Fatal Attraction? On the Risk of Incest for Children of IVF

Born Human / /

Melanie Unruh, R.N., B.S.N.

Intern, Tennessee Center for Bioethics and Culture

February 2008

As the month of love rolls in, we are inundated with stories of romance on television, in the news, and even in forwarded e-mails. Among the stranger stories are those like the December report of British twins who unwittingly married each other. Such stories have been the basis of ancient literature as in the legends of King Arthur, or in the current cultural icon of the soap opera. While this story is based on a single reference lacking in detail, its introduction in a debate in the British House of ...read more

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Family Care at the End of Life: A Personal Reflection

End of Life / /

R. Henry  Williams, M.D., M.A. Board Chair Tennessee Center for Bioethics and Culture December 2007

My father-in-law, Ken Johnson, died this fall at age ninety-five. His life was marked by love, faith, uncommon friendliness, and the greatest smile I have ever known.  

As a physician interested in end-of-life issues, I found Ken’s life and death particularly inspiring and instructive.  Prostate cancer, heart disease, and three strokes gradually eroded his quality of life, but could not take away his love for his wife and family, his faith, or his smile.  Neither did illness erase what we saw in him as a man, a father, a ...read more

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“Spiderman,” “The Fantastic Four,” and “Heroes” Will Not be Airing in Reality

Engineering Humans / /

Melanie Unruh, R.N., B.S.N. Intern, The Tennessee Center for Bioethics and Culture

November 2007

I admit it. I am a science fiction freak. Although I have never been a reader of comic books, recent movies such as “Spiderman” and “The Fantastic Four,” and the ideas behind the popular television series “Heroes” fascinate me.  As schools have taught that man is the product of genetic evolution, movies and television shows capitalize on this culture, encouraging the idea that we will soon be able to control our own evolution. Most commonly, cultural genetics portrays random mutations or engineered genes as the source of superhuman ...read more

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