Online research in philosophy

To the Editor: Conflicts of interest pervade medicine with sometimes profound repercussions. The unethical recruitment of oocyte donors, for example, reported by Aaron Levine in “Self-Regulation, Compensation, and the Ethical Recruitment of Oocyte Donors” (Mar–Apr 2010) threatens medical professionalism, societal trust in medicine, and possibly the health of young women. Levine shows that in violation of fertility industry standards, donors with high SAT scores are often paid more than those with lower scores. Such payments are deceptive and ethically problematic because (...) neither intelligence nor SAT score is proven to be genetically transmitted. Moreover, some question the value of aptitude and intelligence tests .. (shrink)

Guidelines for Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) or research ethics committees exist at national and international levels. These guidelines are based on ethical principles and establish an internationally acceptable standard for the review and conduct of medical research. Having attained a multinational consensus about what these fundamental guidelines should be, IRBs are left to interpret the guidelines and devise their own means of implementing them. Individual and community values bear on the interpretation of the guidelines so different IRBs attain different levels (...) of effectiveness. In the Caribbean and Pan American regions there are few IRBs. Obstacles to the establishment and function of IRBs are exacerbated in developing regions like these by differences in language, literacy, and local value systems; education, administrative expertise, facilities, and access to information are also limited. A regional IRB network might facilitate more uniform ethical review in developing countries, and simplify IRB procedures. (shrink)