HUMAN RIGHTS, SCIENCE AND ETHICS PROFESSOR DAVID McQUOID- MASON UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL, DURBAN SOUTH AFRICA

HUMAN RIGHTS, SCIENCE AND ETHICS INTRODUCTION ETHICAL PRINCIPLES CONCLUSION

HUMAN RIGHTS, SCIENCE AND ETHICAL PRINCIPLES SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES OF 18 TH, 19 TH, 20 TH AND 21 ST CENTURIES HAVE ALSO BEEN UNDERPINNED BY HUMAN RIGHTS ADVANCES – DESPITE SETBACKS BIOETHICAL PRINCIPLES CAN USEFULLY BE APPLIED TO SCIENCE IN GENERAL ETHICAL PRINCIPLES CAN ALSO BE LINKED TO HUMAN RIGHTS THE GEORGETOWN CLASSIFICATION OF BIOETHICAL PRINCIPLES IS A USEFUL MODEL: –AUTONOMY –BENEFICIENCE –NON-MALEFICENCE –JUSTICE

AUTONOMY RECOGNIZES THE DUTY ON SCIENTISTS TO RESPECT THE FREEDOM OF INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT THEMSELVES HUMAN RIGHTS: –ARTICLE 3 OF UDHR (LIFE, LIBERTY, SECURITY) –ARTICLE 12 OF UDHR (PRIVACY) –ARTICLE 18 OF UDHR (THOUGHT, CONSCIENCE, RELIGION) SCIENCE: –RESEARCH ON HUMAN SUBJECTS –GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS –PERVERSE INCENTIVES FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH –CONSEQUENCES OF THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT

BENEFICENCE RECOGNIZES THE DUTY ON SCIENTISTS TO DO GOOD FOR INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY HUMAN RIGHTS: –ARTICLE 8 OF UDHR (EFFECTIVE REMEDY) –ARTICLE 25 OF UDHR (ADEQUATE STANDARD OF LIVING) SCIENCE: –COMPENSATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS (EG TOREY CANYON, BHOPAL?) –SPECTACULAR TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES –REDUCTION OF DISEASES (EG SMALL POX) –SANITATION AND WATER –STEM CELL RESEARCH

NON-MALEFICENCE RECOGNIZES THE DUTY ON SCIENTISTS NOT TO HARM INDIVIDUALS OR SOCIETIES HUMAN RIGHTS: –ARTICLE 5 OF UDHR (TORTURE, CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT) SCIENCE: –NAZI AND JAPANESE MEDICAL EXPERIMENTS –ATOM BOMB (UTILITARIANISM?) –CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS –ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION (FLOODS, TSUNAMI?)

JUSTICE RECOGNIZES THE DUTY ON SCIENTISTS TO TREAT INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES EQUALLY AND FAIRLY HUMAN RIGHTS: –ARTICLE 1 OF UDHR (EQUAL IN DIGNITY AND RIGHTS) –ARTICLE 2 OF UDHR (ALL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMES WITHOUT DISTINCTION) –ARTICLE 7 OF UDHR (ALL EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW – PROTECTION AGAINST DISCRIMINATION) SCIENCE: –EUGENICS (USA, GERMANY, SOUTH AFRICA) –RACE CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA –APARTHEID IN ARCHITECTURE

CONCLUSION SCIENTISTS SHOULD FOLLOW ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF AUTONOMY, BENEFICENCE, NON-MALEFICENCE AND JUSTICE IF ABOVE ETHICAL PRINCIPLES ARE FOLLOWED THE CONDUCT OF SCIENTISTS WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS AND STANDARDS IF SUCH PRINCIPLES ARE FOLLOWED BY SCIENTISTS LIVING IN DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES THEIR CONDUCT WILL ALSO BE CONSISTENT WITH THEIR COUNTRIES’ CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL REQUIREMENTS