ABSTRACT
Running bioethics workshops one after the other can become a mundane affair, primarily because of the similarity of their content and discourse. However, conducting a workshop for participants from conflict zones such as Palestine provided an entirely new perspective for this author. While the bioethics discourse may translate into useful and actionable guidelines in the free world to help uphold human dignity, to those living in occupied territories and conflict zones, in the face of their lived lives, it appears little more than a self-serving academic exercise by “parachute bioethicists”
ABSTRACT
In this commentary, we critique a recent report on female genital cutting (FGC) in the Indian Dawoodi Bohra community titled “The Clitoral hood a contested site: Khafd or female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in India.” Published against the backdrop of possible legislation against FGC in India, the report makes good recommendations and is a useful addition to global literature on FGC. We critique specific sections of the document using relevant literature and informal conversations with the Bohra community in Pakistan, thereby highlighting both its strengths and weaknesses. We also attempt to show that criminalising khafd by conflating it with more drastic forms of cutting may be counterproductive. In conclusion, education and activism from within the community may be more fruitful than the imposition of a law banning khafd.
ABSTRACT
Pakistan has taken a long and tortuous road towards curbing the trade in organs within its borders. Yet, despite the phenomenal gains, several challenges remain in this area. For example, robust and sustainable deceased donor programmes must be established to meet the needs of a country which has a high prevalence of kidney disease and failure. Further, it is necessary to offer an alternative source of organs for transplantation to desperate patients who resort to buying these from the “market”.
ABSTRACT
In the developed world, deceased donation is now a well-established source of organs for the unfortunate sufferers of end-stage disease of vital organs. As the science of transplantation grows and the success of transplantation improves, the rest of the world is keen to offer this life-saving procedure to its citizens. As Asia surges forward in attempting to meet the rising demand for replacing failed organs, efforts across the region to develop viable deceased donor programmes are visible. However, according to reports by contributors to this special theme issue, these efforts have met with limited success.
ABSTRACT
The success of degree-level bioethics programmes, a recent development across the world, is generally evaluated on the basis of their quantifiable impact; for instance, the number of publications graduates produce. The author conducted a study of Pakistani graduates who had pursueda higher qualification in bioethics, and on the basis of the respondents' written and verbal narratives, this paper presents an analysis of their perceptions of the internal impact of bioethics degree programmes. Using these narratives, the paper also analyses the reactions of their colleagues to their new qualification.