Bioethics at the intersection of politics, society, and healthcare: the significance of media debate analyses
Abstract Since the “empirical turn” in bioethics, empirical inquiries have gained momentum in bioethical research. However, the relevance of the systematic analysis of media debates for empirical bioethics and the corresponding methodological requirements have so far been rather underexplored. Thus,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Ethics |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-025-01233-1 |
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| author | Niklas Ellerich-Groppe Bettina M. Zimmermann |
| author_facet | Niklas Ellerich-Groppe Bettina M. Zimmermann |
| author_sort | Niklas Ellerich-Groppe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Since the “empirical turn” in bioethics, empirical inquiries have gained momentum in bioethical research. However, the relevance of the systematic analysis of media debates for empirical bioethics and the corresponding methodological requirements have so far been rather underexplored. Thus, the existing approaches are methodologically heterogeneous and their significance for bioethical inquiries has not been systematically discussed. In this paper, we provide a critical reflection on the significance of media debate analyses for bioethics, which lies in the possibility of investigating the unique intersection of bioethics, politics, society, and healthcare. Through a rapid scoping review, we outline the characteristics of published media debate analyses and show the heterogeneity of the field in terms of methodologies, academic disciplines, and topics covered. We identify four levels on which these publications contribute to bioethics research: (1) by providing a descriptive empirical context; (2) by describing ethical aspects of a health topic; (3) by identifying and evaluating moral problems; and (4) by providing an ethical evaluation of media debates. Based on this, we outline basic methodological requirements, address the limitations of media debate analyses for bioethics, and indicate recent and future advancements in the field. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-476f627004924577835178cfa4e83d65 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1472-6939 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Ethics |
| spelling | doaj-art-476f627004924577835178cfa4e83d652025-08-20T03:41:59ZengBMCBMC Medical Ethics1472-69392025-07-0126111210.1186/s12910-025-01233-1Bioethics at the intersection of politics, society, and healthcare: the significance of media debate analysesNiklas Ellerich-Groppe0Bettina M. Zimmermann1Division of Ethics in Medicine, Department for Health Services Research, Carl von Ossietzky Universität OldenburgInstitute of History and Ethics in Medicine, TUM School of Medicine & Health, Technical University of MunichAbstract Since the “empirical turn” in bioethics, empirical inquiries have gained momentum in bioethical research. However, the relevance of the systematic analysis of media debates for empirical bioethics and the corresponding methodological requirements have so far been rather underexplored. Thus, the existing approaches are methodologically heterogeneous and their significance for bioethical inquiries has not been systematically discussed. In this paper, we provide a critical reflection on the significance of media debate analyses for bioethics, which lies in the possibility of investigating the unique intersection of bioethics, politics, society, and healthcare. Through a rapid scoping review, we outline the characteristics of published media debate analyses and show the heterogeneity of the field in terms of methodologies, academic disciplines, and topics covered. We identify four levels on which these publications contribute to bioethics research: (1) by providing a descriptive empirical context; (2) by describing ethical aspects of a health topic; (3) by identifying and evaluating moral problems; and (4) by providing an ethical evaluation of media debates. Based on this, we outline basic methodological requirements, address the limitations of media debate analyses for bioethics, and indicate recent and future advancements in the field.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-025-01233-1Empirical bioethicsMedia discourseBiomedical ethicsMethodologyPublic debateEthical analysis |
| spellingShingle | Niklas Ellerich-Groppe Bettina M. Zimmermann Bioethics at the intersection of politics, society, and healthcare: the significance of media debate analyses BMC Medical Ethics Empirical bioethics Media discourse Biomedical ethics Methodology Public debate Ethical analysis |
| title | Bioethics at the intersection of politics, society, and healthcare: the significance of media debate analyses |
| title_full | Bioethics at the intersection of politics, society, and healthcare: the significance of media debate analyses |
| title_fullStr | Bioethics at the intersection of politics, society, and healthcare: the significance of media debate analyses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bioethics at the intersection of politics, society, and healthcare: the significance of media debate analyses |
| title_short | Bioethics at the intersection of politics, society, and healthcare: the significance of media debate analyses |
| title_sort | bioethics at the intersection of politics society and healthcare the significance of media debate analyses |
| topic | Empirical bioethics Media discourse Biomedical ethics Methodology Public debate Ethical analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-025-01233-1 |
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