We Can But Should We Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

We Can But Should We - Research Paper Example ) The company has already announced that about 280 people from New Jersey have consented to having chips implanted under their skin that contain health records for the trial use of the technology. (p. 65) The most important use of the human implantable chip, hence, is quick and reliable access to communication, including its communication and processing, without the need for another device. For instance, people could use a laptop, a flash disk or a cellular phone to store and transmit data, which could be lost, including the information they have, in the process. This will not be the case with the chip because it has to be implanted in the human body. According to Edwards (2005), chip implants are beneficial because it, in effect, would simplify life by making it possible to do away with driver’s licenses, passports, and other identification necessary in order to avail services such healthcare. (p. 164) The chip mentioned earlier, as manufactured by Applied Digital Solutions, contains a 16-digit number that communicates with a scanner. The process links the chip, including the identification and information stored therein, to the medical facility’s electronic database. This is seen as most beneficial to those patients entered into the emergency rooms after an accident or severe trauma. If the patient is unconscious or unable identify himself as well as his medical history, the chip could prove extremely useful. The information on the chip would allow the hospital to determine â€Å"family contact information, recent lab results, pharmacy prescription information and medical information.† (Hunt, Puglia and Puglia, p. 65) So far, the body of literature on the subject is silent in regards to the health risk of the healthcare chip. It is supposedly as small as a grain of rice and seems to pose no real danger to its bearer. What this means is that the most significant drawback to chip implantation is the ethical question. The groups raising opposition to the chip