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Bioethics on the Subcontinent: The Sindh Institute in Karachi

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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.

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Notes

  1. For a discussion of a range of roles that religion may play in public bioethics, see Guinn (2006).

  2. For an extensive reflection on the relationship between bioethics and religion in the Muslim world, see Moazam (2006).

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Health, Law & Society, College of Law, Georgia State University, Room 450 Urban Life, P.O. Box 4037, Atlanta, GA, 30302-4037, USA

    Paul A. Lombardo

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  1. Paul A. Lombardo
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Correspondence to Paul A. Lombardo.

Additional information

An earlier ancestral version of this essay appeared in Bioethics Links vol. 5, December, 2009.

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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

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10730-010-9143-4

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