Abstract
In this personal narrative the author recounts his experiences teaching bioethics in Pakistan. He notes the different moral, cultural and legal environments of Pakistan as compared to the United States, and in particular, the ways in which subtle interpretations of Sharia law shape bioethical reflections as well as the biomedical legal environment. As he argues, any attempt to export models of bioethics from one country to another with no attention to social and cultural differences is a recipe for failure. To presume that all ethical considerations are universal is to devalue moral traditions that differ from our own, and dismiss cultural values of other societies.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Guinn, D. E. (2006). Introduction. In D. E. Guinn (Ed.), Handbook of bioethics and religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Khan, S. A. (2005). Legal aspects of abortion: An international overview. Bioethics Links 1, (August), 4.
Kipling, R. (1988). The ballad of East and West. In Rudyard Kipling (Ed.), Complete Verse. Garden City, NY: Anchor.
Moazam, F. (2006). Bioethics and organ transplantation in a Muslim society: A study in culture, ethnography and religion. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Moazam, F., Moazam Zaman, R., & Jafarey, A. M. (2009). Conversations with kidney vendors in Pakistan: An ethnographic study. Hastings Center Report, 39(3), 29–44.
Sachedina, A. (2006). No harm, no harassment: Major principles of health care ethics in Islam. In D. E. Guinn (Ed.), Handbook of bioethics and religion (pp. 265–289). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
An earlier ancestral version of this essay appeared in Bioethics Links vol. 5, December, 2009.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lombardo, P.A. Bioethics on the Subcontinent: The Sindh Institute in Karachi. HEC Forum 23, 57–61 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10730-010-9143-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10730-010-9143-4