SRSP 11-16 Topic 5 U1c – Medical issues

At the core of this topic is the question “Is it always right for science to do what it is capable of in relation to medical intervention?” If the answer is “no” then how do science and religion interact in making decisions about what is right? The topic starts with a practical activity that gets students to look at specific interventions and decide if they are right or wrong. Then the class divides up to explore two topics in more detail: cloning and organ transplants. Finally the class comes back together to share their exploration and discuss their ideas as a whole class. The teacher pulls together the issues that arise and draws out the common themes.

An alternative route through the materials is to take one of the issues (cloning and organ transplants) and cover them as a whole class. The worksheets include some activities that will support this approach.

This unit consists of 3 lessons and is suitable for students aged from 13 to 16 years

Key Questions

Do scientists believe they will eventually conquer death? Would this be a good thing?
Does having parts of our body replaced change the person we are?
Do people’s religious beliefs affect their views of how medical technology should be used?

Some of the materials can be viewed on screen and some can be downloaded for editing or printing. To view the pdf files you need Adobe Acrobat Reader. See the about section for more details.