Everyday Ethics

Last week, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, one of the most popular breast cancer awareness and support charities, decided not to continue to provide funds to Planned Parenthood, claiming that they are not permitted to contribute to any organization that is currently under federal organization.  Planned Parenthood, it turns out, is currently under federal investigation.  [...]

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Last week, an FDA advisory panel recommended a number of significant changes regarding the sale and marketing of products that contain acetaminophen, which is the active ingredient in the popular over-the-counter painkiller Tylenol.  Three of their recommendations are especially significant.
First, they advised that Vicodin and Percocet be discontinued as prescription pain-relieving drugs.  They also suggested [...]

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Not long ago I participated in a fundraiser to support the development of cancer treatments, with the stated end goal of finding a cure for cancer.  These sorts of events are quite common, and one tends to be motivated to participate by a sense of doing what is right.  However, after some philosophical reflections, I [...]

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Health care is a popular area in applied ethics.  There are all sorts of “sexy” ethical questions, such as whether physician-assisted suicide is acceptable, whether people with minimal brain functioning have rights, whether a fetus is a person, and many more.  The real question, one that few people have the nerve to write about, is [...]

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