Eubios journal of Asian and international bioethics : EJAIB最新文献

Modern bioethics was born in the West and thus reflects, not surprisingly, the traditions of Western moral philosophy and political and social theory. When the work of bioethics was confined to the West, this background of socio-political theory and moral tradition posed few problems, but as bioethics has moved into other cultures - inside and outside of the Western world - it has become an agent of moral imperialism. We describe the moral imperialism of bioethics, discuss its dangers, and suggest that global bioethics will succeed only to the extent that it is local.

The field of assisted reproduction is one of the fastest growing areas in medicine. The development of new and sophisticated techniques all aim to give reproductive technologies and scientists a better understanding of reproductive biology. The development of new techniques may also be able to improve the chances of an infertile couple towards achieving a pregnancy. However the ethics and legality of assisted reproductive technology must not be brushed aside. Islamic scholars whose reference basis resides in the Holy Quran and the Hadith have addressed different issues relating to assisted reproductive technology. Some of the issues remain controversial and need detailed discussion before it can be deemed as appropriate and legible for use as guidelines in the development of the processes involved.

In the World Health Report 2000 WHO introduces ethical issues in the elevation of health systems responsiveness performance. Although we consider this a positive step, the parameters considered in the Report are in some cases unsustained by extensive research. This is the case of autonomy, which is postulated as a "universal expectation". As we think that this is culture-linked issue we argue that such kind of universal categorizations lacks substantive empirical evidence. We undertook a short review of a small intentional sample of international literature, in order to demonstrate that regardless of the philosophical status of autonomy as a principle or category there is not background enough to postulate it as a universal expectation. We propose international collaborative research to define the issue, using qualitative research methodology.

A critical review from standpoints of ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) is required to properly develop and distribute genetic services, including genetic testing. In addition to assure analytical validity, clinical validity and clinical utility of the testing, public opinion and perceptions of the community regarding implementation of the testing are important for obtaining informed consent prior to testing. Otherwise, the testing could be done on only limited numbers of community members. Development of effective inversion in clinical practices and regulation to provide confidentiality of all genetic information should bolster the attitude of the community. Education of the public and mass media is the most important factor if progress is to be made in the clinical application of human genome research, and to avoid "genohype".

The aim of this study was to assess the use and adequacy of informed consent in research involving the elderly in Brazil. Using a reading index, we observed that in 83% of informed consent forms, the text was considered difficult, and demanded a higher schooling level than that presented by the subjects. Whereas 100% of the investigators considered the text in informed consent forms accessible, 75% of the subjects considered it hard to understand. This difference was statistically significant. 94% percent of the elderly participating in research protocols made the decision to participate in the study before reading the term of consent. More attention should be given both to the writing of informed consent forms and to the entire informed consent process, which in gerontology research, should be reviewed at each encounter with study participants.