Step 1:
We know you're busy, the issues can seem
scary and overwhelming, and you're already overloaded with information,
so we've made the Bioethics Book Club as fun and easy as possible by
doing things you already like to do: read books, talk about important
issues with your friends, and make a difference in the world.
You can approach the Women’s Bioethics Project Book Club three
ways: you can read the books independently, thinking about the
questions and the implications on your own; you can rally a group of
friends to read the books and then discuss the questions together; or
you can simply insert these books into your regular book club rotation,
using the support materials to facilitate discussion.
We’re starting with three works of fiction. You can read just one or all three; they stand on their own but have also been chosen because they work beautifully together. Each author provides a unique and provocative view of the impacts of rapidly advancing biotechnology particularly in the area of human germline genetic modification or “designer babies.”
You can read these three books in any order you like, but we recommend you read them in the suggested order to see how they build upon each other in scope. For instance:
We’re starting with three works of fiction. You can read just one or all three; they stand on their own but have also been chosen because they work beautifully together. Each author provides a unique and provocative view of the impacts of rapidly advancing biotechnology particularly in the area of human germline genetic modification or “designer babies.”
You can read these three books in any order you like, but we recommend you read them in the suggested order to see how they build upon each other in scope. For instance:
• My Sister’s Keeper explores the consequences and impact on a single family.
• Never Let Me Go takes the impact a step further to affect a community.
• Oryx & Crake looks at the impact of technological advances on an entire society.
Read in this order, they'll can take you along a continuum from stem cell
and organ transplants between siblings—which is real today—to
futuristic ideological conclusions that involve the same, very real
technologies.
If you are reading with a group, plan on about two hours for the discussion. You can do this in your home, neighborhood library, coffee shop, community center, wherever!
There are about twenty questions per book on the website (see the Book Club Kit section for the title you are interested in—My Sister's Keeper, Never Let Me Go, and Oryx & Crake.) Because they are so thought-provoking we’ve found that most groups can cover about five, so choose your favorites.
A Step Further...
If you’re new to book clubs and you’d like information about how to
effectively start one you might want to purchase “The Reading Group Handbook: Everything You
Need to Know to Start Your Own Book Club” for more specifics.
Step 2:
All sets of questions end with a very important Action Connection
Question, which may need extra time; it is the
link that ties the big ethical questions to real life policy issues.
For more in-depth information about any of the science covered in the books (i.e. “designer babies”) please visit the Policy Questions portion of the website. There you’ll find information that will help you to begin to form your own opinions about these real-life issues.
For more in-depth information about any of the science covered in the books (i.e. “designer babies”) please visit the Policy Questions portion of the website. There you’ll find information that will help you to begin to form your own opinions about these real-life issues.
Our
program is designed to help you understand the direct and profound
affect emerging biotechnologies will have on your life and provide the
tools you'll need to come to your own conclusions about what you want
laws and regulations to look like.
At the end of the discussion, encourage all of your readers to weigh in on these issues in our What Should We Do? section. You can choose to Ban, Regulate or Encourage these new technologies.
At the end of the discussion, encourage all of your readers to weigh in on these issues in our What Should We Do? section. You can choose to Ban, Regulate or Encourage these new technologies.
