Bioscience ethics / Irina Pollard.

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Human origins, natural selection and the evolution of ethics -- Sex determination, brain sex and sexual behaviour -- Inappropriate lifestyle and congenital disability in children: basic principles of growth, toxicology, teratogenesis and mutagenesis -- Substance abuse and parenthood: biological mechanisms -- bioethical responsibilities: Behavioral variables, biological consequences; Behavioral variables, bioethical challenges -- Fertility awareness: the ovulatory method of birth control, ageing gametes and congenital malformation in children -- Understanding child abuse and its biological consequences -- The state of wellbeing: basic principles, coping strategies and individual mastery -- The state of wellbing: on the end-of-life care and euthanasia -- Current reproductive technologies: achievements and desired goals: Lifestyle, fertility and the assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs); Assisted reproduction, genetic diversity and the biology of conservation -- The recombinant DNA technologies: Genetic engineering and related technologies -- biological perspective; The Human Genome and the Human Genome Diversity Projects -- Stem cells, nuclear transfer and cloning technology -- Human-dominated ecosystems: re-evaluating environmental priorities: Population growth and economic activity -- are we overstraining our limits?; Understanding living cycles and anticipating environmental policies rather than relying on remedial measures -- Human-dominated ecosystems: reclaiming the future for following generations: Self-destructive behaviour and overexploitation of the environment; Chemical exposure, sex determination and sexual behaviour -- Human-dominated ecosystems: warfare = fitness enhancement or losing strategy? -- Human-dominated ecosystems: reworking bioethical frontiers: Global responsibility -- a transboundary détente to developmental needs and environmental preservation; Stewardship of Mother Earth -- in defense of the global commons.

Bioscience ethics facilitates free and accurate information transfer from applied science to applied bioethics. Its major elements are: increased understanding of biological systems, responsible use of technology, and attuning ethnocentric debates to new scientific insights. Pioneered by Irina Pollard in 1994, bioscience ethics has become an internationally recognized discipline, interfacing science and bioethics within professional perspectives such as medical, legal, bio-engineering, and economics. Written for students and professionals alike, the fundamental feature of this book is its breadth, important because bioscience ethics interweaves many diverse subjects in the process of gathering specialist scientific knowledge for bioethical review. It contains chapters which embrace topics affecting human reproduction, end-of-life care and euthanasia, challenge human-dominated ecosystems, and review population growth, economic activity and warfare. A background section describes the evolution of ethical consciousness, explores the future, and proposes that the reworking of ethical boundaries can enhance mature decision-making in harmony with changing technology.