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E thics [From Greek bios , life] A branch of applied ethics dealing with the moral issues about life and death arising from modern biological and medical research and health care practice. These issues include the allocation of scarce medical resources, the extent of the autonomy of the patient and the scope and limits of the authority of doctors and nurses, abortion and euthanasia , experiments with human subjects, genetic research and its applications, birth control, exogenesis, new medical techniques in human reproduction, prenatal screening, surrogate motherhood, and tissue or organ donation. Additional topics will arise as research advances. Many discussions surround such key moral notions of autonomy, equality, beneficence, justice, and responsibility. Bioethics is generally regarded as a synonym of “medical ethics” or “health care ethics,” although it covers many issues beyond the sphere of medically related matters. Since its central focus is health-related matters, bioethics provokes great public interest. “It is through applying the language of bioethics that health care understands its place in a culture, and the culture comprehends the significance of health care practices and the biomedical sciences it sustains.” Engelhardt, The Foundations of Bioethics ... log in or subscribe to read full text