Research Question: How does one person’s experiences with healthcare and medical industries demonstrate the greater significance of the role that medical ethics plays in our society?
Refer to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, which deals with the ethical issues surrounding medical research, consent, and the use of human tissues without consent. While your topic can differ from the themes in the book, you should make connections and draw comparisons between the ethical challenges presented in your chosen topic and the case of Henrietta Lacks.
Assignment Overview: For this research paper, you will explore a topic in medical ethics of your choosing. Your topic can be inspired by ethical questions or dilemmas in healthcare, biotechnology, medical research, patient rights, medical technology, or similar areas. The goal is for you to critically examine an ethical issue in medicine, drawing on scholarly resources to support your analysis.
Topic Selection:
Choose a medical ethics topic that interests you. Possible themes may include (but are not limited to):
Informed consent in clinical trials
The ethics of gene editing (e.g., CRISPR)
Healthcare access and equity
The ethics of organ donation
Ethical concerns in reproductive technologies (e.g., IVF, surrogacy)
The use of AI in medical decision-making
Privacy and medical data protection
The treatment of vulnerable populations in medical research
Historical abuses in medical research (like the Tuskegee Study, Henrietta Lacks case, etc.)
Research and Sources:
Use at least 4 scholarly sources (peer-reviewed articles, books, and academic journals) that discuss medical ethics, your topic, or related concepts.
Integrate and reference the ethical challenges depicted in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks as a way to enhance your analysis.
Use credible sources from medical ethics, philosophy, law, or related disciplines to ground your paper in academic scholarship.
Analysis:
Your paper should critically analyze the ethical dimensions of your topic.
Evaluate the impact of your topic on society, patients, medical professionals, and the broader medical community.
Discuss opposing viewpoints and consider the ethical arguments for and against different positions.
If applicable, discuss potential policy solutions or recommendations to address the ethical issue.
Format:
Your paper should be 4-5 pages in length (double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins).
Use MLA style for citations and references.
Include an introduction, literature review, main body (with analysis), and conclusion.
Be sure to provide a clear thesis statement and structure your paper logically.
Directions for creating a Works Cited page in MyBib
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No login needed from school.
Off campus? Email sevje@cpsed.net for password.
