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Bioethics in Commercial Films

This bibliography has been prepared by information specialists at the National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature, Kennedy Institute of Ethics. The films listed may be used in high school classrooms to introduce topics or to generate discussion about bioethics. No specific films are recommended. The individual teacher bears responsibility for reviewing each film to determine its appropriateness for his or her students, classroom, school setting, and community.

The following commercial films, deal - at least in part - with one or more bioethical issues. Please consult a movie reference work, such as Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide, for more information about the subject matter of each film, and for a quality rating. Inclusion on this list does not constitute an endorsement but simply suggests a possible topical aspect that might be used to stimulate discussion.

Connect to the Bioethics Movies List Table here.

About the Bioethics and Film Bibliography

This list remains a work in progress. If you have suggestions for additions to this list, please email highschoolbioethics@georgetown.edu or bishopl@georgetown.edu. Thank you.

The initial list was compiled by Doris Goldstein, M.L.S., M.A., Director, Library & Information Services, The National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature, Kennedy Institute, Georgetown University on July 14, 2000. Titles for the initial list were drawn from Microsoft's Cinemania 1997. Doris Goldstein updated the list on July 12, 2005.

The list was most recently updated by Laura Bishop, Ph.D. on July 17, 2008 using a variety of sources including Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide, 2007. The list was cross-checked with the Office of Science Education, National Institute of Health's Science in the Cinema list for appropriate titles. A few titles came from VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever 2008) (part of the Gale Virtual Reference Library), and Based on a True Story* (*But with More Car Crashes): Fact and Fantasy in 100 Favorite Movies by Jonathan Vankin and John Whalen. Laura is a Research Associate at the National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature, responsible for the audiovisual collection at the Reference Center, and the Program Director for the Kennedy Institute of Ethics' High School Bioethics Curriculum Project.

See other resources about using videos in the classroom elsewhere on the website.

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