Bioethics Club is among the newest of Great Neck North’s many rising clubs.

Founded by juniors Annette Hopkins and Sachita Gupta, this new club brings to the spotlight an often overlooked facet of the medical field — ethics.

While many people see medicine as an absolute science, “there is more to medicine than the just science of it,” Hopkins says. “For example, it is important to apply rules of ethics when analyzing a patient.”

Both Gupta and Hopkins plan to pursue careers in the medical field in the future, expressing their interests in the area of psychology and neuroscience.

Hopkins, for instance, had taken a Bioethics course at Washington University in St. Louis this summer, immersing herself in the complex background of these topics of discussion, allowing for more meaningful conversations at club meetings. While introducing and defining the topic, Gupta and Hopkins present the canonical arguments and standpoints of bioethics, along with the theories from which they are derived.

Last Friday, Hopkins and Gupta presented the various prevailing stances and arguments on physician-assisted suicide, while also sharing their own opinions.

“I think that there is a certain degree where you should not let people suffer,” stated Gupta. “At the same time, if the patient has a mental illness… they should not make that decision for themselves because they are not in the right mindset.”

Hopkins agrees. “I do not have anything against physician-assisted suicide. Ultimately, it is your life… you should be able to have a choice.”

Not only does the club involve ethical reasoning, but it also raises awareness of these impending issues that constantly affect the decisions of doctors and patients.

“We are are also going to start fundraising to raise awareness for impoverished areas where doctors have limited resources and have to make the decision of which resources go to which patients and which patients who unfortunately can’t have them,” Gupta says.

Bioethics Club meets after school on Fridays in room 228 under the advisor Ms. Talamo.

Annette Hopkins and Sachita Gupta both welcome more students to join their discussions. “We hope to see you there,” Gupta says. “It’s a lot of fun.”