“A field of study concerned with the ethics and philosophical implications of certain biological and medical procedures, technologies, and treatments…” This dictionary definition of bioethics has helped me to understand what is being discussed in class, the ethical concern of the advancements in biology and medicine has been the topic of many heated debates over the past few years and until now, I had no clue what was being said. Discussions on stem-cell research and cloning are a few generic topics discussed when mentioning the idea of bioethics. The main focus is whether these practices are right or wrong. Where do we as humans of the 21st century draw the line? There are many things that persuade a person to think something is right or wrong like religious preference and morality. But when these practices, take stem-cell research for instance, can save lives, is there a general right or a general wrong?

The Declaration made by UNESCO addresses the ethical issues “related to medicine, life sciences and associated technologies as applied to human beings, taking into account their social, legal and enviornmental dimensions.” UNESCO suggests to “provide a universal framework of principles and procedures,” “guide the actions of individuals, groups, communities…etc,” “promote respect for human dignity and protect human right,” and “recognize the importance of freedom of scientific research and the benefits derived from scientific and technological developments…” My question is, how can we make a “universal framework of principles” if we all have different beliefs, some centered around strong bonds to religion? In America, we have freedom of religion and speech and if we have a “universal framework of principles” then our freedoms are being taken away.

Since this is a nation of ‘freedom’, everyone has their own preferences, beliefs and ideas. We can, but we should not judge others on what they believe or prefer. The first amendment protects our freedom of speech and freedom of religion and if ones religion is against the topics that are brought up when discussing bioethics, we should not judge them for their religious opinions. It defeats the aspect of freedom.