Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biotechnology. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among human and animal life. It also includes the more commonplace questions of values which related with religions.
Bioethics involves issues relating to the beginning and end of organism life; in human life, all the way from issues relating to in-vitro fertilization and abortion to euthanasia and palliative care. It has an impact on every level of human community. Factually, bioethics is full of difficult ethical questions for everybody: families, hospitals, governments and civilization.
In animal life, research involving animals has been the subject of intense debate in elsewhere. There are disagreement questions about whether research involving animals is useful for studying human diseases and for assessing toxicity of medicines or chemicals. Why are animals used in research? Is animal research religiously accepted?
Fundamental values on bioethics are at stake; human life, the dignity of the frail and elderly, just healthcare, bodily integrity and the ability to make reasonable decisions. Principles of bioethics in the Western world were first developed and outlined by two American philosophers and bioethicists, Tom Beauchamp and James F. Childress, in their book; Principles of Biomedical Ethics.
From Islamic perspective, Islamic bioethics refers to Islamic guidance relating to medical and scientific fields, in particular, those dealing with human life. In Islam, human life is regarded as an invaluable gift from Allah, and should therefore be both respected and protected. This is evident in many Qur’anic verses where one of the most important being:
“if anyone slays a human being, unless it be [in punishment] for murder or spreading corruption on earth, it shall be as though he had slain all mankind; whereas, if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind.”(Qur’an 5:32)
In this verse, two basic principles indicatesof which ensure that the sanctity of human life is preserved (a) Saving a life is obligatory. (b) Unjustified taking of a life is classified as murder and thus, forbidden.
Any rule that has not been explicitly outlined in the religious texts or formulated from them by jurists is referred to is haram (impermissible). For this reason, all medical procedures and treatments, as well as conduct between patient and medical professional must be legitimized by the sources of Islamic law Al’Quran, Hadith or Sunnah, Ijtihad. In Sunni Islam, ijtihad includes qiyas (analogy), ijma’ (consensus), maslaha (public welfare), urf (customary practice).
Actually, the term bioethical issue is a broad concept which involves a wide range of medical and biological processes that have been implemented in the field of medicine.
However, there are some issues widely criticized on the bioethics.
Given here are some of the most prominent bioethical issues which have triggered several debates in the world of medicine today. Abortion (artificial termination of pregnancy), artificial insemination (introduction of semen into the oviduct or uterus by artificial means), assisted suicide (helping terminally ill person to commit suicide), body modification (deliberate altering of the human body for non-medical reasons), cloning (research involving creation of a copy of some biological entity), eugenics (improving genetic qualities by means of selective breeding), genetically modified organism (an organism which has undergone genetic modification by the means of genetic engineering), life extension (attempts to either slow down or reverse the processes of aging to maximize life span), life support (resorting to medical equipment to keep an individual alive), sex reassignment therapy (Medical procedures pertaining to sex reassignment of both trans-gender and inter-sexual individuals); Sperm donation (Donation of sperm to be eventually used to achieve pregnancy in a woman who is not the person’s sexual partner); Surrogacy (A process wherein a woman agrees to carry and deliver a child for a contracted party) and Nanomedicine (The application of nanotechnology in the field of medicine).
Bionanotechnology, nanobiotechnology, and nanobiology are terms that refer to the intersection of nanotechnology and biology which associated with bioethics or nanoethics. This discipline helps to indicate the merger of biological research with various fields of nanotechnology. Nanobiotechnology (sometimes referred to as nanobiology) is best described as helping modern medicine progress from treating symptoms to generating cures and regenerating biological tissues. Stem cell treatments have been used to fix diseases that are found in the human heart and are in clinical trials in the United States. Artificial proteins might also become available to manufacture without the need for harsh chemicals and expensive machines. Another example of current nanobiotechnological research involves nanospheres coated with fluorescent polymers.
Researchers are seeking to design polymers whose fluorescence is quenched when they encounter specific molecules. Different polymers would detect different metabolites. The polymer-coated spheres could become part of new biological assays, and the technology might someday lead to particles which could be introduced into the human body to track down metabolites associated with tumors and other health problems. DNA nanotechnology is one important example of bionanotechnology. The utilization of the inherent properties of nucleic acids like DNA to create useful materials is a promising area of modern research. Expanding technologies and a changing socio-economic system might reshape every aspect of life.
Timely, On 22 Mei 2012 Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), National Biotechnology Division will be launching National Biotechnology Council. I was invited to participate in this important event. I hope my background on Islamic understanding, nanotechnology and philosophy can contribute to this council.
Right now, nearly 114,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants to save their lives. Tens of thousands more are in need of tissue, bone and cornea transplants to restore their mobility or sight.