That Ruth Macklin’s dismissal of dignity from health research ethics
has aroused deep indignation reflects the fact that, however cloaked, the
assault is not simply an interesting philosophical polemic. Indeed, there
is little in the way of either philosophy or ethics to recommend the
essay. The provocations of this Christmas missive with its deliberate
secular and political aims are not lost on the victims of callous medical
research and other structured aggressions supported by such wrongful
apologies. The failure of individual engagements and cultural expressions
to provide due care for the dignity of others in word and deed should not
be passed over lightly by society. There is nothing commendable in the ill
-conceived assault on religion, ethics, and human rights. Such fanfare
promotes the use of double standards in the assertions of the powerful
over the vulnerable. Past and present abhorrent events testify well to the
overwhelming suffering caused by the failure to think and act in a humane
manner. It is not the dignity of the person that requires explanation or
apology, but rather the decision not to recognise the dignity of others in
personal, scientific, political, and economic pursuits. Even still, for
the act once committed, explanations and apologies arrive too late to
forestall injury, and they are seldom sincere in their recognition of the
moral suffering inflicted.
Francis P. Crawley,
Secretary General & Ethics Officer,
European Forum for Good Clinical Practice,
Brussels, Belgium
Rapid Response:
Cloaked Assaults and Wrongful Apologies
That Ruth Macklin’s dismissal of dignity from health research ethics
has aroused deep indignation reflects the fact that, however cloaked, the
assault is not simply an interesting philosophical polemic. Indeed, there
is little in the way of either philosophy or ethics to recommend the
essay. The provocations of this Christmas missive with its deliberate
secular and political aims are not lost on the victims of callous medical
research and other structured aggressions supported by such wrongful
apologies. The failure of individual engagements and cultural expressions
to provide due care for the dignity of others in word and deed should not
be passed over lightly by society. There is nothing commendable in the ill
-conceived assault on religion, ethics, and human rights. Such fanfare
promotes the use of double standards in the assertions of the powerful
over the vulnerable. Past and present abhorrent events testify well to the
overwhelming suffering caused by the failure to think and act in a humane
manner. It is not the dignity of the person that requires explanation or
apology, but rather the decision not to recognise the dignity of others in
personal, scientific, political, and economic pursuits. Even still, for
the act once committed, explanations and apologies arrive too late to
forestall injury, and they are seldom sincere in their recognition of the
moral suffering inflicted.
Francis P. Crawley,
Secretary General & Ethics Officer,
European Forum for Good Clinical Practice,
Brussels, Belgium
Chifumbe Chintu,
Chairman,
Pan-African Bioethics Initiative (PABIN,
Lusaka, Zambia
Amin Kashmeery,
Director,
Centre for Biomedical Ethics,
King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre,
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests