HUMANISM TODAY
The Journal of the Humanist Institute

CONTENTS

Howard B. Radest
Introduction: Humanism and the New Biology

SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVES ON BIOETHICS

Philip Regal
Twenty-first Century Bioethical Problems

David Schafer
Bioscience and the Recovery of Nerve

Andreas S. Rosenberg
Bioethics of the Germline

Berit Brogaard
The Moral Status of the Human Embryo

Harvey Sarles
Exploring the Boundaries Between the Scientific and the Spiritual

EXCURSIONS INTO HISTORY

Faith Lagay
Humanitas and the Human Genome

Mason Olds
Joseph Fletcher Revisited

Stephen P. Weldon
Eugenics and Biotechnology

PUTTING BIOETHICS TO WORK

Michael Werner
Biology as a Window Into Therapy

Vern L. Bullough
Bioethics, Contraception, and Business

Carmela Epright
Bioethics and Justice

Howard B. Radest
Rationing is Not a Four Letter Word

Robert B. Tapp
Poverty, Health, and Bioethics

ADDENDUM

Carmela Epright
Before and After Schiavo

Kristy Maher
Prescription Drugs, Medicare Part D

Biomedical ethics raises a host of humanistic issues. Among these are human dignity, personal autonomy, quality of life, and access to care for all. Now, more than ever, scientific discoveries and medical technologies prompt us to rethink older perspectives. Humanists have an unprecedented opportunity to shape the moral agenda of the future.

In this collection of thoughtful articles from the Humanist Institute, humanist scholars from various fields explore a number of critical issues in bioethics. The moral status of the human embryo, scientific medicine versus Eastern concepts of caregiving, the human genome project, eugenics, contraception, and the economics of healthcare are just some of the topics considered in this enlightening volume.

The contributors include: Berit Brogaard, Vern Bullough, Carmela Epright, Faith Lagay, Kristy Maher, Mason Olds, Howard B. Radest, Philip Regal, Andreas S. Rosenberg, Harvey Sarles, David Schafer, Robert B. Tapp, Stephen P. Weldon, and Michael Werner.

For students of ethics, healthcare practitioners and policy makers, and everyone who wishes to participate intelligently in decisions involving cure and care, this work is of great value.

Howard B. Radest (Hilton Head, SC) is an adjunct professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina, Beaufort, dean emeritus of the Humanist Institute, chair of the Biomedical Ethics Committee of Hilton Head Regional Medical Center, consultant to the Ethics Committee of the South Carolina Medical Association, and consultant to the Center for Public Health Preparedness, School of Public Health, University of South Carolina. His most recent book is From Clinic to Classroom: Medical Ethics and Moral Education.