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Hastings Bioethics Forum

An online publication of topical bioethics commentary

Hastings Bioethics Forum publishes commentaries on topical issues in bioethics.
Susan Gilbert, Editor. For questions about contributing, contact gilberts@thehastingscenter.org.

Essays are the opinions of the authors, not of The Hastings Center.

Bioethics Forum Essay

Terri Schiavo’s Legacy

Many think that the decision 20 years ago to permit Terri Schiavo to die was a victory for medical choice. On the contrary, her death triggered a series of events that have corroded individual control over medical care in the United States.
Read Terri Schiavo’s Legacy
Bioethics Forum Essay
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Courage in Action: Why Bioethicists Must Advocate for Immigrant Patients

As an immigrant, a trained bioethicist, and a lawyer, I am intimately familiar with the impact of fear and injustice on immigrant communities. Maya Angelou’s profound words on courage resonate...
Read Courage in Action: Why Bioethicists Must Advocate for Immigrant Patients
Bioethics Forum Essay

Meeting the Needs of Aging Patients with Chronic Mental and Medical Illnesses

My brother-in-law Mark died a couple of weeks ago. He had struggled with schizophrenia for over 45 years, so at age 64 1/2, he had exceeded the average life expectancy...
Read Meeting the Needs of Aging Patients with Chronic Mental and Medical Illnesses
Bioethics Forum Essay

Spiritual But Not Religious: Human Experiences Integral to Bioethics

What bioethics needs is a rich working definition of spirituality as a common dimension of human life.
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Bioethics Forum Essay

Supporting Patients and Students Who Are Immigrants: What to Do and Why Most Bioethicists Won’t Do It

We have well-developed playbooks on what health care providers and institutions should do immediately to welcome immigrant patients and make their facilities as safe as possible for them.
Read Supporting Patients and Students Who Are Immigrants: What to Do and Why Most Bioethicists Won’t Do It
Bioethics Forum Essay
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The Medical Community is Due for an Alcohol Detox

It’s time for the medical community to re-examine its relationship with alcohol -- moving away from using it as a reward, a stress reliever, or a social crutch, and instead, finding healthier alternatives.
Read The Medical Community is Due for an Alcohol Detox
Bioethics Forum Essay
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A Secret to Restoring Trust in Vaccines

I am a bioethicist who became a local pro-vaccine activist in New York City to protect vulnerable communities from dangerous misinformation. I have spent much of my time trying to convince people not to believe what RFK Jr. has said.
Read A Secret to Restoring Trust in Vaccines
Bioethics Forum Essay
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Why Bioethics Should Welcome Religion

Bioethics has increasingly turned away from religion, embracing methods of law, philosophy, and empirical sciences. The authors argue that bioethics should welcome religion.
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Bioethics Forum Essay
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Should Life-Saving Medicine Be Continued for an Unhoused Patient with an Addiction?

Ms. B is a 45-year-old African American woman who lives in a shelter. She also has a heroin addiction and has end-stage heart failure. She was admitted to the hospital...
Read Should Life-Saving Medicine Be Continued for an Unhoused Patient with an Addiction?
Bioethics Forum Essay
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Death and the Collapse of our Metaphorical Truths

After witnessing the first death of a patient, a medical student searches for meaning.
Read Death and the Collapse of our Metaphorical Truths
Bioethics Forum Essay
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Jimmy Carter’s Defeat and the Seeds of Hope

I last saw Jimmy Carter in person on November 4, 1980. The future would unfold in ways that brought bioethics into both of our lives.
Read Jimmy Carter’s Defeat and the Seeds of Hope
Bioethics Forum Essay
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What Does AI Jesus Teach Us?

AI Jesus is just one of many recent examples in which artificial intelligence systems have taken on roles that have always seemed to require human beings. One can worry what these creations will eventually do to us humans. What will be left for humans to do?
Read What Does AI Jesus Teach Us?

Bioethics Forum Archive

Hastings Bioethics Forum essays are the opinions of the authors, not of The Hastings Center.

How to reprint/repost: Hastings Bioethics Forum posts can be republished for free. We use a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license.

How to contribute: For questions about contributing to Hastings Bioethics Forum or to submit a commentary, please contact Susan Gilbert, editor, gilberts@thehastingscenter.org.