December 2015
In the article On the emergence and consolidation of bioethics as a discipline, as seen from a sociological perspective, the researcher Gabriela Izarrabal seeks to reconstruct various origin narratives that imply different concepts of the discipline.
Gabriela Izarrabal helps us to understand on the one hand what is meant by bioethics and what its practices and areas of inquiry are, and on the other to identify various concepts and expert opinions about what the field of study for bioethics should be, opinions which lead in practice to different applications of the discipline in health sciences.
All these viewpoints have influenced the development of bioethics as a discipline in Ibero-American contexts, particularly in Latin America, where various authors are currently attempting to provide an epistemological framework appropriate for bioethics in the region.
According to the researcher, treating bioethics as a non-scientific space has given rise to theories claiming that it involves reflecting on moral issues. As she states, a common characteristic of the “metaphysical” branches of bioethics is that they consider “freedom to dispose of one’s own self”.
In the article, Gabriela Izarrabal also discusses the areas in which originally the concept of bioethics is applied, such as stem cell research, assisted reproduction, cloning, abortion, prenatal tests, genetic screening and its implications for disability and sex selection, intellectual property issues, patents, and euthanasia.
Read the full article also in Spanish:
Irrazábal, Gabriela. Acerca de la emergencia y consolidación de la bioética como disciplina desde una perspectiva sociológica. Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos, Dic 2015, vol.22, no.4, p.1121-1140. ISSN 0104-5970
Read more about bioethics in HCS-Manguinhos:
Santos, Roberta de Freitas and Cerqueira, Mateus Rodrigues. South-South Cooperation: Brazilian experiences in South America and Africa. Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos, Mar 2015, vol.22, no.1, p.23-47. ISSN 0104-5970
Barbosa, Tyara Kropf, Roa, Alejandra Carrillo and Almeida, Neilia Barros Ferreira de. Biblioteca virtual sobre bioética e diplomacia em saúde. Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos, Mar 2015, vol.22, no.1, p.308-312. ISSN 0104-5970
Barbosa, Vilmar et al. Bioética: um ponto de encontro. Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos, Out 1994, vol.1, no.1, p.109-120. ISSN 0104-5970
Palma, Alexandre and Vilaça, Murilo Mariano. Conflitos de interesse na pesquisa, produção e divulgação de medicamentos. Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos, Set 2012, vol.19, no.3, p.919-932. ISSN 0104-5970
