Body Bazaar: The Market for Human Tissue in the Biotechnology Age is a book by Lori Andrews and Dorothy Nelkin. According to the book, Body parts are bought and sold for medical research, diagnostics, and therapies. They are marketed to museums and personal collectors. And pieces of people are increasingly being used as raw materials for products-from placenta-enriched shampoos to experimental DNA-run computers. Blood has become one of the most valuable commodities on Earth. While petroleum sells for $100 a barrel, an equivalent quantity of blood products is worth $67,000. Use this quote to explain why ethics is such a difficult concept to understand.

Question

Jamil Ahmed · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : This example makes it obvious why ethics is such a difficult topic. Students should realize that they must weigh their personal philosophy of moral idealism-the way the remains of a loved one should be treated respectfully-with a more utilitarian philosophy, which focuses on how much can be learned from research on body parts. The cost of the blood is a supply and demand issue-just like the price of rocks compared to the price of diamonds. It is not really an ethical issue. It is included to demonstrate that subjects can be made to appear to be an ethical issue when they are not.

Definitions

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Related questions