Faculty Bibliography

Caplan states that no animal has provoked more ethical hair-pulling than the sheep when it comes to genetic engineering. First, it was Dolly who provoked so much controversy about the morality of cloning. He further says that the mixing of sheep and human cells is certain to set off heated ethical debate

[...]arguments like Glannon's are often made, but they quickly fail

The "Today" show spent considerable time cooing about the births of two sets of sextuplets in such a short period of time. The show jumped right into the lives of the Phoenix family. Thirty seconds did not elapse during story promos or actual coverage without the word "miracle" being invoked. The NBC program was hardly alone in going weak-kneed over the births of so many babies. CNN chimed in with "good news" reports on its "American Morning" program. TV coverage in Phoenix described the births as "gifts" and "bundles of joy." Stations helped the family raise money and collect diapers and clothes. The Minnesota media did not miss a chance to refer to their local sextuplets as "blessings."

The fact that this book is not widely acknowledged as the classic that it is, that it does not occupy pride of place in any listing of the bioethics 'canon' is a pity. Because not only is the book a paradigm of clear writing, careful sourcing and thoughtful use of legal documents and oral histories, it is the story of the single most important event in the rise of bioethics to prominence in the years since the book appeared in 1981

Caplan discusses the controversy over the new cervical cancer vaccine. He asserts that the real reason for all the negative publicity is the vaccine's high price tag

Conflicts of interest are known to create problems for the integrity of biomedical research. The editors of the JCI have set out a rigorous policy to help manage conflicts. But they focus only on financially generated conflicts. Here I identify other sources of conflict and offer some suggestions for their management.

All of this nonsense set the stage for the next big scare about cloning, which was fueled by the debate over federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Opponents of that funding found they got the greatest traction for their desire not to see federal funds spent by invoking the word "clone" over and over again. Funding embryonic stem cell research likely meant a pod person would move in next door, some high-profile Republican legislators as well as President Bush would lead you to believe