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Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2020; 11 (3) 

 

 

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Editorial  
Vol 11 No 3 (Bioethics and Educational Institutes) 

 

In the past few years, Bioethics, the branch of applied ethics, has been widely established as a 

discipline, as a value framework, a framework of principles, a tool, as a medium for practical 

skill development to help individuals understand complex moral, social, legal, environmental 

issues in medicine, clinical and health research. As a discipline, bioethics invite 

interdisciplinary deliberation and draws people from all sectors of society to engage in 

discussion. Bioethics also serves as the potential medium for greater community engagement 

and participation involving both professionals and non-professionals.  

As a branch of applied ethics, Bioethics, have dealt with the complex ethical issues such as 

animal experiments, biological enhancements, organ donation, surrogacy, gene technologies, 

reproductive technologies, the beginning and end of life care, public health, health policy and 

planning. Though the list is not exhaustive, the pressing need of incorporation of Bioethics 

within the educational curriculum, at different levels, was to make rational and autonomous 

humans capable to undertake informed decisions in complex situations of life.  

With the evolution of the branch, Bioethics education has rapidly developed over the last few 

decades. It has been extended to be a part of academic curriculum with the purpose to help 

students develop the critical thinking skills in dealing with complicated ethical issues; to 

develop the skill of rational argumentation, reasoned responses. 

The papers in this issue on Bioethics and Educational Institutes emphasize the need and 

practical implications of incorporation of Bioethics in the academic curriculum across the 

globe.  

The first paper entitled A survey on the attitude of college students to the right to privacy 

as opposed to the right to know by Nader Ghotbi highlights the importance of informed 

decisions to balance the two conflicting human rights- the right to know and the right to 

‘privacy and confidentiality’. Conducting the survey on 222 Bioethics students at an 

international university in Japan, the paper had used a case study method to study the students’ 

perception and attitude towards this conflict of rights. The study concludes with findings that 

majority of students have stated the importance of both these rights in a democratic society. 

The study also reveals the need of case-based decisions on specific circumstances and careful 

consideration of the consequence of such decisions. Additionally, the paper establishes the 

limitation of the legal boundaries and the need of ethical, rather bioethical analysis, in resolving 

debates in many instances.  

The second paper on Awareness and Perceptions on Bioethical Issues among Pre-Service 

Science Teachers by Zulfeki Daud, Zainab Ari, and Noorahfizah Daud investigates the 

awareness and perception level of bioethical issues among pre-service science teachers in a 

Malaysian Education Institution. Using a questionnaire-based survey and using SPSS version 

22, the paper indicates that pre-service science teachers were aware of the existence of 

bioethical issues. However, there exists statistically significant difference of perception of the 



Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2020; 11 (3) 

 

 

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bioethical issues according to religion and course. Male, Muslim and science major course pre-

service teachers are more aware of the issues to be bioethical. While majority of the pre-service 

teachers are aware of cloning, other bioethical issues such as organ donation, genetic 

modification, stem cells, abortion, gene therapy, gene screening and euthanasia seemed to 

require more awareness. The paper concludes with the recommendation of wider discussion of 

the bioethical issues and incorporation of the bioethical issues in science curriculum among 

preservice science teachers. 

 

The third paper on Drug abuse and drug addiction among students of University of 

Rajshahi (RU) by Faiqua Tahjiba emphasizes the need of more comprehensive approach to 

deal with drug abuse in the educational setting. Investigating the actual condition of the 

students of the university regarding drug abuse and addiction and using case study method, the 

paper, finds that there are different social and economic causes intricately related to the drug 

addiction among the university students. These include curiosity, frustration, friends’ request, 

neglect from family and friends etc. Additionally, the study reveals that there is a tendency to 

use specific drugs such as Yaba, Phensydyle, Ganja (Weed), Chuani etc. Stating the average 

monthly expenditure for collecting drugs by these students, the paper concludes that the rate of 

drug addiction among the students of RU is quite alarming. Therefore, all stakeholders 

including the students, guardians, teachers, university authority, the law makers and law 

enforcing agencies, researchers, civil society, NGO’s and the state must come forward together 

to address the issue.  

The fourth paper on Legacies of Love, Peace and Hope: How Bioethics Education can 

Overcome Hatred and Divide by Darryl R.J. Macer narrates a strive for peaceful and 

harmonious coexistence even to undertake bioethical decisions. The author mentions in the 

pursuit of a good life (eubios), both individuals and societies, need to educate themselves on 

the pursuit of love of life in all domains, self-love, love of others, loving good and love of life. 

Reflecting on his own journey, the author underlines that for the sake of bioethics education, 

nurturing good decisions is important and nurturing of good decisions imply an enhanced 

peaceful and harmonius coexistence in the world. For, bioethics, need to be used as the 

empowering tool to enable individuals and population to make right choices, to undertake right 

decisions at right time and place.  

 

The fifth paper on Ethics after Darwin: Completing the Revolution by Rainer Ebert 

demonstrates a big-picture of the discussion of the important implication of Darwinism for 

ethics. The author argues that there is a misfit between scientific view of the natural world and 

the view, still dominant in academic philosophy and wider society alike, that there is a discrete 

hierarchy of moral status among conscious beings. The author suggests that the clear line of 

traditional morality – between human beings and other animals – is a remnant of an obsolete 

moral outlook. He argues that the phenomenal consciousness might have occurred in evolution 

from one generation of animals to the next, and can be considered to be the plausible and non-

arbitrary cut-off point, separating “someones” from “somethings.” Concluding with the open 

note and highlighting that there is a far greater implication such as non-consumption of 



Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2020; 11 (3) 

 

 

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“conscious animals” if the community of moral equals in fact coincides with the community 

of conscious beings, the paper, exemplifies how theoretical bioethics can be used as the tool in 

argument development at the individual and population level.  

 

In sum, the papers in this issue, had demonstrated how and why bioethics need to be part of the 

academic curriculum and how exactly it can be used for enhanced knowledge, attitude, and 

practice of the issues. As the guest editor of the issue, I thank all the authors for selecting the 

journal and adding value to the journal through their intellectual and philosophical 

contributions. I do, specifically, thank each author for contributing to the issue with the 

emphasis on the need of the bioethical discussions in different domains of academics. I convey 

my heartfelt gratitude to all the reviewers for giving your precious time to review the papers of 

the issue and also in providing valuable insights and comments for the contributors to improve. 

I am also grateful to Professor Shamima Parvin Lasker and Ms. Tahera Ahmed for giving the 

opportunity to edit this issue.  

Finally, I hope readers will be benefitted in their thoughts about bioethics education and 

bioethics will find a definite place in the curriculums, at all levels, across the globe.  

Thank you, 

Dr. Rhyddhi Chakraborty FHEA 

(Programme Leader (HND-Health Care Practice), Global Banking School, London, UK 

Visiting Faculty (Philosophy & Global Health), AUSN, USA 

Senior Associate Member, Royal Society of Medicine, London, UK) 

Guest Editor, Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics, Vol-11, issue 3 

   

References: 

Chadwick, Ruth Felicity. 2019. Bioethics. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/bioethics. 

Last Accessed January 09, 2021 

Ike, C.G., Anderson, N. 2018. A proposal for teaching bioethics in high schools using appropriate visual education 

tools. Philos Ethics Humanit Med 13, 11 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13010-018-0064-1. Last Accessed January 08, 

2021 

ten Have H.A.M.J. 2014. Bioethics Education. In: ten Have H., Gordijn B. (eds) Handbook of Global 

Bioethics. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2512-6_96. Last Accessed January 09, 

2021 

Wilmott, Chris. 2004. Ethics and Bioethics. Bioethics Briefing. Available at ethicsbrief1.pdf (le.ac.uk). Last 

Accessed January 10, 2021 


