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Discussions in Bioethics: Who Should Decide?

1985 14 min
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One of a series of short, open-ended dramas designed to stimulate discussion of values and ethics in relation to modern medical technology. This film deals with questions arising from advances in pre-natal diagnosis. Joanne, a victim of spina bifida, discovers that her unborn child has the same disease. A decision whether to terminate the pregnancy must be reached quickly. When her husband says that all he ever wanted was "a normal baby," Joanne counters with "What is normal?"

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Discussions in Bioethics: Who Should Decide?

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One of a series of short, open-ended dramas designed to stimulate discussion of values and ethics in relation to modern medical technology. This film deals with questions arising from advances in pre-natal diagnosis. Joanne, a victim of spina bifida, discovers that her unborn child has the same disease. A decision whether to terminate the pregnancy must be reached quickly. When her husband says that all he ever wanted was "a normal baby," Joanne counters with "What is normal?"

  • director
    Beverly Shaffer
  • producer
    Wolf Koenig
  • executive producer
    Andy Thomson
  • script
    Jefferson Lewis
  • camera
    Andy Kitzanuk
  • sound
    Yves Gendron
  • editing
    Ginny Stikeman
  • sound editing
    Wojtek Klis
  • re-recording
    Jean-Pierre Joutel
  • cast
    Jacqueline Challenger
    Joanna Noyes
    Patricia Phillips
    Chuck Shamata

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Education

Ages 15 to 17
Study Guide
School subjects
Abortion is the main focus of this short film, which examines the issue of the right to life (or to a “normal” life). A couple must make a painful decision about whether or not to terminate a pregnancy. Beyond this specific example, you could describe the pro-life and pro-choice debate that divides some societies.
Discussions in Bioethics: Who Should Decide?
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