Term limits for Congress?

School Library Journal

Gr 7 UpWhile the title emphasizes the use of technology, Bioethics is simply another book that discusses medical ethics. Beginning with a general overview of the issues involved, Sherrow then covers genetic engineering, pregnancy in its many modern permutations, research ethics, transplant dilemmas, and the right to die compared with heroic measures to sustain life. Each chapter begins with several examples of actual ethical dilemmas that serve to draw readers into the chapter. Recent controversies, such as the benefits awarded to a child conceived after her father's death, are sprinkled liberally throughout the book. The author ends with a discussion of costs and access to health care and the tough choices society must face in the future. Genetic mapping and screening, the dilemmas associated with informing genetically afflicted individuals, and the issues surrounding embryo research are examined here more than in extant works for this age group. Most of the content, however, has been covered in Margaret Hyde's Medical Dilemmas (Putnam, 1990) and Margot Mabie's Bioethics and the New Medical Technology (Atheneum, 1993). Noticeably absent is any debate regarding AIDS.Shannon VanHemert, Memphis/Shelby County Public Library, TN

Hazel Rochman

Should gene technology be used to "enhance" human beings? Who should get an organ for transplant? Would you want to know if you had a defective gene? How do you set priorities? What about confidentiality? What about cost? Above all, who decides? Sherrow debates the kind of ethical dilemmas we now face with the rise of bio-technology, and she shows that there are no simple answers. There is a lot of material here, and the cramped book design doesn't make for easy reading, but teens will be intrigued by the questions raised, both for personal reading and for classroom debate. Full source notes and a bibliography of books and articles provide access for those who want to find out more.