Abstract

Stability of any human society is rooted in its institutions. These institutions are education, health care, human rights and marriage, to name a few. Due to the rapid advancement of science and technology these institutions undergo marked changes in maintaining their social and cultural values. This paper examines the bioethical issues that are emerging in the institution of marriage, family and parenting, as a result of changes in social and cultural values. Marriage from time immemorial has been a public event. The earliest report is found in the Old Testament when Laban made his daughter’s wedding a ‘public event’ by “gathering together all the men of the place and made a feast”. There are several options in opting the partners of marriage: marriage is between a man and a woman between two persons and between two creatures. The legal definition of marriage is changing. Which is the right definition? Changing phases/faces of marriage is a bioethical challenge. Similarly the number of parents a child can have is changing. Traditionally a child can have two parents, a father and a mother. Currently this number is changing. With the onset of one parent family a child may be denied the benefit and luxury of two parents. In some countries the number of parents a child can legally have is more than two. The bioethical implications of teaching bioethical issues of marriage and family are discussed.