KT columnist Mike Weisbart discusses the Hwang investigation and the need for a serious debate on ethics regulating egg donations and clinical trials:
Indeed, it will be interesting to see if Korean prosecutors have the intestinal fortitude to jail Hwang for what he’s done. A lot of criminals in Korea do time for less serious offenses. And given all the recent talk about getting tough on white-collar crime, Hwang’s fate will take on extra significance if he’s indicted.
But something is being missed. The focus in the media is on the money and intrigue but there ought to be more attention paid to the ethical lapses revolving around the research. I’m referring to the highly questionable way the researchers went about procuring human ova to support Hwang’s work and the Frankenstein-like testing of stem cell therapy treatments on a few unsuspecting, but desperately hopeful patients.
Korea needs to start talking about ethics.
If ever there was a time to strike while the iron is hot, this is it. Because once all of the probes are done, the Hwang story deciphered, and the fraudsters punished, the country’s researchers will be ready to move on. By that time, don’t believe for a second that they’re going to wait for an ethics debate.
That debate, on how to regulate egg donations and clinical trials, needs to happen now. History repeats when we don’t learn our lessons and the risk of that happening in Korea is high unless its leaders start talking now.
Read the rest on your own.
5 Comments
“Ethic” is a Christian concept.
For Budhists, who believe in “cyclic resurrection of humans and animals”, using female eggs and creating Frankensteins do not bother them. Actually, Korean monks believe Hwang’s research can help people and they frequently compare egg donors’ suffering to Buddha’s benevolence to human beings. During this Hwang’s debacle, Korean Buddhists were the most ardent supporter of Hwang. They still support Hwang.
For Atheists, who believe Hwang’s research can bring in money to Korea, stem cell research is a key to Korea’s future survival. Somehow they are brainwashed into thinking that BioTechnology(BT) is the next big thing. They see no ethical problem in purchasing women’s eggs. “What is difference between blood donor who gets paid and the egg donor who gets paid”, they are quick to say, ignoring the injection to egg donors.
Only Catholics are raising the warning flag.
Even some protestants, especially those who are into “health and wealth” gospel, are backing Hwang. They see all science as progress, even when eggs are mated with sperms to create test tube humans. For them, life begins when a baby comes out of the womb, not before.
Koreans are, in large, not Christians. Ethics is a difficult concept, especially when it comes to scientific matters.
“Only Catholics are raising the warning flag”
someone should ask weisbart if he’s catholic…
This is an excellent point made here in his article. To be fair, there is not just a problem with ethics in Korea (a serious problem indeed) but in many governments that put money and business ahead of public health and safety. Consider the case of the USDA in Ameria that is staffed at the senior level by former meat-industry executives and the USDA’s lack of promoting testing for mad cow. Despite the warnings from a variety of credible sources as to the lack of adequate testing and the deliberate avoidance of such, a variety of meat industry business groups AND the USDA all continue insist that there is no health problem.
As in the USDA, apparently members of the Korean Government had a vested interest in promoting Dr. Hwang — right or wrong. This has still not been investigated completely as of yet.
Clearly, regardless of the country or government, if a government has a vested interest in a given industry, they are usually a poor choice in assuring safety and ethics. It is very much a case of the fox guarding the hen house.
Baduk:“Ethic” is a Christian concept.
No. Ethics was a Buddist topic centuries before the advent of Christianity
For Budhists, who believe in “cyclic resurrection of humans and animals”, using female eggs and creating Frankensteins do not bother them. During this Hwang’s debacle, Korean Buddhists were the most ardent supporter of Hwang. They still support Hwang.
Yes. An important distinction should be made between Buddists and Korean Buddists.
“Ethic” is a Christian concept.
I agree that AS IT IS in the modern world — and in the realm of science — it is indeed Western, and ultimately Christianized in many ways. And I don’t necessarily see this as a good thing. Right and wrong as abstract concepts of the individual mind and guiding an individual action is to this day not part of the foundations of Korean (or even Asian) cultures of any sort (Christian or Buddhist).
Han Confucianism, the foundation of Korean ethics, is guided by such questions as “What is good or bad for my family, my friends, my co-workers, my province, my country etc”. That is, the question of right is a pragmatic one for the good for one’s immediat interests. The concept of a metaphysical rules of “right and wrong” for everyone across the board is not at the core of Korean’s existence.
That may sound selfish, but it is not necessarily so. But it is incompatible with the modern, Westernized world as evidenced by the view that “Sure Hwang made a few mistakes, but it is still good for Korea, so it is OK.” MARK MY WORDS: Hwang will be punished because punishing him will be good for Korea (i.e. seeking credit again in international scientific circles) not because he broke some flighty abstract rules.