Centre for Applied Ethics

Research projects, conferences and symposiums completed include:

the status of prenatal life;
the socio-political problems of the identification and treatment of AIDS-patients;
the ethical problems of genetic engineering;
the ethical problems of the distribution of health care within a Third World context, focussing on South Africa
theory and practice in medical ethics: an investigation of the effects of ethically complex experiences in medical practice on medical-ethical reflection;
the ethics of reproductive technology, eg. surrogacy, in vitro-fertilization and genetic engineering
The philosophical significance of death

The Unit is currently engaged in research about:

The ethics of reproductive technology, particularly embryo-experimentation, stem cell research and cloning
Ethical and socio-political problems surrounding HIV/AIDS in Africa
Physician-assisted suicide
Advance directives
Altruism and self-interest in medical practice
The problem of global resistance to drugs, particularly in the case of tuberculosis
Integrating western and traditional African medicine: ethical perspectives
Patients' rights in the South African context

The Unit provides the following services:

Presentations on themes in bioethics
Lectures/seminars for Continued Professional Development (CPD) in the medical profession
Conferences on selected themes in bioethics;
Consultation on ethical decision-making for health care workers and institutions;
Advising institutions involved with policy-making and -application;
Conducting courses and workshops in the field of bioethics;