Download the textbook A Cross-Cultural Introduction to Bioethics, Darryl R.J. Macer, Ph.D. (Editor), Eubios Ethics Institute, 2006. The book is the product of a UNESCO Bangkok project in collaboration with a pre-existing grant to Eubios Ethics Institute, and is the result of critical review and evaluation of trials held in ten (plus) countries held at the UNESCO Bangkok Bioethics Roundtable in September 2005. The book was a compilation of materials available at that time, and new materials are being developed and assembled.
This textbook / resource book was published by Eubios Ethics Institute with a grant from Sasagawa Peace Foundation, Japan. The views represented in the materials compiled in the book do not represent the views of UNESCO nor of Eubios Ethics Institute. Since then there are alternative language versions also available on the web. To download individual chapters in English and other available languages please click here. For a Chinese translation of titles and links click here.
Content List followed by page numbers:
Preface (MSdoc, 2962KB)
Feedback Forms
Teacher Feedback Forms vii
Student Feedback Forms xiii
Acknowledgements and Authorship xviii
About the Authors xviii
A. Bioethics and the Ethics of Science and Technology (MSdoc, 1728KB)
1. Making Choices, Diversity and Principles of Bioethics 1
2. Ethics in History and Love of Life 6
3. Moral Agents 18
4. Ethical Limits of Animal Use 22
5. Ethics and Nanotechnology 27
Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (MSdoc, 52KB)
B. Environmental Ethics (MSdoc, 7432KB)
1. Ecology and Life 30
2. Biodiversity and Extinction 36
3. Ecological Ethics 40
4. Environmental Science 43
5. Environmental Economics 51
6. Sustainable Development 63
7. Cars and the Ethics of Costs and Benefits 73
8. The Energy Crisis and the Environment 78
9. Ecotourism 85
10. The Earth Charter 93
C. Genetics (MSdoc, 1144KB)
1. Genetics, DNA and Mutation 98
2. Ethics of Genetic Engineering 102
3. Genetically Modified Foods 107
4. Testing for Cancer Gene Susceptibility 110
5. Genetic Privacy and Information 113
6. The Human Genome Project 117
7. Eugenics 121
8. Human Gene Therapy 122
9. Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights 129
10. International Declaration on Human Genetic Data (PDF, 130KB) 134
D. Medical Ethics (MSdoc, 688KB)
1. Informed Consent and Informed Choice 145
2. Telling the Truth About Terminal Cancer 147
3. Euthanasia 153
4. Brain Death 158
5. Organ Donation 164
6. Brain Death and Organ Transplant Drama 170
7. The Heart Transplant 175
8. SARS (Severe Acute Respitory Syndrome) 176
9. AIDS and Ethics 176
10. Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects 183
11. Bird Flu 188
12. Indigenous Medicines and Access to Health 189
E. Reproduction (MSdoc, 885KB)
1. Lifestyle and Fertility 192
2. Assisted Reproduction 198
3. Surrogacy 204
4. Choosing Your Children's Sex and Designer Children 205
5. Prenatal Diagnosis of Genetic Disease 208
6. Female Infanticide 211
7. Human Cloning 214
8. United Nations Declaration on Human Cloning (PDF, 105KB) 215
9. Human Genome Organization Declaration on Stem Cell Research (PDF, 101KB) 222
F. Neuroscience (MSdoc, 696KB)
1. Advances in Neuroscience and Neuroethics 224
2. Learning to Remember: The Biological Basis of Memory 229
3. The Neuroscience of Pleasure, Reward and Addiction 235
G. Social Ethics (MSdoc, 732KB)
1. Revisiting the Body 241
2. Child Labour 251
3. Peace and Peace-keeping 253
4. Human Rights and Responsibilities 269
Movie Guides and Questions (Samples) (MSdoc, 60KB) 277
These materials are for open for use by all. They were developed through trials of the International Bioethics Education Network, and we depend upon feedback from teachers and students to improve these chapters for all to benefit from. We also are compiling teaching materials, reference materials, translations and modified versions of these materials for open global use. The Teachers Resources and Notes (MSdoc, 707KB) reference guide can be downloaded to accompany the textbook.
Note that other Teaching Guides, References and Internet links can be downloaded from the teaching materials website.
All commercial rights reserved, but materials can be downloaded and used for teaching, with feedback to the project leader - Darryl R.J. Macer. Email: d.macer@unescobkk.org
We thank the essential financial support of Sasakawa Peace Foundation for the project and publication of these two textbooks from April 2003 - to March 2006.
Related book: Book on participatory exercises - Darryl Macer, Moral Games for Teaching Bioethics (UNESCO Chair in Bioethics, Haifa, 2008) (book pdf file 1.8Mb; bookcover, 800kB pdf file).
Below is the 2005 version of the textbook
Macer, DRJ. Bioethics education for informed citizens across cultures (Eubios Ethics Institute)(published March 2004; revised on-line version April 2005).
English is below as five document sequential files:
Contents, Preface, Authorship and Acknowledgments [Betbk1.doc, pages i-vi]
Autonomy, Justice, Benefits versus risks, Animal rights, Intrinsic and extrinsic ethical factors in animal use, Genetic testing and privacy, Trash and Treasure Activity on Testing for cancer gene susceptibility, AIDS Testing, The Heart Transplant, Ethics and Driving Cars, Ecotourism and ethics, Sustainable Development, Euthanasia, Telling the truth about terminal cancer, Genetic engineering and Food, Reproduction and Fertility, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Technology, Artificial insemination, Sperm, Egg and Embryo Donation, Surrogacy, Somatic Cell Gene Therapy, Germ-line gene therapy, Human cloning, Eugenics, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) [Betbk2.doc, pages 1-24]
Bioethics in Movies Guide (on-line only; draft)
Full chapters 1-13 (revised numbering) [BEfiles/Betbk3.doc, pages 25-117]
Title, page number in book
1. Making choices, diversity and bioethics 25
2. Ethical limits of animal use 31
3. Genetic privacy and information 39
4. Testing for cancer gene susceptibility 45
5. Gene therapy 49
6. Brain Death 57
7. Organ donation 63
Play script for Role Play on Brain Death and Organ Donation 68
8. Lifestyle and Fertility 73
9. Assisted reproduction 81
10. Genetically modified foods/Ethics of Genetic Engineering 92
11. Telling the truth about terminal cancer 98
12. Euthanasia 104
13. AIDS and Ethics 111
Full chapters on Environmental Ethics, 14-16 [Betbk4.doc, pages 118-153]
14. Sustainable Development (Includes crossword) 118
15. Cars and the Ethics of Costs and Benefits 133
16. Ecotourism 140
Environmental Science (Bioethics page by page) 148
Feedback Forms and Information 149
This book is open for use by all those associated with the Bioethics Education Project, and we depend upon feedback from teachers and students to improve these chapters for all to benefit from. We also are compiling teaching materials, reference materials, translations and modified versions of these materials for open global use. These are available from the teaching materials home page.
A Korean translation of 12 chapters of the 2005 book made by Dr. Ivo Kwon, Ewha Women's University and colleagues in cooperation with the Korean National Commission of UNESCO can be downloaded as single file here. (3Mb, pdf file).
All commercial rights reserved, but materials can be downloaded and used for teaching, with feedback to the project leader-Darryl R.J. Macer Email d.macer@unescobkk.org
To the yahoo groups Bioethics Education list serve for the International Bioethics Education network.
Disclaimer: UNESCO makes every effort to ensure, but does not guarantee, the accuracy of the information on its web site. Hyperlinks to other web sites imply neither responsibility for, nor approval of, the information contained in those other web sites on the part of UNESCO.
Page updated: 2 September, 2008
