Text 1 Some difficult cases of medical ethics

1. Whose baby?

Treatments now exist which сan decide the sex of a baby according to the parents’ wishes, but most doctors continue to feel that whether the child is a boy or a girl is a decision best left to nature. Mr and Mrs Schwarz are a married couple in their late thirties. They have five healthy children - all boys – are happy, unified family. They are now planning a sixth child, but they are desperate to have a girl this time. Mr Schwarz is equally insistent. “What possible harm can there be in granting us our dearest wish to have a daughter?” he asks. However, allowing parents to choose the sex of their children could affect the delicate balance of the sexes. It is estimated that 65 % of parents in the West would prefer a girl, with serious social consequences.

2. Choosing the sex of your child.

Scientists at the University of Texas (USA) believe they have discovered the key to stopping the ageing process - a simple chemical called telomerase which is produced naturally by the human body. Telomerase enables human cells to divide and replace themselves, but after a certain age the body stops producing it and begins to age. An American drug company has now applied for a licence to produce a drug containing large quantities of telomerase which, it is claimed, will enable takers to live for up to 150 years. No harmful side effects have been identified after five years of laboratory tests, though some scientists are concerned that there may be a small risk of cancer. With 16 % of population of the USA already over sixty years old, the implications for the worlds of health and work are enormous.

3. Drug to prevent ageing.

In 1996, the papers were full of the story of Louise, an eighteen-year-old girl paid by a Mr and Mrs Smith, a childless couple to be a surrogate mother for their baby. Louise received 30,000$. All seemed well until 2 days after the birth of baby Lucy, when Louise, refused to hand over the child, claiming that Mr and Mrs Smith were not suitable parents and that, as the child's natural mother, she had the right to keep her. Although she had no job or means of support, Louise claimed she would work to repay the money (which she had spent) rather than hand the baby back. The Smiths said they had no interest in the money, but only wanted their baby, and took Louise to court to get the child back. The judge ruled in their favour and at the age of 3 months, baby Lucy went to live with the Smiths. Louise was not allowed to have any contact with the child which was legally not hers.

Ex. 1 Answer the questions.

1. Why are the Shwarzes desperate to have a girl?

2. Nowadays parents are allowed to choose the sex of their children. What problems can it cause?

3. What way of stopping the ageing process have scientists at the University of Texas found? What is telomerase?

4. What did Louise get money for?

5. Why didn’t Louise want to hand over the child?

6. Whose favour did the judge rule for? What was his decision?

Ex.2 Match the following English word combinations with their Russian equivalents.

1.to grant someone a wish	A. процесс старения, стареть
2. a risk of canсer	B. постановить, решить дело в чью -либо пользу
3.a harmful side effect	C. исполнять чьё-либо желание, выполнить/ удовлетворить чью-либо просьбу
4. to rule in one’s favour	D. обращаться за разрешением
5.to allow nature to take its course	E. последствия чего-либо
6. to apply for a licence	F. отдавать, передавать
7. a surrogate mother	G.рожать, родить
8. to bear a child	H. риск заболевания раком
9. to hand something over	I. побочный эффект
10. the ageing process / to age	J. суррогатная мать
11. the consequences of something	K. предоставить природе право идти своим чередом

Ex.3 Fill in the blanks with the following words and word combinations.

stop the ageing process, patients,consequences, cells, risk of heart disease, harmful side effects, laboratory tests, treatment.

1. Healthy eating can reduce the _______.

2. This drug has _________.

3. One of the best ways to ________ is to drink a lot of water.

4. In modern medical practice ______ are commonly used to help establish or confirm a diagnosis.

5. What are the health ________of being overweight?

6. Approximately a quarter of the ______in the human body are red blood cells.

7. She was given emergency _______.

8. The clinic was full of_______.

Ex.4 Work in groups. Choose one story which interests you. Look at the questions and make notes individually under the following headings:

Arguments for	Arguments against
1. Should the Schwarzes be granted their wish, or should nature be allowed to take its course?
2. Do you allow the drug company to produce the drug Telozan?
3. Did the judge make the right decision?

Use the following phrases.

Describing possible consequences

"He / She should / shouldn't because …"

"He / She should / shouldn't have... because..."

"This could /would affect..."

"There are serious implications for..."

Weighing the arguments for and against

"It's a question of whether or not…"

"The most important issue is …"

We also need to think about the possibility of..."

"On one hand..., but on the other hand..."