Medical ethics in cross-cultural and multi-cultural perspectives (original) (raw)
Recent concern with medical ethics ts confined almost entrrely to Western nations and Western medical systems. and is mspired primarily by contemporary technological developments. Little attention has been paid m past research to the logical necessity that an effective ethics must asstgn priorities between coexistmg values in situations where diflicult chotces must be made, nor has empirical research been carried out to determine whether the choices that are made reflect a consistent ordermg of values m supposedly homogeneous Western societtes. Medical ethics have received httle attention m comparative studies of medical systems, or in the cross-cultural transfer of medical knowledge and technology, where they may have major pohcy implications. as, for example, m family planning programs. Current ethical concerns m the West are dommated by the implications of new medical technology which may have httle immediate application to non-Western countries, but such ethical questions as the allocatton of scarce medical resources and the conflicts of obligations of healers to patients and other members of society must exist m all societies. The processes by which patients and practittoners are sociahzed with regard to medical ethics and the formal and mformal mechanisms for inducing conformity to ethical standards are poorly described in studies of non-Western medical systems. Other than the question of rehgrous differences. studies of Western medrcal ethics have not considered cultural differences. and simply ignore the pluralism which exists m healing systems of Western societies Studies of the ethical implications of medical plurahsm m non-Western societies have yet to be made. Aside from their inherent interest and potential Importance for cross-cultural medlcal pohcy, comparattve studies of medical ethics in cross-and multi-cultural context should yteld important clues as to the structure of the moral order in complex and changmg tradittonal socteities. Case studies of medical ethical problems, observation of the processes of medical decision-making. descripttve ethnography of formal and mformal methods of mducmg conformity with medical ethical values, and questionnaires tailored to the particular culture should be particularly helpful m studymg these phenomena.
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