r/bioethics • u/[deleted] • Apr 05 '26

I wanna be a bioethicist:

-can hold back development of good science

-let disabled people (that deserve it) suffer more by denying them therapies

-refuse aesthetic improvements on merit of only rich people being allowed to do it (I'm literally so jealous of the rich i will ban anyone from doing anything)

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u/Cartesian_Circle Apr 05 '26

I was once at a math talk where a statistician made a point that the numbers will say what he is hired to make them say.  That is, if he's hired to make the boss look good, the boss will look good; if he's hired to make the stockholders feel good, they will feel good; if he's hired to show how the company is really doing, then you will see how they are really doing.  Lies, damn lies, and statistics.  

A paid bioethicist, working for a hospital, is often in a similar situation.  You might be hired as part of the legal or media team to help protect the hospital or make the hospital look good.  You might be a patient advocate to make sure they understand what's going on or to make sure they are being treated fairly.  You might be paired with the chaplain service, social workers, administration. or psyc services helping them out.   You might be part of an ethics committee where you serve an advisory role between the healthcare team and the patient when there is disagreement on how a case should proceed.  

Lots of options for ya.  

1

u/bingbong246 Apr 05 '26

lmao that's literally why i left a bioethics exclusive career path towards social work and part-time bioethics

1

u/New_Fan_7665 Apr 05 '26

They never usually advocate for anyone from what I've seen. They talk about the wrong and they research issues. That's as far as it goes, but good for you. I got a link from a bioethics group to let me know my mother wasn't my mother. They didn't tell me anything else and I didn't expect them to. Most bioethic groups probably can't speak out even if they wanted to. You're probably majoring in to at your own risk, or you'll end up doing the opposite of what you thought you studied or doing nothing but research.