Bioethics: bone donation and 3D parts
Thu, Feb 11, 2027 · Week 4 · Human Anatomy & Physiology (Human Body Systems)
Today's goal: Debate whether 3D-printed and donor bone implants should be prioritized by ability to pay, then post a CER.
This is a model of the work you should turn in today. Use it to check your own: match the structure and the level of detail, do not copy it. Your data and wording should be your own.
Parallel case (not today's prompt): One donor kidney becomes available, and several patients on dialysis are waiting for it. Should the kidney go to whoever can pay the most, or should something else decide?\n\nClaim: When a donor kidney is scarce, it should be allocated by a combination of medical need and likelihood of a successful transplant, not by ability to pay.\nEvidence: Kidneys for transplant can come from a living donor or a deceased donor, and many people with end-stage kidney disease depend on dialysis while they wait. Waiting lists are long because demand for donor kidneys is much greater than supply. Matching factors such as blood type, tissue compatibility, and how long a patient has waited affect whether a transplant is likely to work.\nReasoning: Allocating by medical need and likelihood of success sends the scarce kidney to a patient who both needs it and is likely to keep it working, which produces the most benefit from one organ. Allocating by ability to pay would let wealth decide who gets off dialysis, which is unfair because it ignores medical need and treats healing as something only the rich can buy.\nCounter-argument I heard and my response: A classmate said the youngest patient should always go first, since they have the most years of life ahead. That is a fair concern, but age alone can overlook a young patient who is a poor tissue match and an older patient who is a strong match. A better rule weighs need and likelihood of success together, and can consider age as one factor among several rather than as the only rule.
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: A short claim-evidence-reasoning post that proposes and defends a principle for allocating a scarce medical resource, shown on a parallel case (donor kidney allocation) so it models the format and depth without answering the bone-graft prompt.
- Write one defensible claim.
- Choose specific evidence that supports the claim.
- Explain the scientific rule that connects the evidence to the claim.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: Post to the class board and screenshot for your evidence packet.
Turn in: Worked CER on a parallel case
Go to Schoology to turn this in.
Submit one PDF. Put your first and last name in the document header. Name the file: FirstName LastName - Assignment Title - YYYY-MM-DD.pdf.
Open Schoology PDF upload helpIf you cannot get in, see Mr. Mendoza. Do not skip the work.
Claim ceiling: Today's evidence supports a classroom claim about today's lesson. It cannot prove causation, diagnose a real patient, or justify action outside this room.
One exam-style question that uses exactly what you practiced today. Try it before you reveal the answer, then read why each choice is right or wrong.
Tap an answer to see the full explanation. Nothing is recorded or graded.
It builds this reusable test skill: Distinguishing autograft, allograft, and synthetic bone-graft sources.
- Name the concept or data pattern being tested.
- Cross out choices that violate that rule or the evidence.
- Justify the best remaining choice before checking the answer.

