CBHD often receives requests from educators and other individuals for popular resources that engage bioethics through various media (fiction, film, and television). In this resource, we offer an overview of materials relevant to public policy in fictional books and series. Readers are cautioned that these works represent a wide variety of genres and may not be appropriate for all audiences. If there is a work you think we missed, email us at info@cbhd.org.

Public Policy

• Bova, Ben. The Immortality Factor (Tor, 2009)
  • Researcher Arthur Marshak has developed a potential means to cure spinal cord injuries and regenerate limbs and organs. The novel follows the personal and public firestorm that erupts when Marshak submits his ideas for scrutiny before a court of science. (Topics: Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Research, Research Ethics, Global Healthcare Access and Disparities, Biotechnology and Politics)
• Polansky, Stephen. The Bradbury Report: A Novel (Weinstein, 2010)
  • Pseudonymous chronicle of Raymond Bradbury, a retired teacher in New England, who encounters his copy (Alan) - A human clone who has been created as part of the U.S. government's solution to the developing healthcare crisis by creating a ready supply of spare organs. Ray's copy is the first known escape from the heavily guarded government cloning farms, and Ray is brought into a conspiracy to help Alan evade government capture. (Topics: Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide, Healthcare Ethics, Human Cloning, Organ Trafficking, Personhood)

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