOMY OUGHT TO PREVAIL?
Levine, pp. 21-44, “Can Family Interests Ethically Outweigh Patient Autonomy?”
YES: Hardwig, “What About the Family?”
NO: Blustein, “The Family in Medical Decision-Making”
EXAMINATION # 3 (Finals Week)
Grading policy:
Grades will be based on three exams worth 50 points each, one paper worth 50 points, and a participation and attendance grade worth 20 points:
Exam 1 50 points
Exam 2 50 points
Exam 3 50 points
Paper 50 points
Attendance and participation 20 points
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE 220 points
Grading scale: 198-220 = A; 176-197 = B; 154-175 = C; 132-153 = D; below 132 = F
Exams:
The exams will be short answer and essay. A portion of each may be take-home. Make-up exams will be given only for documented serious illness or a death in the family and only if you contact me AHEAD of the exam (753-7059 -- leave a message if necessary).
Participation:
All class members are
expected to read the material before it is covered in class and participate in
discussions based on the readings. To encourage careful reading and informed
discussion based on the reading, 20 points will be allocated as follows.
18 – 20 points = regular, informed participation
regular attendance (3 or fewer absences)
16 – 17 points = occasional and thoughtful participation
attendance (4 or fewer absences)
14 – 15 points = attendance (5-6 absences)
12 – 13 points = infrequent attendance (7-8 absences)
10 – 11 points = rare attendance (9 absences)
5
points = 10 or more absences
To make all have a chance
to contribute I will occasionally call on students. I also appeal to the grace
of individuals who are more talkative to raise their hands to be recognized
before speaking so that all students may be given the opportunity to
contribute. I will also give occasional short optional internet assignments.
Thoughtful written responses will count toward class participation.
Papers:
The paper will let you do independent research on a subject of interest to you. A written description of the topic will be due September 27 and the paper itself will be due November 15. Further information about the proposal and paper will be given later in the semester.
The paper is to be 8-10 typed double-spaced pages. It is to be thoughtful, carefully documented, and well written. It should relate to course topics but should not repeat specific issues covered in class. Reference all sources you use so I can repeat your research if necessary by putting the author’s name in parentheses in the text and then giving the full citation at the paper’s end (Smith 2004). The burden will lie on the student to show that he/she wrote the paper. This means handing in sources used and speaking knowledgeably about the paper after it is turned in. You are encouraged to submit a draft of the paper for feedback before turning in the final version.
Papers will give you experience in writing informative and balanced papers and in reaching reasoned conclusions. The topic should pose a question for which there is no clear answer. You will give some background about the issue, present differing views in response, and reach a reasonable conclusion. You must use subheadings (Issue, Background, Arguments I, Arguments II, Conclusion). Here are some issues to illustrate:
Should organ recipients be told if their organs are of questionable quality?
Should organs from HIV positive donors be given to HIV positive recipients?
Should parents be notified when their minor daughters seek an abortion?
Should the medical use of marijuana be approved for patients with cancer?
Should reproductive cloning be made illegal by the U.S. Congress?
Should the law be amended to require publication of negative results in the development of pharmaceuticals?
One way to find topics is to look at bills before the U.S. Congress. To find a recent bill in Congress go to http://thomas.loc.gov and do a search for a bill (proposed law) in the 106th, 107th, 108th , or 109th Congress related to a topic of interest. Select a bill that is manageable and understandable to you. You may also search for bills in the Illinois legislature. I will ask people to choose different topics if too many select the same topic.
Important dates:
October 4 Exam 1
November 3 Exam 2
December Exam 3
Paper topic September
27
Paper submission November
15
Manners:
You are asked to arrive on
time. Late arrivals are very disruptive. If lateness becomes a problem during
the semester, I will close the door and post a note requesting no one to enter.
If you have an appointment that requires you to leave early, let me know ahead
of time and then sit in a chair near the door. Please turn off cell phones
before class begins. Do not leave and then return after receiving a phone
call.
Other information:
CAAR.-- NIU is committed to making reasonable accommodations for students
with documented disabilities. Students with disabilities that may have some
impact on their coursework and for which they may need accommodation should
contact the Center for Access-Ability Resources (CAAR) on the fourth floor of
the Health Services Building during the first two weeks of the semester.
Paper awards.-- The Department of Political Science annually recognizes outstanding
undergraduate papers written in conjunction with 300-400 level political
science courses (all majors are welcome to compete). Winners are expected to
attend the Department’s spring graduation ceremony where they will receive a
certificate and $50.00. Submit three papers from any undergraduate political
science class to a department secretary in Zulauf 315 by February 28. All
copies should have two cover pages – one with the student’s name and one
without. Only papers written in the previous calendar year (2005) can be considered for the 2006 award. However,
papers completed in the current spring semester are eligible for the 2006
competition even if the author has graduated.
Website. -- You are encouraged to consult the Department
of Political Science website (http://polisci.niu.edu) to help you contact
faculty and staff, explore graduate programs and career options, and track
department events and activities.