[The endless bonds and the challenges to medicine]

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Medical Humanities
• Sociology of Medicine

Context:

• Emerging eugenics and narrative-based medicine present challenges to contemporary medical practice.
• The integration of biomedicine necessitates re-evaluating foundational ethical principles.
• Clinical encounters possess inherent existential and anthropological significance.

Purpose:

• To critically examine the ethical underpinnings of medical decisions at the beginning and end of life.
• To explore the potential of narrative-based medicine in addressing ethical dilemmas posed by new eugenics.
• To question the complete reducibility of medical decision-making to algorithms or genetic determinism.

Summary:

• This paper challenges the ethical implications of new eugenics, proposing narrative-based medicine as a counterpoint.
• It analyzes the role of existential and anthropological factors in clinical experience, arguing against purely algorithmic or genetic approaches to medical decisions.
• The study advocates for a holistic understanding of medical decision-making that incorporates moral value.

Impact:

• Informs bioethical discourse on reproductive technologies and end-of-life care.
• Highlights the importance of narrative and humanistic approaches in medical education and practice.
• Contributes to the philosophical debate on determinism versus human agency in healthcare.