Basics of Bioethics
Katie Houp
Fort Hays State University
February 14, 2014

Basics of Bioethics
Introduction
Ethics is a term encountered in any professional field today. It refers to the moral principle that people are supposed to uphold. These moral principles are expected to guide people in making informed choices. Bioethics is moral principles that guide people, mainly in medical and biological research. There are several ethical questions that arise during researches such as biotechnology (Veatch, 2011). This paper discusses Mary Beth Whitehead surrogacy case.
The case study
Bill and Elizabeth Stern could not bear a child because of Elizabeth’s sclerosis (Veatch, 2011). This couple in 1985 decided to pay Mary Beth Whitehead to bear Bill Stern’s child. Whitehead was paid ten thousand dollars. Upon agreeing, Mary and her husband, Richard signed a surrogacy contract. Mary was then inseminated. When the child was born Whitehead wanted to keep it. This resulted in a legal battle that saw a family court upholding Stern’s contract. The court approved Elizabeth Stern as the legal mother. The move was reversed bay New Jersey’s Supreme Court (Veatch, 2011). The court termed the contract as baby-selling. The Sterns were then given the chance to keep Baby M, in addition Mary Beth was granted strict visiting rights. Baby M at age 18 decided to cut relationship with Mary Beth by legalizing her adoption.
Arising ethical questions
From the case study, several ethical questions are left unanswered. Biotechnology and other biological researches have always rubbed some people the wrong way. This has prompted people to question some of the processes. Surrogacy frequently has been used by couples who cannot bear children. The Stern’s case is a perfect example. They entered into an agreement with the Whiteheads. The arrangement would see Mary Beth artificially