Comparison of Concept of Bioethics between the East and the West

13/11/2007 - 19:30

13 November 2007
19.30 - 21.00 hrs

Lecture by Prof. Hiraku Takebe, Graduate Program of Genetic Counselling, Kinki University, Higashiosaka, Japan

Professor Takebe served as a member of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) Ethics Committee from 1992 to 2002. When HUGO agreed to announce a statement concerning the bioethics of human genome analysis, the committee tried hard to select ten keywords, all starting with the letter ‘C'. When ten sentences with keywords such as ‘consultation' or ‘communication' were completed, all the members applauded, except Takebe. ‘We made the Ten Commandments of the twenty-first century,' they claimed. Takebe was shocked that an international organization such as HUGO should depend solely on Judeo-Christian ethics. Takebe asked if the committee members had ever heard of what Prince Shotoku said in the 7th century. His principle, ‘All people should respect Harmony', is what all Japanese know, and the keyword Harmony was selected as the symbolic word of the 1970 EXPO in Osaka, Japan.

Takebe argues for dialogue among citizens, medical doctors, philosophers, and politicians all over the world. In the meantime, as bioethics is directly related to medical practice, we cannot wait until such a universal standard is established....

This lecture is the third in the series 'Asian DNA at the Forefront' organised within the context of the ‘Socio-genetic Marginalisation Programme' (SMAP) at IIAS. For information on this programme, see www.iias.nl/smap.

Venue
Lipsius Building
Cleveringaplaats 1
room 005
Leiden, the Netherlands

Date and time
13 November 2007
19.30 - 21.00 hrs 

For information
Ms Saskia Jans
Fellowship Coordinator
International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS)
T +31-71 527 54 90
iiasfellowships@let.leidenuniv.nl