Developing World Bioethics最新文献

{"title":"Frozen and forgotten: What are South African fertility clinics to do with surplus cryopreserved embryos once their patients lose interest?","authors":"Donrich W Thaldar,&nbsp;Aliki Edgcumbe","doi":"10.1111/dewb.12422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/dewb.12422","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As is the case around the globe, South African fertility clinics face an ever-expanding problem: what to do with the growing number of surplus cryopreserved embryos. Fertility clinics remain hesitant to destroy these abandoned embryos, partly because of concerns about the legal ramifications. This article clarifies the legal position in South Africa and offers practical recommendations to assist fertility clinics in managing abandoned embryos. In sum, fertility clinics cannot deem embryos as abandoned and discard them if fertility patients fail to respond to a notice that the embryo storage agreement is about to expire. However, if there is non-payment for embryo storage by fertility patients and the fertility clinic has informed the fertility patients of other options available to them with respect to their embryos, and there is still no response, the fertility clinic is legally entitled - and legally obliged - to discard the embryos.</p>","PeriodicalId":50590,"journal":{"name":"Developing World Bioethics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10435117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The ASGLOS Study: A global survey on how predatory journals affect scientific practice","authors":"Alessandro Martinino,&nbsp;Oshin Puri,&nbsp;Juan Pablo Scarano Pereira,&nbsp;Eloise Owen,&nbsp;Surobhi Chatterjee,&nbsp;Mohamed Abouelazayem,&nbsp;Wah Yang,&nbsp;Francesk Mulita,&nbsp;Yitka Graham,&nbsp;Chetan Parmar,&nbsp;Dharmanand Ramnarain,&nbsp;Arda Isik,&nbsp;Shruti Yadav,&nbsp;Bhargavi R. Budihal,&nbsp;Shankarsai Kashyap,&nbsp;Mohammad Aloulou,&nbsp;Mrinmoy Kundu,&nbsp;Arturan Ibrahimli,&nbsp;Eshwar Rajesh,&nbsp;Reewen George D. Silva,&nbsp;Gaurang Bhatt,&nbsp;Kashish Malhotra,&nbsp;Riccardo Magnani,&nbsp;Frank W. J. M. Smeenk,&nbsp;Sjaak Pouwels","doi":"10.1111/dewb.12421","DOIUrl":"10.1111/dewb.12421","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Predatory journals and conferences are an emerging problem in scientific literature as they have financial motives, without guaranteeing scientific quality and exposure. The main objective of the ASGLOS project is to investigate the predatory e-email characteristics, management, and possible consequences and to analyse the extent of the current problem at each academic level. To collect the personal experiences of physicians’ mailboxes on predatory publishing, a Google Form® survey was designed and disseminated from September 2021 to April 2022. A total of 978 responses were analysed from 58 countries around the world. A total of 64.8% of participants indicated the need for 3 or fewer emails to acquire a criticality view in distinguishing a real invitation from a spam, while 11.5% still have doubt regardless of how many emails they get. The AGLOS Study clearly highlights the problem of academic e-mail spam by predatory journals and conferences. Our findings signify the importance of providing academic career-oriented advice and organising training sessions to increase awareness of predatory publishing for those conducting scientific research.</p>","PeriodicalId":50590,"journal":{"name":"Developing World Bioethics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10125966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oocyte cryopreservation for non-medical reasons: Ethical and regulatory concerns in China","authors":"Yu Lanyi,&nbsp;Zhai Xiaomei PhD","doi":"10.1111/dewb.12418","DOIUrl":"10.1111/dewb.12418","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Assisted reproductive technology is a complex medical intervention with many potential social sensitivities. Within this domain, oocyte cryopreservation has emerged as an important research area for preserving female fertility. Against the backdrop of the hotly debated first legal case in China of a single woman wishing to freeze her eggs, and the implementation of the ‘three-child policy’ in China, there is an urgent need to evaluate policies and address ethical considerations surrounding oocyte cryopreservation for non-medical reasons. This review examines current policies, explores China's practices and research, and examines the latest ethical challenges surrounding non-medical oocyte cryopreservation. It develops strategies and recommendations that will be relevant in China and other developing countries seeking to navigate this complex landscape.</p>","PeriodicalId":50590,"journal":{"name":"Developing World Bioethics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9957938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When medical professionalism and culture or the law collide: Gay patients in homophobic societies","authors":"Udo Schuklenk","doi":"10.1111/dewb.12420","DOIUrl":"10.1111/dewb.12420","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Medical professionalism faces serious challenges in homophobic societies. A case in point: Uganda. The country has gained global notoriety for having implemented one of the toughest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world. It includes the death penalty for something called ‘aggravated homosexuality’, as well as a 20-year prison sentence for ‘promoting’ homosexuality.1</p><p>When issuing a different, less draconian anti-gay legislation some years back, the country's health minister assured Ugandans, as well as the international community, that all people, regardless of sexual orientation, would receive ‘full treatment’ and added that ‘health workers will live up to their ethics of keeping confidentiality of their patients’.2 Gay patients experienced a quite different reality. In 2017 the activist group <i>Sexual Minorities Uganda</i> issued a report under the title <i>‘Even if they spit at you, don't be surprised</i>’.3 I recommend the document to your attention. It's replete with first-person accounts of unprofessional conduct by health care professionals. It ranges from the use of derogatory language to refusal of service provision to actual physical attacks. There is also evidence of medical school training containing scientific misinformation on homosexuality.</p><p>While unusual by today's global standards, Uganda isn't the only country with anti-gay legislation on its books. Less draconian legislation can be found in homophobic societies like Jamaica, for instance. There is a high number of former British colonies with such laws, but it's unclear whether that's mere correlation or whether there is a causation-type relationship. While the legislation in place oftentimes is a relic of colonial era laws, there also appears to be widespread societal support for such measures in these predominantly Christian societies. While some Caribbean nations have recently decriminalized consensual same-sex relations, six Caribbean countries, among them larger countries like Jamaica, still criminalise consensual same-sex sexual relations. They are not alone, some 66 countries reportedly criminalise consensual same-sex relations.4 The World Medical Association saw it fit, against this background, to issue a strong statement condemning the participation of medical professionals in anal examinations ostensibly designed to assist in determinations of same-sex sexual activities.5 Apparently such examinations actually happen in certain societies, even though they are based on humbug science.6</p><p>This raises a number of important issues regarding the health care that patients who identify as gay or queer, or who participate in same-sex sexual relations, can reasonably expect in such societies. The uncontroversial objective of health care provision is to increase or maximise the number of life-years a person can live with a good quality of life that makes their life worth living, in their own considered judgment. Health care professionals value judgments about the lifest","PeriodicalId":50590,"journal":{"name":"Developing World Bioethics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/dewb.12420","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10555773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Surveying the Indian research ethics committee response to the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"Yashashri C. Shetty,&nbsp;Sudha Ramalingam,&nbsp;Paresh Koli,&nbsp;Karthikeyan Shanmugam,&nbsp;Rajmohan Seetharaman","doi":"10.1111/dewb.12417","DOIUrl":"10.1111/dewb.12417","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 <p>Research ethics committees (RECs) have played a crucial role in expediting the review of research protocols amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. To improve their performance and identify areas of enhancement, a multicentric study was conducted in India by the Forum for Ethical Review Committees in the Asian and Western Pacific Region (FERCAP). The study aimed to evaluate the preparedness of Indian RECs during the COVID-19 outbreak while conducting protocol reviews and comprehend the challenges they encountered. After obtaining ethics committee approval, a cross-sectional observational study was conducted using two validated questionnaires, one for REC member secretaries/chairpersons and another for REC members. The questionnaires consisted of 13 multiple-choice questions, 10 yes or no questions, and 2 open-ended questions each. The study was distributed to multiple RECs. A total of 109/200 participants, including 13 REC member secretaries, 12 chairpersons and 84 REC members from a total of 34 REC's, consented to participate in the study. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 23/25 (92%) of the RECs conducted online meetings. The most common challenges faced by RECs included risk-benefit analysis (12/25 RECs), review of informed consent (12/25 RECs), and protocols involving vulnerable populations (10/25 RECs). 65% of the REC members reported the need for ethics review training, and 66/84 REC members agreed or strongly agreed that RECs require training in COVID-19 protocol review. Additionally, 62/84 REC members agreed or strongly agreed that central/joint RECs should review multicenter COVID-19 protocols. RECs in India encountered difficulties while reviewing risk-benefit analyses, informed consent documents (ICDs), and COVID-19 protocols and they suggested providing training on these topics.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50590,"journal":{"name":"Developing World Bioethics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9937504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An African moral approach against the perverted faculty argument: Ukama, partiality and homophobia in Africa","authors":"Luis Cordeiro-Rodrigues","doi":"10.1111/dewb.12419","DOIUrl":"10.1111/dewb.12419","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In Africa, homosexuality is routinely understood as a form of immoral behaviour. This has great implications for the physical and psychological well-being of homosexuals in Africa. One of the reasons why homosexuals are sometimes understood to be behaving immorally is because it is believed that same-sex relations are unnatural. I think that this conception of unnatural is grounded on the perverted faculty argument, although this is not often expressed in such terms. In this article, I will develop a concept of natural grounded on the concept of <i>Ukama</i>. I will show that despite <i>Ukama</i> implying a functional conception of nature, just like in the perverted faculty argument, it does not imply that homosexuality is immoral.</p>","PeriodicalId":50590,"journal":{"name":"Developing World Bioethics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10278234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What has Kant got to say about conscientious objection to reproductive health in South Africa?","authors":"E. Lekunze Fritz","doi":"10.1111/dewb.12416","DOIUrl":"10.1111/dewb.12416","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A woman's right to a safe legal abortion in South Africa conflicts with a health care professional's freedom of conscience. Conscientious objection or treatment refusal on the basis of conscience may be protected by the constitution but its morality has not been explored. This study uses Kantian Deontology to elucidate the ethical duties of health care professionals based on the Physician's Pledge. It concludes that conscience is morally empty and that health care professionals have a duty to treat all patients equally irrespective of the condition they present. Drawing on Kantian promise keeping, the study also concludes that health care professionals should place patients health and wellbeing above all other considerations. Using the categorical imperative, the study shows that health care professionals have a perfect duty not to refuse treatment. The study recommends that conscientious objection be rejected in all circumstances except where the psychological wellbeing of the health care professional will be affected. This can be achieved through legislative and professional body regulation of conscientious objection.</p>","PeriodicalId":50590,"journal":{"name":"Developing World Bioethics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/dewb.12416","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9836927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ethical consumerism, human rights, and Global Health Impact","authors":"Brian Berkey","doi":"10.1111/dewb.12415","DOIUrl":"10.1111/dewb.12415","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In this paper, I raise some doubts about Nicole Hassoun's account of the obligations of states, pharmaceutical firms, and consumers with regard to global health, presented in <i>Global Health Impact</i>. I argue that it is not necessarily the case, as Hassoun claims, that if states are just, and therefore satisfy all of their obligations, then consumers will not have strong moral reasons, and perhaps obligations, to make consumption choices that are informed by principles and requirements of justice. This is because there may be justice-based limits on what states can permissibly and feasibly do both to promote access to existing drugs for all of those who need them, and to promote research and development for new drugs that could treat diseases that primarily affect the global poor. One important upshot of my argument is that there can be reasons for organizations like the Global Health Impact Organization to exist, and to do the kind of work that Hassoun argues is potentially valuable in our deeply unjust world, even in much less unjust worlds in which states and firms largely, or even entirely, comply with their obligations.</p>","PeriodicalId":50590,"journal":{"name":"Developing World Bioethics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2023-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9827964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ethics and professionalism among community health workers in Tamil Nadu, India: A qualitative study","authors":"Vijayaprasad Gopichandran,&nbsp;Sudharshini Subramaniam,&nbsp;Balasubramanian Palanisamy,&nbsp;Priyadarshini Chidambaram","doi":"10.1111/dewb.12414","DOIUrl":"10.1111/dewb.12414","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 <p>Community health workers (CHW) are the backbone of the public health system in developing countries. Little is known about the practice of ethics and professionalism in their work. This study was conducted to explore the experiential wisdom of ethics and professionalism among CHWs in Tamil Nadu. We conducted a qualitative study among 125 CHWs in six districts of Tamil Nadu. We found that the CHWs went beyond the call of their duty to do good to the community. Their conceptualization of autonomy ranged from shared to full paternalistic decision making. The CHWs were sensitive to issues of privacy and confidentiality, but the discussion on these topics were limited. They reflected the societal norms of gender, class, and caste hierarchies in their work. They had to work amidst difficult power struggles and had their own innovative strategies to subvert power. In conclusion, there is a need for framing a code of ethics and professionalism for CHWs and training in ethics and professionalism for them to help them effectively deliberate on ethical issues.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50590,"journal":{"name":"Developing World Bioethics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10204067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fighting the COVID-19 pandemic: A socio-cultural insight into Pakistan","authors":"Sualeha Siddiq Shekhani,&nbsp;Farhat Moazam,&nbsp;Aamir Jafarey","doi":"10.1111/dewb.12413","DOIUrl":"10.1111/dewb.12413","url":null,"abstract":"<p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals around the world were driven by universal values of solidarity and duty to provide care. However, local societal norms and existing healthcare systems influenced interactions among physicians, and with patients and their families. An exploratory qualitative study design using in-depth interviews was undertaken with physicians working at two public sector hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Using the constant comparison method of data analysis, several key themes were identified highlighting norms of kinship and interdependencies characteristic of collectivistic societies that influenced professional interactions. The role of seniors in the hierarchical society of Pakistan played a major role in provision of care. Physicians reported numerous challenges in dealing with patients and their families amidst public denial fueled due to ill-formed government policies. This included interruption of funeral rites which undermined public trust. The study provides insights into the local moral world of two healthcare institutions in Pakistan.</p>","PeriodicalId":50590,"journal":{"name":"Developing World Bioethics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2023-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9827646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}