The increasing significance of ethics in the bioscience curriculum

One of the most striking aspects of recent curricula developments within UK Science has been the growing prominence of bioethics. From university-level Bioscience, through A-level and GCSEs, and as early as Key Stage 3 Science for 11-14 year olds (in the revised Programme of Study, commencing September 2008) the ethical and moral implications of scientific and technological discoveries are being identified as core knowledge. Here we reflect on what is meant by bioethics, outline some of the ethical content being introduced within the UK and further afield, and examine some of the controversies surrounding these developments.