Organ Allocation (PP12)

Policies that guide the distribution or allocation of organs have always been controversial. Please read the articles below and discuss how organs should be allocated in the US and why?

Ethics of Organ Transplants (About.com summary)
The Waiting Game (PBS)
Distributing Donor Organs (PBS)
United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
About Organ Allocation (Transplant Living)
Organ Allocation Issues (Miracosta College)
Controversies in Organ Donation (Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation Journal)
Infant Heart Transplant Controversy (US News)
Human Organs for Sale (New Internationalist)
Do US Hospitals Push Organ Black Market (CBS News)
So What About Mickey Mantle (Wordpress Donate Life Blog)
Natalie Cole Kidney came From Deceased Fan (CNN)
Jobs Travel to Transplant Mecca Shows System Flaws (Bloomberg)
Britain to Outlaw Most Private Organ Donations (Yahoo! News)


Due July 18, 2012

Health Care Reform Part Two (PP11)

Read the articles below and discuss the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the Affordable Care Act.

Kaiser Family Foundation
The Jurist
NY Times
The Nation

Due July 17, 2012

Health Care Reform (PP10)

Is healthcare a fundamental right or is it a privilege? Defend your position.

Due July 15, 2012

Alternative Medicine (PP9)

Should publicly funded health programs pay for alternative services and treatments that have not been tested in controlled clinical settings? Why or why not?


Due July 15, 2012

ASU Study - Human Subjects Research Challenges (PP8)

Beginning in 1990, Arizona State University began a study using DNA from the Havasupai Tribe in Arizona. Read the articles at the links below. Discuss the importance of informed consent in human subjects research.

Indian tribe wins fight to limit research of its DNA
From the New York Times (04/22/2010)

Havasupai case highlights risks of DNA research
From the New York Times (04/23/2010)

Informed consent and the ethics of DNA research
From the New York Times (04/23/2010)

Due Tuesday, July 3rd

Animal Rights (PP7)

View the video clip and read the essay linked below. Then answer the following questions. Do animals have rights? Why or why not?

Tom Regan, PhD
Philosopher, North Carolina State University

The Case for Animal Rights

Essay - The Case for Animal Rights
by Tom Regan

Due Sunday, July 1st

Animal Rights Extremism (PP6)

Read the articles and commentary below about animal rights extremists and the recent car firebombings. What rights, if any, do animals have? Why or why not? Is the type of violence discussed in these articles ever justified as a means to stop animal research?

Animal Research Activists Firebomb Car
Press Release from UCLA Newsroom

More on the UCLA Firebombing
From the LA Times

Commentary on Animal Rights Extremists
From Adventures in Ethics and Science Blog

Due Saturday, June 30th