From 'implications' to 'dimensions': science, medicine and ethics in society.

Much bioethical scholarship is concerned with the social, legal and philosophical implications of new and emerging science and medicine, as well as with the processes of research that under-gird these innovations. Science and technology studies (STS), and the related and interpenetrating disciplines of anthropology and sociology, have also explored what novel technoscience might imply for society, and how the social is constitutive of scientific knowledge and technological artefacts. More recently, social scientists have interrogated the emergence of ethical issues: they have documented how particular matters come to be regarded as in some way to do with 'ethics', and how this in turn enjoins particular types of social action. In this paper, I will discuss some of this and other STS (and STS-inflected) literature and reflect on how it might complement more 'traditional' modes of bioethical enquiry. I argue that STS might (1) cast new light on current bioethical issues, (2) direct the gaze of bioethicists towards matters that may previously have escaped their attention, and (3) indicate the import not only of the ethical implications of biomedical innovation, but also how these innovative and other processes feature ethics as a dimension of everyday laboratory and clinical work. In sum, engagements between STS and bioethics are increasingly important in order to understand and manage the complex dynamics between science, medicine and ethics in society.

Trípode en el que se sustenta una sociedad civilizada: ciudadanía activa, estado democrático y economía ética / Trípode na qual se sustenta uma sociedade civilizada: cidadania ativa, estado democrático e economia ética / A tripod on which civic ethics rests: a participatory democracy, an economy exerted from ethical companies and an active citizenship

The work produced is a thematic review that aims to reflect on civic ethics, from the look of Adela Cortina, who offers a clear exposition, allowing conceptual understanding of it, as well as the urgency of their quest. The approach is performed in relation to the role of three key elements, which are useful at time to trying to build a better society. Those three elements constitute a tripod on which civic ethics rests: a participatory democracy, an economy exerted from ethical companies and active citizenship...

O trabalho elaborado constitui uma revisão temática que pretende a reflexão em torno da ética cívica a partir da visão de Adela Cortina, que com sua claridade expositiva permite a compreensão conceitual da mesma e também a urgência de sua busca. O enfoque é dado ao papel que exercem três elementos fundamentais na hora de se tentar construir uma sociedade melhor, constituídos em uma trípode sobre a qual esta repousa: uma democracia participativa, uma economia exercida por empresas éticas e uma cidadania ativa...

[Research ethics in social sciences--new challenges]. / Etica na pesquisa em ciências humanas--novos desafios.

This paper aims to discuss how already established principles of research ethics can be incorporated to the ethical review of research projects in Social Sciences, particularly ethnographic studies or studies using the techniques of participant observation and open interviews. The discussion is guided by an analysis of the methodological and ethical procedures used in the production of the ethnographic documentary "Severina's Story". The analysis of the film shows the urgent need to expand the horizons of the debate around research ethics beyond the biomedical fundaments of this field.

Virtudes para um outro mundo possível: v. II: convivência, respeito e tolerância / Virtues for another possible world. v. II: coexistence, respect and tolerance

Um dos mais conhecidos teólogos no mundo, Leonardo Boff aborda neste livro questões relacionadas aos problemas decorrentes da globalização. Para Boff, 'cada vez mais cresce a consciência de que ciência, tecnologia, economia, finanças e mercado, embora imprescindíveis, não são suficientes para conferir um rosto humano à globalização'. Ele enfatiza que o próprio processo pelo qual passa o atual estágio da civilização demanda uma dimensão espiritual, ética e estética que empreste dimensão e sentido ao homem, sob pena de destruirmos a única morada de que dispomos - a Terra. Esta obra dá continuidade ao conjunto de livros nos quais o autor procura apontar quais são as virtudes (Vol. I Hospitalidade - direito e dever de todos, Vol. II Convivência, respeito e tolerância, Vol. III Comensalidade e paz) a serem desenvolvidas pela humanidade, para que se consiga construir um mundo melhor, mais solidário, mais ético, menos predatório. São valores para a construção de uma sociedade mais humana, no contexto de uma realidade globalizada, caracterizada pelo pragmatismo e pela competição.

Conducting research on violence in Asian American communities: methodological issues.

Conducting culturally competent research is a challenge as the United States becomes increasingly multicultural. When conducting research on violence in Asian American communities, researchers need to consider how culture, race, and ethnicity influence definitions of concepts, and methodological issues such as research designs, sampling, developing and translating instruments, ethical issues, recruiting research participants, supervising and training interviewers, and disseminating findings. Examples from the authors' research studies on community violence in the Khmer community, domestic violence in the Chinese American community, and dating violence in Asian American groups are extrapolated to highlight various themes. A commitment to a research program that collaborates with the community under study and cultural experts is vital at every stage of the research process.

How sociology can save bioethics . . . maybe.

This paper argues for the importance of a broad sociological engagement with bioethics. It begins by considering why sociologists should be interested in bioethics and then goes on to explore the cognitive critique of bioethics developed by ethnographers. Some of these authors have also suggested that a more robust bioethics might emerge through the incorporation of the tools of ethnographic analysis. In this paper, it is argued that this is an important claim which needs to be analysed further and that Foucault's concept of discursive formations provides a useful framework for doing so. Once bioethics is redescribed as a discursive formation, the paper explores the challenges and obstacles that sociology and ethnography face in their attempt to open up a space for themselves in bioethics. The paper concludes by suggesting that sociologists and ethnographers need to reflect on the ways in which they might democratically secure legitimacy for their own claims in the field of social ethics.

How can we help? From "sociology in" to "sociology of" bioethics.

Sociology and bioethics have an uneasy relationship. Bioethicists find sociology helpful for describing and analyzing ethical issues, but they are less enthusiastic when bioethics becomes the subject of sociological scrutiny. After review of different sociological approaches to bioethical topics -- descriptive, evaluative, and analytical -- I explain how bioethics will benefit by using the tools of sociology to answer its questions ("sociology in bioethics") and by allowing sociology to use bioethics to answer sociological questions ("sociology of bioethics").

[Open letter to the conscience of a society]. / Carta abierta a la conciencia de una sociedad.

From a personal viewpoint, the author reflects about the changes in values which have come about in our society and which seriously damage the oldest, the most dependent and the most disfavored of its members.

Treating AIDS: dilemmas of unequal access in Uganda.

The price of antiretroviral (ARV) medicines in Uganda has fallen dramatically in recent years and more people are under treatment. By mid-2003 it was estimated that 10 000 people were taking ARVs. Drawing on participant observation, qualitative interviews, work with key informants and document reviews, we seek to map out the channels through which ARVs are being made available to people and to describe and assess the social implications of the present system of distribution. Four channels of access to ARV medicines were common in mid-2003: (i) Medicines were provided free in structured research and treatment programmes funded by donors, but only to those who lived in a defined catchment area and met inclusion criteria. (ii) Gazetted treatment centres provided drugs on a fee-for-service basis; these urban-based institutions account for the largest number of drugs dispensed. (iii) Private practitioners, mainly based in Kampala, provided discrete treatment for those who could afford it. (iv) Finally, medicines were 'facilitated' along informal networks, supplying friends and relatives on a less regular basis, sometimes for free, sometimes for cash. However, access to ARVs remains highly uneven. We argue that cheaper drugs make possible different kinds of access, different qualities of care, and a growing awareness of inequity. Because the price of drugs has fallen drastically, middle-class families now have the possibility of buying them. But this requires tough prioritising and many cannot follow the regimen regularly. Health workers must consider whether patients will be able to purchase the drugs or not. In a kind of popular social pharmacy, people assess who can and should and does get access to ARVs. Further research should examine the whole range of ARV access channels in different countries and the associated patterns of social differentiation and exclusions.

Establishing an ethical climate in support of research integrity: efforts and activities of the American Sociological Association.

The article provides an overview of the recent efforts and activities of the American Sociological Association (ASA) to keep its Code of Ethics visible and relevant to its membership. The development process and challenges associated with the most recent revision of the ASA's code are reviewed, the current education and support activities are described, and other strategies for taking a proactive and leadership role in establishing an ethical climate are proposed. In conclusion, while the ASA has made significant progress in this area, it recognizes that a lot of work remains.