The Future of Bioethics

Even though bioethics is a rather new field, there is already debate as to which course it should take in the future. In a recent speech by Zeke Emanuel, a leading scholar in the bioethics field, Emanuel argued that for bioethics to be successful in the future there would have to be a much greater focus on collecting and interpreting data because of the current lack of an empirical foundation for which to base their normative claims. While some bioethicists may agree with Emanuel’s desire for a shift in focus towards data, Arthur Caplan is not among them. While Caplan acknowledges that there needs to be more data for bioethics to be successful moving forward, he refutes that there needs to be a shift towards data collection. Caplan argues that bioethics should continue to be based upon history and past cases. He also states that bioethicists must remain in public places so that they can shape policies with coherent arguments based upon that data available to them.

While both make good arguments, I tend to agree more with Caplan. Often there are no clear-cut right answers in bioethics. As such, people make arguments based upon the best available data and past history. Therefore, while more and superior data would help bioethicists support their normative claims, data, as Caplan argues, will never be able to fully supplant the rational arguments for or against a treatment because “for every ethical problem for which sufficient data exists to point toward an answer a hundred blossom for which the data don't.” For example, Ashley was the first “pillow angel” to go forward with estrogen treatment, a hysterectomy, and a mastectomy. There was no specific data (Gunther even admits that they didn’t really know the risks going into the treatment) directing the ethics board in their decision, it was only their moral arguments based upon history and values. Therefore, while more data helps improve bioethics in certain areas, future bioethicists should continue to go to bioethics programs which teach them how to draw from data, history, and their own values in determining if the issues at hand are ethical or not.