IB2009431 THE CONTESTED TERRAIN OF AMERICAN BIOETHICS

Abstract

Bioethics came to life in the United States in the late 1960s. As the first research center in the world devoted to bioethics. Those of us who were early in the field had to deal with a general skepticism that the field of ethics could offer useful direction and advice, and had to deal as well with resistance among physicians. As time went on various struggles emerged on the role of ethical theory, the influence of ideology on the field of bioethics, and the particular features of American culture, highly individualistic and not inclined to take on ultimate human questions. A global bioethics has emerged and the field of bioethics, despite internal struggles, continues to grow and flourish.

Key-words:

bioethics, Organisational ethics, Principle-based ethics, Philosophical foundations, Ethical analysis, Historical aspects, United States.