Topic and Activity Ideas

Below is a list of suggested topics to address in your Bioethics Week activities. We have compiled a list of activities for some of these topics- clicking on the topic will take you to those suggested activities.

The list of suggested activities is meant to provoke thoughtful discussion for students at all grade levels, stages of maturity and academic ability. Given that you best know your class, we have left the categorization of activities very broad in order to give you the choice of which topics, discussion questions and activities are best suited to your students. The suggestions are by no means exhaustive, thus we encourage you to be creative in your incorporation of bioethics into your classroom activities. The ultimate goal is to get students thinking and talking about ethics, bioethics issues, and how it all relates to their own lives.

If you have further ideas for ethics activities in the classroom, we would encourage you to forward them to us for inclusion in this resource!

News Articles 

We have compiled some recent news articles related to health ethics issues which you can use as newsworthy topics to spark lively, thoughtful, and informed ethical discussion among your students. To view these articles please click here.

Topic Ideas 

Abortion

Cloning

Community Ethics and Social Determinants of Health

Compassion

Confidentiality

Cooperation

Cultural Diversity, Difference and Ethics

Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders

Doing the Right Thing

End-of-Life Decision Making

Ethical Decision Making and Conflict Resolution

Employer/ Employee Ethics of Health/Science-Related Careers

Environmental Ethics

Ethical Theory

Euthanasia

Fairness/Justice

Feelings and How They Can Affect Others

Female Genital Mutilation

Genetically Modified Foods

Genetic Testing

Global Health & Ethics

Honesty

Integrity

Law, Policy, Health & Ethics

Life Sustaining Treatment

Media, Health Ethics & the Consumer

Medical Error

Organ Donation

Quality of Life

Reproductive Technologies

Religion and Health Ethics

Research Ethics

Respect

Resource Allocation

Technology and Ethics

Trustworthiness

Truth-Telling

Values

 

Cooperation

Discussion Questions

  • What does cooperation mean to you?
  • What is good about working with other people? What is difficult about working with others?
  • Make a list of all the benefits and drawbacks of cooperating. Which list is longer? Why?
  • In what kinds of activities in your life are you required to cooperate with others?
  • Would the health of the community (locally, provincially, nationally, internationally) improve if we cooperated better? How so?
  • How is cooperation related to fairness? Honesty? Trustworthiness? Respect?
  • Do health care providers have to cooperate? What are some examples of this? How does it affect patients? Is it important?

Activities

  • Initiative Tasks
    Have the students perform cooperative games as a class or in small groups. Be sure to debrief afterwards, discussing what was easy, what was difficult, how well they cooperated, who was a leader, whether everyone was included etc. Some examples are:
    • Blind Geometry- Blindfold the group and give them a long rope. Call out a shape such as square, circle, triangle, hexagon. The challenge is for them to form the shape with the rope without looking.
    • Animal Size Line-up- Each student is secretly given the name of an animal. Without speaking, the group must line themselves up according to size from the smallest animal to the largest.
    • Human Knot- Divide the students into groups of 6-8 and have them stand in a circle shoulder to shoulder. Everyone puts their hands in the middle and clasps two other hands (not their neighbours’ hands!). Without letting go hands, the group must untangle themselves, until they are in a proper circle holding hands.
    • Trust Seesaw- Have the class stand in a circle, shoulder to shoulder, holding hands. Number the students off 1,2, 1, 2… On the count of 3 have the 1s tilt backwards from their feet, and the 2s lean forward. You may have to try this a few times until the students are able to trust and cooperate enough to balance. Once they have this, keep switching positions on the count of 3, so that the group is seesawing slowly back and forth from a front lean to a back lean.
  • Cooperation Zero
    Write about an imaginary encounter with a health care provider in which he/she is being the most uncooperative with you and his/her coworkers that you can imagine. How productive is this? How does this make you and the coworkers feel? How would cooperating change the situation?
  • Brainstorm
    Brainstorm ways to cooperate and then discuss whether the students’ health care providers have these characteristics. Some examples are:
    • Listen carefully and be sure you understand what others are saying
    • Share with others
    • Take turns
    • Compromise when you have a conflict
    • Work hard to see the other person’s point of view
    • Recognize and use the different strengths of group members to accomplish your goal
    • Appreciate the contributions of others even if they are different than your own
    • Encourage others to do their best and recognize them when they have done so
    • Include everyone in the group’s activities and decisions
    Compile your findings and write a class letter to the editor with a list of recommendations for health care providers.
  • Taking Action
    As a class, decide on a health care problem that might be solved if the people involved cooperated better. Why are they not cooperating now? What would you do if you had the power to change the situation to ensure better cooperation? Compile the suggestions and submit it to the local health authorities.
  • Newspaper Review
    Scan magazines or newspapers and cut out articles showing examples of groups of people cooperating. Discuss what the group accomplished by cooperating, how they succeeded in cooperating and what compromises they made to do so.
  • TV Show, Book or Movie Review
    Write a review or summary of a television show, book or movie, describing how well the characters cooperated. What did they do well or not so well? How did the situation make them feel?
  • Ultimate Cooperation
    Write about the best experience you had cooperating as a member of a group. What made it enjoyable and successful? What was challenging? What did you learn? Pretend you are a teacher working with a group of health care providers. How would you use your group experience to teach them to cooperate with each other?

 

Cultural Diversity, Ethics, and International Health

Discussion Questions

  • How are culture, values and ethics related?
  • Are Western values similar to or different than the values of the rest of the world? How so? How does this impact health care delivery in a multicultural setting?
  • Is autonomy an important principle in all cultures?
  • Do our values, actions and decisions affect the health of people in other countries? Do their values, actions and decisions affect our health? Why or why not? How?
  • Does the Canadian health care system respect the different values, cultures and religions of its patients? Why or why not? Why is this important?
  • Should a patient be able to make a decision that is conducive with his or her cultural or religious values, but which contradicts the values of the health care providers or health care system involved? Why or why not?
  • How have technology and globalization impacted global health and cultural diversity?

Doing the Right Thing

Discussion Questions

  • How do you know what is right and what is wrong? Are there different ways to decide what is right and what is wrong?
  • Why do some people do the wrong thing even though they know what the right thing is?
  • Why do people sometimes do the right thing even when it's more difficult or not as much fun as something else?
  • Is it sometimes okay to choose to do something just because you can get away with it? Why or why not? Have you ever done this? What were the consequences?
  • Does everyone have the same notion of right and wrong? Are there one “right” and one “wrong” in every situation?
  • Why should we do the right thing? Is it easier or more difficult to do the right thing? Why?
  • Do health care providers always do the right thing? Why or why not?
  • How do health care providers decide what is the right thing? Do they ever disagree? Why or why not?

Activities

  • Survey
    Survey another class, asking them how they know when they are doing the right thing. Compile the results and make a list of recommendations you could give to someone who is having trouble deciding how to do the right thing.
  • Skit
    Divide the students into small groups and give them each an age-appropriate situation involving a difficult decision. Using puppets or a skit box (a box with random items like a pencil, hat, book, mug and wig that must be used in some way during the skit) have them plan and perform a skit in which a character does the “right thing” and another character in the same situation does the “wrong thing”. After each presentation discuss why the students chose certain actions as right and others as wrong, and whether others may have categorized them differently. (It helps to put a time limit on the presentations- the length of a commercial break is usually appropriate!)
  • Right vs. Wrong Journal
    Write about a time when you did the wrong thing even though you knew what the right thing to do would have been. How did you know what was right versus what was wrong? Why did you make that choice? How did it affect others? How did it make you feel? If you had the chance to make the decision over again, would you have made the same one? Compare this situation to one in which you chose to do the right thing, even though you really wanted to do the wrong thing. Why did you make this choice? ? How did it affect others? How did it make you feel? If you had the chance to make the decision over again, would you have made the same one? How are the two situations similar? How are they different? How do they reflect your values?

 

Ethical Decision Making and Conflict Resolution

Discussion Questions

  • What circumstances and conditions must be present for an ethical decision to be made? What and who must be considered?
  • What is autonomy? What circumstances and conditions must be present for a truly autonomous decision to be made?
  • Should children be involved in making decisions about their health? Why or why not? Is age or maturity a factor? Who should decide the extent of the child’s involvement?
  • Should patient families be consulted in medical decision-making? Why or why not? What happens if the patient’s wishes conflict with those of his or her family?
  • Should a patient be allowed to make a decision that may be detrimental to his or her health? Why or why not?
  • Under what circumstances is someone incapable of making his or her own decisions? Who determines this? Who should make decisions for these people in these situations?
  • Do your values affect decision-making and conflict resolution? How?
  • Is it possible to find the ethical answer in an ethical conflict? Is there such a thing?

Activities

  • Debate
    As a class, develop a framework for ethical decision-making or conflict resolution. Use it to debate and attempt to resolve bioethical issues.
  • Guest Speaker
    Invite an ethics committee member to talk to the class about the types of ethical decisions and conflicts that arise in a health care setting and how they are resolved

Ethics of Health/ Science-Related Careers

Discussion Questions

  • Do you think most health care providers and scientists are aware of the ethics involved in their professions? Why or why not? Should they be? Why or why not?
  • Should scientists and health care providers have a code of ethics by which they abide? Why or why not?
  • Do you think a health care provider’s or scientist’s personal values ever conflict with her/his work? Why or why not? How?
  • Are communication and mediation skills important in ensuring ethical behaviour in health and science-related professions? Why or why not?
  • How important are trust and truth- involving patients, co-workers, the public- when one is engaged in a health or science career?
  • Is it ethical for health care providers to influence patients’ decisions by coercion or manipulation, even if the health care provider believes it is the best course of action?

Activities

  • Guest Speaker
    Invite an ethicist, or member of a local ethics committee or research ethics board to talk to the class about the ethical issues involved in health and science related careers, the role of ethics committees and/or the role of research ethics boards.
  • Code of Ethics
    In a small group, develop a code of ethics for scientists or health care providers. Present your code to the class. Compare differences and similarities between groups and reasons for them. Compare your codes of ethics to existing codes for the professions.

 

Ethical Theory

Discuss or research the following ethical theories with your class. We welcome you to contact PHEN for resources on these topics.

  • Utilitarianism
  • Deontology
  • Principled Ethics
  • Feminist Ethics
  • Relational Ethics
  • Virtue Ethics

 

Fairness

Discussion Questions

  • What does it mean to treat others fairly?
  • What does it mean to say, “That’s not fair!”
  • How do you feel when others are not fair to you? How should you act towards them?
  • How does being fair to others make you feel? How does it affect your relationships with others?
  • Is it possible to always be fair to everyone? Why or why not?
  • How do you promote fairness in your classroom? Does this affect the health of your classmates?
  • Is it fair that some people in your community are healthier than others? In Alberta? In Canada? Worldwide? Why or why not?
  • When you make decisions, do you think about being fair to everyone involved? Do you think health care providers do?
  • Is it possible for health care providers to always be fair to everyone? Why or why not? How can they be fair to everyone if there are not enough resources to give to everyone?

Activities

  • Brainstorm
    Brainstorm ways to be fair and discuss whether the students’ health care providers have these characteristics. Some examples are:
    • Play by the rules
    • Listen to others with equal attention
    • Don’t play favourites
    • Take turns
    • Tell the truth
    • Think about how your actions will affect others
    • Share equally with others
    • Don't blame other people for your mistakes
    • Don't take advantage of other people
    • Don’t judge others based on someone else’s opinion
    Compile your findings and write a class letter to the editor with a list of recommendations for health care providers.
  • Skit
    Use puppets or a skit box (a box with random items like a pencil, hat, book, mug and wig that must be used in some way during the skit) to act out what would happen if we were not treated fairly by our health care provider. Videotape the presentations and discuss them. (It helps to put a time limit on the presentations- the length of a commercial break is usually appropriate!)
  • Newspaper Review
    Scan magazines or newspapers and cut out articles with examples of fairness. Discuss who is being fair or unfair, how they are being that way, why, and how the situation could be changed.
  • TV Show, Book or Movie Review
    Write a review or summary of a television show, book or movie, describing how the characters are treated fairly or unfairly and how it makes them feel.
  • Fairness Journal
    Write about what fairness means to you and the importance of being fair. How does it relate to honesty? Trustworthiness? Respect?
  • Chain of Effect
    Write about three decisions you made today (even very small ones) and make the most extensive list you can of people that were affected by your decision. How were they affected? Did you think about these people when you made these decisions? Looking back, were your decisions fair ones to make?
  • Taking Action
    As a class, decide on a health-related situation that you believe to be unfair. Describe the aspects of the situation and brainstorm ways to make it fair. What would you do if you had the power to change the situation to make it fair? Compile the suggestions into a report and submit it to your local MP, MLA or health authority.
  • Stakeholders
    When making a fair decision it is important to think about everyone involved in and affected by the decision. Pretend you are in charge of making an important health care decision and list all the people who will be affected by your decision. How can you tell who will be affected by your decision? How does considering these people help you make a more fair decision? Would you have come to a different decision if you hadn’t considered these people?

 

Health Ethics in the Community and the Social Determinants of Health

Discussion Questions

  • Why/ how do factors such as income, housing, sustainable resources, peace, equity, education, food, employment, and a stable ecosystem determine the health of an individual and community?
  • Is there a discrepancy in these social determinants of health in Canada? Is this ethical?
  • Does health status vary from community to community? Why or why not? Is this ethical?
  • What ideas do you have to ensure more equitable access to these determinants of health, thus better health for more people?
  • How does gender affect health? Are women or men healthier? Why? What societal factors contribute to ill health in both men and women? Are they different?
  • Does the health of an individual affect the health of the community and/or vice versa? How? Can they conflict? How can this be resolved?
  • Should we be more concerned with the health/ good of individuals or the health/ good of community populations? Why?
  • Who should be responsible for ensuring that a community is healthy?

Activities

  • Aboriginal Health
    Research the discrepancies between the health of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. Discuss why this difference exists and ideas for change. Is this fair? Just? Ethical? Submit your findings and suggestions to your local health authority, MP or MLA.
  • Healthy Men, Healthy Women
    Research the difference in the health status of men and women- in Canada and/or internationally. Brainstorm ideas as to why this difference exists. Investigate the effects on health of part-time versus full-time work, income levels, work satisfaction, control over one’s life, responsibilities of domestic labour and child-care.
  • AIDS
    Research the extent of AIDS in Asia and Africa. Explore the reasons for these epidemics. Does the rest of the world have a moral duty to get involved? Why or why not? What are some solutions?

Honesty and Trustworthiness

Discussion Questions

  • How do you know if you can trust someone?
  • What kind of a person is a trustworthy person?
  • What does trustworthiness mean to you?
  • Are you a trustworthy person? How do you know?
  • Do your family and friends trust you? Do you trust them? How do you know? How important is this to you?
  • Do you trust your health care providers? Why or why not? Is this important? Why or why not?
  • What does trust have to do with honesty?
  • Are you an honest person? How do you know?
  • How do you feel when you find out someone has lied to you?
  • Are there any times when it’s OK to lie?
  • If you tell just one lie, does that make you a liar? How many lies do you get to tell before you are a liar?
  • Would you trust somebody who lies?
  • Is life easier if you are honest and trustworthy? Why or why not?
  • What is confidentiality? Is this important? Under what circumstances is it OK for health care providers to share information you have given them?
  • Do you think health care providers are always honest with their patients? Why or why not? Is this important? Why or why not?
  • Do you think a team of health care providers are honest with and trust each other? Why or why not? Is this important? Why or why not?
  • Does having trustworthy and honest relationships with friends, family, and neighbours affect our health and/or the health of our community? Why or why not?
  • How do you ensure honesty and trustworthiness in your classroom? Does this affect the health of your classmates? Why or why not?

Activities

  • Honesty or Trustworthy Record
    Over a week, record examples of situations in which you are honest or dishonest and/or trustworthy or distrustful. Write your reflections on these instances at the end of each day. At the end of the week, write a story, act out a play, or do a speech about one of these situations and how it made you feel.
  • Honesty or Trustworthy Journal
    Write about the importance of honesty and trustworthiness. How does it relate to fairness? Respect?
  • Honesty and Trustworthy Survey
    Conduct a survey in your class, school or community asking questions like: Do you think people are honest enough? Who do you trust the most? On a scale of 1-10 how important is honesty to you? Trustworthiness? On a scale of 1-10 how much do you trust your health care providers? Compile the results in charts, discuss the results, and present your findings to another class.
  • Skit
    Use puppets or a skit box (a box with random items like a pencil, hat, book, mug and wig that must be used in some way during the skit) to act out what would happen if we couldn’t trust our health care providers or if they were dishonest with us. Videotape the presentations and discuss them. (It helps to put a time limit on the presentations- the length of a commercial break is usually appropriate!)
  • Biography
    Interview a health care provider you trust and write or videotape a biography about that person. Explain why you trust him or her, what it is about that person’s personality that makes you trust him/her, what influences he or she had in life to teach him/her to be this way, how important being trustworthy is to that person and his/her profession etc.
  • Guest Speaker
    Invite a health care provider to come to the class to discuss the importance of honesty and trustworthiness in a health care setting.

 

Research Ethics

Discussion Questions

  • Is research ethics important? Why or why not?
  • What is informed consent? Why is it important?
  • What is confidentiality? Is this important? What steps can be taken to ensure confidentiality if protected during a research project?
  • Who funds scientific research? Does the type of funder influence the direction and outcome of the research?
  • What does “conflict of interest” mean? How does this relate to the research process?
  • How are health research findings reported? What influence does the media have in this?
  • Historically women have been excluded from much of health research. As a result, the findings of research done on men has been generalized to women. How does this affect the health of women? Is this ethical?
  • How do societal needs and interests influence health and scientific research? How does this research influence the needs and interests of society?

Activities

  • Guest Speaker
    Invite a member of a local research ethics board to discuss research ethics with the class, and explain the board’s roles and responsibilities.
  • Tuskegee Research Project
    Conduct a research project on the Tuskegee syphilis study, the ethical issues involved and how it has affected the evolution of research ethics.
  • Nuremberg Code Research Project
    Explore the details of the Nuremberg Code, its history and implications for research ethics today.

Respect

Discussion Questions

  • What does respect mean?
  • How does it feel to be respected?
  • Have you ever been disrespected? How does it feel?
  • How does treating others with respect affect your relationships with them?
  • Are we healthier if we are respected by others? Why or why not? Can being respectful to others positively affect their health? How?
  • Do your health care providers respect you? How do you know? Is this important?
  • Do you respect your health care providers? Why or why not? Is this important?
  • What would it be like if you did not respect your health care providers and/ or they did not respect you?

Activities

  • Brainstorm
    Brainstorm ways to be respectful and discuss whether the students’ health care providers have these characteristics. Some examples are:
    • Don't judge people before you get to know them
    • Be courteous and polite
    • Try to learn from others
    • Listen when others are speaking
    • Recognize that every one is different and has different likes/dislikes, strengths/ weaknesses etc.
    • Don't insult, make fun of, or bully others
    • Treat other people the way you want to be treated
    Compile your findings and write a class letter to the editor with a list of recommendations for health care providers.
  • Skit
    Use puppets or a skit box (a box with random items like a pencil, hat, book, mug and wig that must be used in some way during the skit) to act out what would happen if we were not respected by our health care providers and/or did not respect them. Videotape the presentations and discuss them. (It helps to put a time limit on the presentations- the length of a commercial break is usually appropriate!)
  • Newspaper Review
    Scan magazines or newspapers and cut out articles with examples of respect and disrespect. Discuss who is being respectful or disrespectful, why, and how the situation could be changed.
  • TV Show, Book or Movie Review
    Write a review or summary of a television show, book or movie, describing how the characters treated each other in terms of respect or disrespect and how this treatment made the characters feel.
  • Guest Speaker
    Invite a health care provider to come to the class to discuss the importance of respect in a health care setting.
  • Getting Respect Journal
    Write about a time when you were respected. Describe how you felt about yourself and the other person. How did you know you were being respected? Contrast this with a time that you were disrespected. How were your feelings different in this situation? How did you know you were being disrespected? Describe times when you felt respected and disrespected by health care providers. How did it make you feel?
  • Giving Respect Journal
    Write about a time when you showed respect for another person. Did that person know you were respecting them? How or why not? What made you respect them? Contrast this with a time when you were disrespectful towards someone? What made you disrespect them? How did it make you and the other person feel? Describe situations when you felt respect and disrespect for health care providers. What made you feel this way?
  • Imaginary Letter
    Write a letter to an imaginary health care provider contrasting situations in which you felt respect and disrespect for them, and/or respected and disrespected by them. What were the differences in the situations? How did the two situations make you feel differently? Outline to the health care provider why you believe it is important for him/her to respect you and other patients.

 

Technology and Ethics

Discussion Questions

  • What kind of influence and effect does technology have on health care? In what circumstances is it positive? Can you think of situations when it is negative or problematic?
  • Can technological development out-pace our understanding of its ethical, moral, emotional and societal impact? Why or why not? What effect does this have?
  • Are technological advances in health care treatments accessible and financially feasible to everyone? Why or why not? What factors may limit accessibility? Is this ethical?
  • Can technology affect confidentiality in a health care setting? How? Is this important?
  • How has technology impacted global health and the spread of disease? How can we use technological advances to improve the health of the global community?
  • Does technology increase or decrease the chance of medical error, or does it simply change the types of errors that exist? Why?
Genetic Testing 
  • Should it be mandatory for those undergoing testing for genetic diseases to attend counseling before and after the test?
  • What are the implications on an individual and societal level of having the technological capability to establish the predetermination or likelihood of developing a genetic disorder?
  • Should the decision to undergo testing for genetic diseases be that of the individual or the family? What are the implications for family members who are affected by the outcome of the test but may not want to know the results?
Prenatal Genetic Testing 
  • Should these tests be conducted so prospective parents can avoid having children with genetic diseases?
  • Could this result in the stigmatization of specific populations with genetic disorders?
  • Should genetic testing be conducted in order to allow prospective parents to produce children with traits they deem to be desirable?
Assisted Reproduction Technologies 
  • What kinds of criteria should determine accessibility of reproductive technologies? Should we factor in wealth, lifestyle, health status, age?
  • Is it fair that only some people can afford reproductive technologies?
  • What are the societal effects and ethical implications of egg/sperm donations, surrogate parents etc.
  • Should sperm and egg donors and surrogate parents be paid? Why or why not?
Internet/ Email
  • What do you think of health care providers giving medical advice, counseling etc. over email and the internet? How does this change the patient/ professional relationship? What implications does it have for confidentiality? Informed consent? Competency?
  • How has providing health information on the internet helped to make health services more accessible? Who has benefited from this? Who does not have access to this information? What are the dangers of seeking health information on the internet?
  • What are the benefits of having electronic patient records? What are the drawbacks? What ethical issues must we consider?

Activities

  • Internet Search
    Pick a health-related issue, condition or disease and do an internet search on it. See how much conflicting advice and information you can find on this topic. Summarize your findings and report back to the class. Have a class discussion on how to tell if information is valid, what to do with this information, and the implications of the accessibility of such conflicting data.
  • Guest Speaker
    Invite a scientist, health care provider, or ethicist to talk to the class about the ethical implications of technology in the fields of health and science.
  • Newspaper Review
    Over the course of the week, review newspapers for stories on the impact of health and scientific technology on society and individuals. Make a class scrapbook of these clippings, discuss and record the values and ethics involved in these situations?

 

Values

Discussion Questions

  • What are values?
  • Does everyone you know have the same values? Why or why not?
  • How do we know what our values are?
  • Why should we know what our values are?
  • How are feelings related to values?
  • Are we born with our values or do we learn them? If we are born with them, can our values change over time? Why or why not? How? If we learn them, how do we do so? Who or what influences them?
  • What do values have to do with doing the right thing?
  • Do our values impact our health and/or the health of our community? How?
  • Can someone make choices that conflict with his/her values? Why would this happen? Does this happen with health care providers? Give some examples.

Activities

  • Values Brainstorm
    As a class, brainstorm as many different values you can. Afterwards, have each student rank the top three that they believe are most important. Discuss which ones are held by most students, which ones are not, and the reasons for similarities and differences.
  • Values Journal
    Write about the three values you deem to be most important. Why did you pick these ones? How do they affect other people? Do you think of these values when making everyday decisions? Do your friends and family members possess these values? What would the world be like if everyone had these values?
  • Media Values Review
    Perform a “values review” of television shows, magazines, movies, and/or advertisements. What values are represented, discussed, promoted? Are they similar to your values? Why or why not? Would you change their “value content”? Why or why not? How? Present your findings to the class.
  • Skit
    In a small group, discuss how the decisions we make reflect the values we possess. Create and perform a skit for the class in which each character is aware of how his or her values are reflected in every decision that he or she makes. This will take a lot of reflection and planning… After each skit, discuss how possessing different values may have led the characters to make different decisions.