Biomedical subjects

Volnei Garrafa

Publications and source records attributed to Volnei Garrafa.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

[Bioethics, critical solidarity and organic volunteering].

OBJECTIVE: The study proposes "critical solidarity" as a value to be incorporated into the 21st century's bioethics agenda and as an instrument to guide people and associations in volunteer praxis. METHODS: To explain how solidarity materializes itself, the motivations for engaging in volunteer activities in associations that integrate the corps of volunteers of the Instituto Nacional do Cancer [National Cancer Institute] in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are analyzed. The data for analysis were obtained by applying two instruments. The first one consists of a questionnaire divided into 2 parts: one part identifies the socioeconomic profile, and the other identifies solidarity as a value that motivates volunteer activity. The second instrument comprises of semi structured interviews utilized to collect supplementary data for analysis. RESULTS: The results indicate that volunteering is based on three basic motivations: a) personal motivations related to life as a volunteer, b) motivations resulting from professed beliefs, and c) motivations aroused by the feeling of solidarity. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that the incorporation of critical solidarity requires a rupture with the detected model of patronizing volunteering; it implies explicating the common selfish interests that permeate volunteer activities and qualify an organic volunteering, that is, volunteering which is politically aware and committed to responding to the specific demands of the present time.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

[Bioethical study of kidney transplantation in Brazil involving unrelated living donors: the inefficiency of law to prevent organ commercialism].

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to know the opinion of five different social segments (public prosecutors, judges, general population, recipients of the awaiting list for kidney transplants and the crew involved in the organ transplantation process of a hospital in Brasília--Hospital de Base) about the present organ transplant legislation, with an emphasis on the donation of kidney by unrelated living donors, and the new determination given by Law #10.211, in March 23rd, 2001, specifically in its article 9, that enlarges the criteria for donation of organs between unrelated living people. METHODS: A questionnaire with six objective questions was used in order to know the opinion of five groups of people of the Federal District about the present organ transplant legislation in Brazil. RESULTS: For 80% of the people interviewed, when Brazilian legislation allows donation of organs between unrelated living people, it makes possible the existence of rewarded donation and 81% of them consider that the requirement for judicial authorization is not an effective instrument to prevent organ commercialism. CONCLUSIONS: The present research indicates that Brazilian legislation fails concerning the utilization of kidneys for transplantation from unrelated living donors, making possible the commerce of organs in the country. Considering that poor people are the most vulnerable ones in this context, the authors suggest changes in the legislation in force, aiming to protect them and, therefore, attain more justice.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Intervention bioethics: a proposal for peripheral countries in a context of power and injustice.

The bioethics of the so-called 'peripheral countries' must preferably be concerned with persistent situations, that is, with those problems that are still happening, but should not happen anymore in the 21st century. Resulting conflicts cannot be exclusively analysed based on ethical (or bioethical) theories derived from 'central countries.' The authors warn of the growing lack of political analysis of moral conflicts and of human indignation. The indiscriminate utilisation of the bioethics justification as a neutral methodological tool softens and even cancels out the seriousness of several problems, even those that might result in the most profound social distortions. The current study takes as a theoretical reference the fact that natural resources (which affect us all) are relevant. Based on these premises, and on the concept that equity means 'treating unevenly the unequal', a proposal of a hard bioethics (or intervention bioethics) is introduced, in defence of the historical insights and rights of economically and socially excluded populations that are separated from the international developmental process.

Bioethics↗

PubMed2002

Psychiatric examinations on handcuffed convicts in Brazil: ethical concerns.

Psychiatric examinations in official institutions of the Brazilian government include examinations of individual convicts--some of whom are highly dangerous--carried out by court decision. These individuals are taken handcuffed under police escort from penitentiaries to the examination site. In most Brazilian states, medical examiners or experts adopt the basic procedure of asking the police officers to remove the handcuffs from the convict for the examination to be carried out. This article analyzes, from the bioethical standpoint, the behavior of 49 forensic psychiatrists in eight Brazilian states in relation to procedures adopted as protection measures against any possible danger posed by their examinees. In the context of a developing country, where sophisticated protection means are not available, the practice of keeping convicts handcuffed during such examinations is compared to other measures and more advisable alternatives are discussed from the ethical standpoint. Considering the dilemma between showing minimum respect for the autonomy of examinees and ensuring the security of examiners, the need to adopt equitable procedures based on the recognition of the different needs of examiners and examinees is addressed.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed1999

Biothics in Brazil.

In this article the authors briefly sketch the nature of Brazilian bioethics. Bioethics emerged in Brazil later than in other Western countries and the 1990's were the most important period for the spread of the discipline in the country. It is in this period that some structural elements of bioethics were established, such as research groups, regulation of Local Research Ethics Committees (Comitês Locais de Etica em Pesquisa -- CEP), the creation of the National Commission of Ethics in Research with Human Beings (Comissão Nacional de Etica em Pesquisa com Seres Humanos -- CONEP) and the Brazilian Bioethics Society (Sociedade Brasileira de Bioética -- SBB). With regard to theoretical work, Brazilian bioethics is clearly an importer of theories from countries central to the studies of bioethics, or, in other words, countries where biothics first emerged and was established. The most commonly used theory among Brazilian researchers is principalism.

Bioethics↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Bioethics, power and injustice: for an ethics of intervention.

Bioethics of the so-called "peripheral countries" should be preferably concerned with the persistent situations, that is, with those problems that are still happening, but should not happen anymore in the 21st century. The resulting conflicts cannot be exclusively analyzed based on the ethical theories (or bioethical) arriving from "central countries". The authors alert for the increasing depoliticization of moral conflicts and for the lack of capacity of human indignation. The indiscriminate utilization of bioethics justification as a neutral methodological tool softens and even cancels out the gravity of different problems, even those that might result in the most profound social distortion. The current study sets as a theoretical reference the finitude of natural resources (which are all of them...) and corporality, pleasures and pain. From these premises and the introduction of the concept that equity means "to treat unevenly the unequal", the authors introduced a proposal of a hard bioethics or intervention bioethics, in support of the interest and the historical rights of the population economically and socially excluded from the international development practice.

Bioethics↗