...Self- Mutilation There are a number of different ways to define what self-mutilation entails. It is one of the most commonly used phrases, but researchers and mental health professionals have not been able to agree on one specific definition to explain self-inflicted injury. Hence, self-harm, self-injury and self-mutilation are the common phrases used to refer to this type of behavior ( Zila & Kiselica, 2001). Many people tend to associate self mutilation with suicide, when in fact they are very different. Therefore, when attempting to understand self-mutilation it is important to recognize the distinct differences between self mutilation and suicide. Suicide is an attempt to depart from pain through ending one’s life. While self mutilation is an effort to create relief from a negative affective incident, it differs for each person. It is used as a means for a person to temporarily deal with the pain, rather than abort it all together. In suicidal patients, pain is viewed as everlasting, which makes them feel hopeless. While, on the other hand self-injurers often portray an optimistic attitude (Walsh, 2006). Hence, there is a big difference between the behaviors and intent, which is why it is important to recognize these differences. Self-injurious behavior tends to be separated into two general categories: culturally sanctioned and deviant self mutilation. Culturally sanctioned rituals and practices comprise of ear piercing in the modern U.S culture, sacrament dances amongst...
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...Walter Glannon: Genes, Embryos, and Future People Bioethics, 02699702, Jul98, Vol. 12, Issue 3 ABSTRACT: Testing embryonic cells for genetic abnormalities gives us the capacity to predict whether and to what extent people will exist with disease and disability. Moreover, the freezing of embryos for long periods of time enables us to alter the length of a normal human lifespan. After highlighting the shortcomings of somatic-cell gene therapy and germ-line genetic alteration, I argue that the testing and selective termination of genetically defective embryos is the only medically and morally defensible way to prevent the existence of people with severe disability, pain and suffering that make their lives not worth living for them on the whole. In addition, I consider the possible harmful effects on children born from frozen embryos after the deaths of their biological parents, or when their parents are at an advanced age. I also explore whether embryos have moral status and whether the prospects for disease-preventing genetic alteration can justify long-term cryopreservation of embryos. INTRODUCTION Recent advances in reproductive biotechnology have given us the ability to intervene in the process of human biological development from embryos to people. One type of intervention is the testing of embryos for genetic defects that cause disease, which enables us to choose between allowing these embryos to result in disabled people or selectively terminating...
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...is increased. Technology is involved in every facet of our lives. It is used continuously every day whether it be waking up to an alarm clock, watching TV that you recorded on a digital video recorder, brushing your teeth with a mechanical toothbrush, or using your GPS navigation system when going to your latest vacation destination. The latest technology has made it possible for people to communicate with others all over the world in both audio and video formats. Scientists are continuously looking for ways to make living easier and more productive. They are looking for solutions to world hunger, new medical advances to cure cancer and other diseases plaguing the world, and ways to make our society a healthier place to live. In this research paper, we will be discussing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and their contributions to these causes. We will be examining the history, political, moral, ethical, and many other ways that GMOs have influenced everyday living. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)...
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