Argumentative Essay Topics:  Bioethics Issues
The following topics are suitable for argumentative essay assignments about education issues. Suggested thesis statements and a list of web links to pertinent information are provided for each topic. Issues on this page include:
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Assisted Suicide

Thesis Statements:

  • Physician-assisted suicide should be a legal option for terminally ill patients.
  • Physician-assisted suicide should be illegal.
Some of the issues in this argument:
Should terminally ill people have the right to control their own death?
Would legalizing assisted suicide relieve families of the burdens of caring for a terminally ill relative?
Would legalizing assisted suicide lead to euthanasia?
Should doctors be prosecuted for assisting in the suicide of a terminally ill patient?
 Sources of Information:
dna helixGenetic Research

Thesis Statements:

  • Science should be free to pursue genetic research, which could have enormous benefits to humanity.
  • Genetic engineering could have unforeseen and dangerous consequences, and by trying to change our genetic makeup scientists are undermining the basic laws of nature and God.

Some issues in this argument:

Should we lift bans on federal funding for embryo research, including stem cells and fertility problems?
Should we encourage wider use of genetic screening?
Should we enact privacy rules controlling the release of genetic test results to employers or insurance companies? Is discrimination an inevitable result?

 Sources of Information:

Marla DeSoto
3/16/05