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PubMed2005

On the Christian in Christian bioethics.

What is Christian about Christian bioethics? And is an authentically Christian bioethics a practical possibility in the world in which we find ourselves? In my essay I argue that personhood and the personal are so fundamental to the Christian understanding of our humanity that body, soul, and spirit are probably best understood as the components of a triune (as opposed to dual) aspect theory of personhood. To confess to a Christian bioethics is to admit that Christians cannot pretend fully to understand either cures or their meaning. However effective and "knowledge-based" contemporary medical interventions are, a Christian must humbly and honestly confess a lack of complete knowledge on both levels. At the same time, a Christian bioethicist must express a total personal commitment to Christian Faith.

Bioethics↗
PubMed1995

Towards a Christian bioethics.

Rather than revealing itself as a single, unified, ecumenical faith, Christianity is sundered with Christians united neither in one communion nor in one baptism. Christian Bioethics seeks to examine the traditional content-full moral commitments which the Christian faiths bring to life, sexuality, suffering, illness and death within the contexts of medicine and health care. Seeking to understand the differences which separate the bioethics of Roman Catholics, Protestants, and the Orthodox, Christian Bioethics explores the manners in which the faiths diverge. The failure of the Enlightenment project to disclose a content-full communality that would bind mankind has left much to be reconsidered by Christians who face new ethical dilemmas in the novel guise of advances in health care technologies.

Bioethics↗
PubMed1995

Orthodox Christian bioethics.

We cannot ignore the multitude of differences in Christian doctrines. There are more and more divisions and autogenetic beginnings. In talking about religion, we cannot ignore these differences, especially when we are trying to help the seeker. Neither can we ignore these differences when we talk about medical ethics. Care demands that we address both religious and medical issues. We must not, however, attempt to formulate a new religious bioethics in the context of any failure to address the differences and similarities as the record of Christian history reveals. History can reveal to us many things we may not know about ourselves as Christian. Understanding our Christian heritage is essential in order to understand our approach to any Christian bioethic. This essay will look at Christian history to articulate the differences in Orthodox and non-Orthodox formation. Primary focus will be on the Great Schism and the value of natural law theology in the development of Christian bioethics. Reference will be made to end-of-life decision making to clarify the issues.

Attitude to Death↗
PubMed1990

Method in bioethics: a troubled assessment.

This discussion is a critical assessment of the methods employed by some leading writers in the field of bioethics. The author agrees with those in the field who regard its primary or essential method as moral philosophy, but he nevertheless finds a prevalent tendency among bioethical writers merely to apply received moral principles to issues and to avoid penetrating theoretical analysis, even when such analysis is unavoidably required. He explains these deficiencies in terms of the exigencies of interdisciplinary work and the affinity of much early bioethics with policy- or legislatively-oriented "public ethics". The discussion ends with a call for increased theoretical sophistication in this field.

Bioethics↗
PubMed1995

Hard times, hard choices: founding bioethics today.

The discussions of these past twenty years have significantly improved our knowledge about the foundation of bioethics and the meaning of the four bioethical principles with concern to at least three different points: that they are organised hierarchically, and therefore not "prima facie" of the same level; that they have exceptions, and consequently lack of absolute character; and that they are neither strictly deontological nor purely teleological. The only absolute principle of moral life can be the abstract and unconcrete respect of human beings. But when determining the material content of this respect, principles become contingent and relative. Therefore, moral reasoning must have necessarily no less than three moments, one absolute but merely formal, namely respect for all human beings, and the other two relative and material. The first material moment is comprised of the four bioethical principles, divided into two levels, one private, including the principles of autonomy and beneficence, and the other one public, including those of nonmaleficence and justice. The second material moment deals with specific cases, and requires analysis of their context, including their circumstances and consequences. Only when following these steps, and therefore balancing principlism and contextualism, can moral reasoning be correct and complete.

Altruism↗
PubMed1996

'Bioethics' is subordinate to morality in Japan.

Disputes over brain death and euthanasia are used to illuminate the question whether there really is a Japanese way of thinking in bioethics. In Japanese thought, a person does not exist as an individual but as a member of the family, community or society. I describe these features of Japanese society as 'mutual dependency'. In this society, an act is 'good' and 'right' when it is commonly done, and it is 'bad' and 'wrong' when nobody else does it. Thus, outsiders to this ring of mutual dependency encounter ostracism. One feature of this society is a lack of open discussion which leads to the existence of multiple standards. This Japanese morality even prevails over written laws. In Japan, there is a public stance that euthanasia does not exist. On the other hand, there are certain decisions which have permitted euthanasia. Similarly, organ transplants were performed from brain dead donors, while that procedure was not accepted officially by the medical profession. In this situation, there is a danger that human rights will be neglected. So far bioethical approaches have not helped to work out these problems. This may be because Japanese think that bioethics is subordinate to morality. The current dispute over brain death involves a struggle for the establishment of a rational society in Japan. Overcoming mutual dependency and ostracism is essential to resolve this struggle and to lead Japan into a society of mutual respect where all individuals, families and communities are esteemed.

Attitude↗
PubMed2003

The rebirth of bioethics: extending the original formulations of Van Rensselaer Potter.

Van Rensselaer Potter's original concept of bioethics as a global integration of biology and values was designed to guide human survival. His attention to the creation of human knowledge and the incorporation of ecological concepts and values into medicine and health remain important, yet largely neglected, contributions deserving of further elaboration. Bioethicists should heed his warning about unsustainable progress, particularly in health care systems, and work toward changing their behaviors. Incorporating life-affirming spiritual values and extending Potter's global bioethics to a deeper bioethics seem essential.

Bioethics↗
PubMed1996

Bioethics and natural law: the relationship in Catholic teaching.

In the discipline of Catholic moral theology, bioethics (traditionally described as medical ethics) has held a major place. The systematic development of bioethics has drawn principally upon a natural law ethic, supported by broader religious arguments. The purpose of this essay is to examine the status and role of natural law in Catholic teaching as it bears upon bioethics.

Bioethics↗
PubMed1998

A theory of international bioethics: the negotiable and the non-negotiable.

The preceding article in this issue of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal presents the argument that "moral fundamentalism," the position that international bioethics rests on "basic" or "fundamental" moral prinicples that are universally accepted in all eras and cultures, collapses under a variety of multicultural and postmodern critiques. The present article looks to the contractarian tradition of Hobbes and Locke -- as reinterpreted by David Gauthier, Robert Nozick, and John Rawls -- for an alternative justification for international bioethics. Drawing on the central themes of this tradition, it is argued that international bioethics can be rationally reconstructed as a negotiated moral order that respects culturally and individually defined areas of nonnegotiability. Further, the theory of a negotiated moral order is consistent with traditional ideals about human rights, is flexible enough to absorb the genuine insights of multiculturalism and postmodernism, and yet is strong enough to justify transcultural and transtemporal moral judgments, including the condemnation of the Nazi doctors at Nuremberg. This theory also is consistent with the history of the ethics of human subjects experimentation and offers insights into current controversies such as the controversy over changing the consent rule for experiments in emergency medicine and the controversy over exempting certain clinical trials of inexpensive treatments for preventing the perinatal transmission of AIDS from the ethical standards of the sponsoring country.

Bioethics↗
PubMed2002

Bioethical pluralism and complementarity.

This essay presents complementarity as a novel feature of bioethical pluralism. First introduced by Neils Bohr in conjunction with quantum physics, complementarity in bioethics occurs when different perspectives account for equally important features of a situation but are mutually exclusive. Unlike conventional approaches to bioethical pluralism, which attempt in one fashion or another to isolate and choose between different perspectives, complementarity accepts all perspectives. As a result, complementarity results in a state of holistic, dynamic tension, rather than one that yields singular or final moral judgments.

Bioethics↗
PubMed2004

Moving beyond bioethics: history and the search for medical humanism.

From both within and without bioethics, growing criticism of the predominant methods and practices of the field can be heard. These critiques tend to lament an emphasis on logically derived rules and philosophical theories that inadequately capture how and why people have the moral attitudes they do, and they urge the use of more empirically grounded social sciences--history, sociology, and anthropology--to draw attention to the complex factors behind such attitudes. However, these critiques do not go far enough, as they do not question why debate over ethical categories should have such a central role in voicing concerns about medicine. The importance of using other forms of inquiry, especially that of history, to examine aspects of medical practice and the emergence of bioethics itself is not simply to refine bioethical moral analysis. Instead, history can be employed to counter the preoccupation with translating concerns about medicine into moral terms and to move towards what is more sorely needed: a true medical humanism.

Bioethics↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A biography and bibliography: the recent trends in bioethics and medical genetics in Japan (Part II).

At the present, we have much misunderstandings and prejudices, connected with psychological conflicts for the direct application of cloning and of prenatal diagnosis and selective abortion. So that we should have much debates among general public on further direction of these researchs, in order to study on safe-guard and public understandings. Summarinzingly, in order to educate general public in their understanding of ELSI problems, we should remove the boundaries between individuals, in professional and non-professional fields, and in developed and developing countries, and give more time for medical curriculum for medical genetics and bioethics, in order to educate general public, as well as scientific responsibility in our society. Finally, we hope these recommendations and reports will help the International Bioethics Seminars in Fuki on 2000 for the follow up study on Universial Declaration of Human Genome and Rights, with new technologies on pharmacogenomics DNA polymorphisms as well as our ethical debates on international research ethics, proposed at the International Bioethics Summit.

Bioethics↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bioethics and the rituals of media.

Popular media may make short shrift of complex ideas and moral deliberations, but it can also serve bioethics well. Bioethics should embrace the ritual function of the media in bringing issues to public attention and in reinforcing bioethics as a field.

Bioethics↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bioethics and the challenges of the 21st century.

Bioethics is both a field of academic research and practical activity. It is understood as a body of scholarship directed to a better understanding of moral problems associated with health care and the biomedical sciences. As Romanian Orthodox experience the transformation of their culture through importing Western science and technology, they must critically assess the moral presuppositions that come attached to these forces. An authentic Orthodox Christian approach to health care and the biomedical sciences, as well as to bioethics, must develop a critical maturity. The challenge of Orthodox Christians in Romania is to join with Orthodox elsewhere in articulating an authentically Orthodox Christian bioethics.

Bioethics↗
PubMed2004

[SIBIL: an information tool for the information retrieval on bioethics].

The article describes the main features of the website SIBIL (Sistema Informativo per la Bioetica In Linea) implemented within the framework of a research project of the ISS for collecting, indexing and disseminating Italian literature on bioethics since 1995 through an integrated electronic system. The site, addressed to a wide range of people interested at different degrees and levels in bioethics, offers a comprehensive overview of the activities, such as courses and meetings, on the major ethical issues at stake in Italy, as well as a survey of the most important activities both at national and international level. The main feature of SIBIL is a database of a large collection of documents retrieved through sources or exploitation of the most important international electronic databases. A thesaurus of 1,600 terms, available in Italian and English, was created in order to organize documents with standardized criteria currently adopted in the Italian scientific environment. Future trends of the website are also discussed for sharing experiences with other countries and laying the basis for a European portal on bioethics.

Bioethical Issues↗
PubMed2004

[Resources of information in the field of bioethics in Italy: survey of the present state and perspectives].

The research project "Collection and dissemination of bioethical information through an integrated electronic system", started in 2001 by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), had among its objectives, the realization of an integrated system for data collection and exchange of documents related to bioethics. The system should act as a reference tool for those research activities impacting on citizens' health and welfare. This paper aims at presenting some initiatives, developed in the project framework, in order to establish an Italian documentation network, among which: a) exchange of ISS publications with Italian institutions active in this field; b) survey through a questionnaire aimed at assessing Italian informative resources, state-of-the-art and holdings of documentation centres and ethical committees; c) Italian Internet resources analysis. The results of the survey, together with the analysis of web sites, show that at present in Italy there are many interesting initiatives for collecting and spreading of documentation in the bioethical fields, but there is an urgent need for an integration of such resources. Ethical committees generally speaking need a larger availability of documents, while there are good potentialities for the establishment of an electronic network for document retrieval and delivery.

Academies and Institutes↗
PubMed2004

[Retrieval of bioethical information from the SIBIL database].

SIBIL (Italian Online Bioethical Information System) is the database distributed on the net by the Istituto Superiore di Sanita through the homonymous system, conceived for a systematic dissemination of bioethical information, which is scattered in a multitude of informative resources, due to the interdisciplinary nature of the subject. The present work shows the structure and the main features of the database, which aims to provide a regular update on the national ethical debate through the collection of a wide range of documents. Emphasis is laid on the query mechanisms through practical suggestions which may contribute to a more precise searching, thus granting the retrieval of relevant documents. The article also describes the short-term development of the system, which is expected to take part in a European bioethical net in the near future.

Academies and Institutes↗
PubMed2002

Wagging the watchdog: law and the emergence of bioethical norms.

Bioethics offers an ideal vantage point to study how law and ethics affect the emergence of norms. Moral philosophy traditionally places itself in the role of prime mover, the normative force behind social, cultural and legislative change. But some bioethical norms, particularly those associated with emerging right-to-die norms in the mid 1960's and through the late 1980's, did not originate in this way. Instead, legal reasoning and judicial decision-making brought about rapid change in bioethical norms almost excluding moral philosophy in the process. Judicial decision-making has prompted legislation, molded public opinion, guided medical practice and shaped moral thinking. The reasons for this are not difficult to understand. Legal reasoning, usually in the form of risk management, replaces moral reasoning because it is cognitively more comfortable, rational and parsimonious. This process creates undue pressure on the judiciary to undertake tasks for which it may not be well trained, while at the same time offers a challenge to ethicists to advocate interdisciplinary, deliberative and public forums to attenuate the undue influence of the law.

Bioethics↗