p. 466 in Bioethics in Asia

Editors: Norio Fujiki and Darryl R. J. Macer, Ph.D.
Eubios Ethics Institute

Copyright 2000, Eubios Ethics Institute All commercial rights reserved. This publication may be reproduced for limited educational or academic use, however please enquire with the author.
F37. Closing Remarks

 Norio Fujiki.

Emeritus Professor, Fukui Medical University; Secretary-General UNESCO ABC

You have all spent almost a week for hot discussion at the UNESCO Asian Bioethics Conference, and now the WHO Assisted Satellite Symposium on Medical Genetic Services and Bioethics, the Sixth International Bioethics Seminar Fukui. We had about 70 foreign and 150 Japanese participants during this week, not only biologists, physicians but also social scientists and also the general public.

During the past three years we have discussed bioethical issues concerning the application of new genetic knowledge into practice, at the WHO expert advisory panel and its working group and published WHO T.R.S. 865 on the Control of Hereditary Diseases, and also the draft proposed WHO Guidelines on Ethical Issues in Medical Genetics and the Provision of Genetic Services.

This time in Fukui we have distributed these documents to all participants and asked them to make suggestions and comments, emphasizing the progress of the human genome projects and its applications such as diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Especially issues like genetic testing and susceptibility, social understanding, non-directive genetic counseling, autonomous decision-making especially following selective abortion, informed consent and confidentiality, were considered. Of course we have to know about the discrepancies of feelings about this kind of problem among professional people and the public. We hope we continue this debate among all the people, and to have nice cooperation, and to make better guidelines for international use.

Today we had two plenary lectures by Boulyjhenkov and Wertz, followed by panel discussions on the present situation of genetic services in different countries, and international opinion surveys which had WHO assistance for studying the cultural and social consequences of genetics and developing public education in Asia in particular. We continued discussions from Japanese and foreign commentators, lay and expert, on these guidelines. We appreciated the important contributions of each chairperson, Matsuda, Takebe and Macer, emphasizing the public debates on ethical concepts of medical genetic services and public education.

By publication of the proceedings in English and Japanese we hope to continue debate and cooperation to make better understanding for use of the WHO Working group and UNESCO IBC, as emphasized by the UNESCO Universal Declaration on the Protection of Human Genome and Human Rights.

I would also like to thank my colleagues in Fukui Medical University, who have kindly assisted in making this symposium effective. Also there are many other people. Now our hospital director, Prof. Ueda, will close the meeting.

Please send comments to Email < asianbioethics@yahoo.co.nz >.

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