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Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Bioethics

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics explores ethical issues in biology.

What is Bioethics?

by Margaret McLean, senior scholar of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Bioethics involves a reflective, careful examination of issues that arise in biology and medicine, such as end-of-life decision making, DIY biology, biohacking, genetic testing, and the new possibilities of gene editing. It spans a large range of activities that may occur in garages or in laboratories.

Ethics in Healthcare Blog: Perspectives from Healthcare Ethics Interns
A computer keyboard with each key displaying the flag from a different country. Image by Gino Crescoli from Pixabay.

In the United States, 29.6 million people with limited English proficiency ( LEP) fight to engage with the health care system. 

Mercy Medical Center Redding, CA. Photo By Dignity Health.

Because of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Services (ERDs), anyone who delivers their baby at a Catholic hospital will be unable to receive tubal ligation for contraceptive purposes at the hospital, regardless of any prior arrangements.

Informed Consent form on doctor desk. Photo By Andres Victorero_Wirestock Creator_Adobe Stock.

Obtaining informed consent in the medical setting concerns whether enough information has been disclosed to the patient and whether they can comprehend the risks of a procedure. Yet, a significant challenge to obtaining informed consent now emerges in the context of transformative experiences.

Rainbow pride flag and stethoscope. Transgender and LGBTQ+ healthcare and mental health concept. Photo By JJ Gouin_Adobe Stock.

Legally preventing providers from practicing and providing gender-affirming care to their patients is unethical, and may have serious implications for health care providers who wish for nothing more than to fulfill their vocations to the best of their abilities.

2024 Health Care Ethics Symposium

Symposium with presentations by the 2023-24 Health Care Ethics Interns from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. 

Access Symposium Recording on YouTube

Student Programs

Looking for an internship? Apply to be a Health Care Ethics Intern, or continue exceptional work as the Honzel Fellow.

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Commentary on Bioethics
A woman receiving a vaccine shot from a nurse

Vaccination and mask mandates will push us all to be our better selves—to protect ourselves and others from the health, economic, and social consequences of unchecked pandemic.

A person analyzing data on a chalkboard and laptop.

Two features of AI/ML in clinical decision making raise important ethical and legal questions about how to assign responsibility for medical decisions.

Healthcare professionals performing surgery under bright surgical lights in an operating room.

The debate over whether health care is a right or a privilege comes down to how much burden society is willing to accept in order to provide health care to those who lack it. There may be a compromise.

Catholic bishops in the United States are split about the morality of using a COVID-19 vaccine.

Bioethics Materials
magazines and newspapers laying on a table

Browse curated bioethics pieces on subjects such as end-of-life care, clinical ethics, pandemics, and culturally competent care.


file folders being examined through a magnifying glass overlaid with the word

Dive deep into real-life examples of vulnerable patient populations, organ transplantation, and other topics in bioethics.


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Hear what our staff and fellows are saying about neurotechnology, current events, and more.


Image of library shelves filled with books overlaid with the word 'Resources'.

Explore the in-depth guides our staff have organized to model Catholic health care policies, MRSA risk assessment ethics, and beyond.


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Health Disparities and COVID - 19

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the African American community and other marginalized groups have been disproportionately impacted by the negative effects of the pandemic in a number of ways. View 2020-21 Hackworth Fellow Amanda Liddell's project on the subject below.

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Media Commentary
HeLa Cervical Cancer Cells

Dorothee Caminiti, director, bioethics, quoted by BioSpace

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Dorothée Caminiti, director, bioethics, featured on the Fixing Healthcare Podcast.

Culturally Competent Care

Many patients from non-majority ethnicities and/or cultures frequently experience misunderstanding, mistreatment, or marginalization in clinical health care settings. See our compiled resources for health care that is sensitive to the differing values and needs of cultural groups within our diverse society.

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End-of-Life Care with Alzheimer’s Disease

What ethical issues arise when terminal neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's prevent individuals from making medical decisions? This material explores answers to such questions and ethical considerations for end-of-life care with Alzheimer's Disease.

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