Ethical Guidelines

Since 1982, Dartmouth's Institute for the Study of Applied and Professional Ethics has specialized in tough questions about values, beliefs, and practices in all walks of professional life, The Nastional Institutes of Health have placed the Human Genome Project, which is mapping the species entire genetic code, under the Ethics Institute's solomonic eyes, A team of ethicists led by Philosophy professor Bernard Gert is developing a practical system to handle ethical questions that will surely arise as humans gain more knowledge about how to manipulate genes.

The ethicists are applying a moral system that Gert devised a universal, nondenominational guide to life's dos and don'ts (don't kill, cause pain, disable, deprive of freedom, deprive of pleasure, deceive, or cheat; do keep promises, obey the law, and do your duty).

Meanwhile, other teams of Dartmouth Ethicists are tackling such issues as organ transplantation, medical care and costs, in-vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive techniques, and fundraising for higher education.