ABSTRACT
The recent, unprecedented advancement in neuroscience has led to new discoveries about the human brain and its function. Yet at the same time, it has spurred novel ethical and regulatory issues, and the field of neuroethics has emerged as an interdisciplinary endeavor to address these issues.Across the globe, extensive efforts have been underway to achieve the integration of neuroscience and Neuroethics, with active engagement not only from academia but also from the government, the public, and industry. However, in some countries, integrating neuroscience and neuroethics has proved to be a particularly challenging task. For example, in South Korea, the government has primarily driven the integration effort, and only a small group of researchers is properly trained for conducting an interdisciplinary evaluation of ethical, legal, social, and cultural implications (ELSCI) of neurotechnology. On the basis of the last few years of experience pursuing a government-funded neuroethics project in South Korea, we developed a new operational framework to provide practical guidance on ELSCI research. This framework consists of the X, Y, and Z axes; the X-axis represents a target neurotechnology, the Y-axis represents different developmental stages of the technology, and the Z-axis represents ELSCI issues that may arise from the development and use of the neurotechnology. Here we also present a step-by-step workflow to apply this matrix framework, from organizing a panel for a target neurotechnology to facilitating stakeholder discussion through public hearings. This framework will enable meaningful integration of neuroscience and neuroethics to promote responsible innovation in neuroscience and neurotechnology.
ABSTRACT
In April 2019, the Constitutional Court's decision on abortions left challenges in our society about addressing the value of life and the rights and safety of pregnant women. This paper examines the implication of and problems with the decision of the Constitutional Court - affecting the meaning and understanding of a fetus’s right to life versus a pregnant woman’s right to self-determination, the determinable period, and the independent viability of the fetus. As for the legislative guidelines, the text of the related bill included the following consideration: the fetus’ right to life and the biological father’s responsibilities; institutional guarantees to support pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing by pregnant women as a social security approach; exclusion of socioeconomic reasons and careful consideration; and the provisions of Fetal Life Protection Counseling, guaranteeing the right of veto participating the operation of abortions and government's supervision of abortions. In this paper, the Bill entitled “Act for Expanding Pregnancy Support and Preventing and Overcoming Pregnancy Conflict” may be used as a reference for future parliamentary debates, and may be a stepping stone for legislation that can save fetus’ lives, women's lives, and the future.
ABSTRACT
In April 2019, the Constitutional Court's decision on abortions left challenges in our society about addressing the value of life and the rights and safety of pregnant women. This paper examines the implication of and problems with the decision of the Constitutional Court - affecting the meaning and understanding of a fetus’s right to life versus a pregnant woman’s right to self-determination, the determinable period, and the independent viability of the fetus. As for the legislative guidelines, the text of the related bill included the following consideration: the fetus’ right to life and the biological father’s responsibilities; institutional guarantees to support pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing by pregnant women as a social security approach; exclusion of socioeconomic reasons and careful consideration; and the provisions of Fetal Life Protection Counseling, guaranteeing the right of veto participating the operation of abortions and government's supervision of abortions. In this paper, the Bill entitled “Act for Expanding Pregnancy Support and Preventing and Overcoming Pregnancy Conflict” may be used as a reference for future parliamentary debates, and may be a stepping stone for legislation that can save fetus’ lives, women's lives, and the future.