Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics
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Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics EJAIB Vol. 22 (4) July 2012 www.eubios.info ISSN 1173-2571 Official Journal of the Asian Bioethics Association (ABA) Copyright ©2012 Eubios Ethics Institute (All rights reserved, for commercial reproductions). Jenie, of Indonesia. We all have expressed our deepest page Contents condolescenes to Dr. Nurten Aksoy, his wife, and also a Editorial: In memory of Sahin Aksoy and Asian founding member of the Asian Bioethics Association, and Bioethics 133 their twins. - Darryl Macer Readers who are not aware of the work of Sahin, Sahin Aksoy R.I.P. 134 can goggle his work, or search www.eubios.info for some - Frank J. Leavitt (Yeruham) of his numerous papers and book chapters. This picture Views on Abortion and Sex Selection in Phnom was taken during the Asian Penh, Cambodia 135 Bioethics Conference of - Kouy BunRong 2008 in Yogyakarta (chaired Prognostication 150 by Umar Jenie) that followed - Dr Lalit K Radha Krishna the very successful ABC that Cloud Computing and its ethical issues 155 Sahin organized in Sanliurfa - J. Thresa Jeniffer (Turkey). Many readers Indian Marine Turtles in Soup 158 attended the conference - A.J. Thatheyus Bio-Ethics and Sustainable which opened up West Asian Development: The Need for Proper Policy Making 160 ideas to East and South - S. Panneerselvam Asia. Human cloning: Comments on Iftime (2012) 163 Sahin first came to Japan in 1997 to the Asian - K. K. Verma Bioethics Conference in Kobe, and that Tsukuba ABA membership 164 International Bioethics Roundtable that I organized. He Editorial address: came to a number of the Tsukuba Roundtables, always Prof. Darryl Macer, Director, Eubios Ethics Institute, willing to help as well as share his views on bioethics in c/o Center for Ethics of Science and Technology, depth. He would have approved of the first paper by Chulalongkorn University, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn Kouy Bunrong, who presented data exploring the views University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand on abortion and sex selection in Cambodia. Sahin Email: [email protected] explored such difficult issues as the status of the human embryo and abortion, offering insights that have Please renew your Asian Bioethics Association influenced not only Islamic bioethics but Asian and subscriptions for 2012! New articles are welcome, and International reflection on these issues. the July issue will include a further paper on Fukushima, Other papers in this issue include medical ethics of as well as other general topics of bioethics. prognostication, information ethics in Cloud computing, and environmental ethics. Verma offers a commentary of Editorial: In memory of Sahin Iftime’s paper in the May 2012 issue. For those who have access to iTunes store you Aksoy and Asian Bioethics can download for free a new iBook, “Bioethics across cultures”, which is free to download as an iBook from We were very sad to miss our dear friend, and a iTunes in all countries which Apple has launched iBooks. founding member of the Asian Bioethics Association This opens up an audience of over one billion persons, Board as the first Vice President for West Asia, Dr. Sahin and this is rapidly expanding. The days of printed books Aksoy, who passed away with his family around him of are rapidly disappearing. The book features photos, pancreatic cancer this year. The first paper in this issue is videos, interactive activities and other features that can an obituary to Sahin written by the former EJAIB make bioethics open to all those who have the tablet associated editor, Dr. Yeruham Leavitt. We welcome computer (currently designed for iPad). A pdf file version Yeruham back to the pages of EJAIB and to the Eubios without the interactive features is 40Mb and is available. community. In the September issue, which is the th The earlier version of this book is Cross Cultural abstracts of the 13 Asian Bioethics Conference, is the Introduction to Bioethics, still online. full memorial lecture that is being delivered by Prof. Umar - Darryl Macer 134 Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics 22 (July 2012) hard boiled eggs as much or more than we would have Sahin Aksoy R.I.P. enjoyed stuffing ourselves on overpriced food in some fancy restaurant. - Frank J. Leavitt (Yeruham), Ph.D. It was at the same Kobe conference that we founded Senior Lecturer Emeritus, Faculty of Health Sciences, the Asian Bioethics Association. It seems on the face of it Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, ISRAEL a crazy idea that with all our wars, terror, and whatever, Email: [email protected] all of us from Israel and Turkey to Japan and everything in between should have enough in common, that we can I was shocked to hear, a few weeks ago, from Darryl, engage in a unique and fruitful bioethical dialogue. I still that Sahin was in his final illness. When Darryl wrote me believe this and I think Sahin did as well. again to tell me that Sahin had passed away, I was of Sahin and I were the most active members from West course not surprised but it was no less of a shock. Sahin Asia. When Sahin and Nurten were in Israel for a and I had not got along in recent years. Our friendship religious conference in Haifa, he and Nurten came to our was quite good until our (Israel’s) war in Gaza. We place in Kiriat Arba, Hebron, from whence we could walk argued quite harshly over the war. In my humble opinion, to some of the holiest places in Israel, like the Cave of with which some will perhaps disagree, this does not the Fathers and Mothers. I was delighted to invite him to mean that one of us was a good guy, and the other a bad the university in Beer Sheva to speak on bioethics guy. Indeed I think that part of being a good person is according to the Koran. For years I had tried to find an being loyal to one’s country and religion. Sahin believed Arab or a Bedouin in Israel who could speak in the Koran and I believe in the Torah of Israel. I cannot knowledgeably about bioethics according to their religion. blame Sahin for believing in the Koran. I of course cannot I never succeeded in finding anyone really learned. This speak for him and have no way any more to ask his is too bad. Our teaching hospital, Soroka Medical opinion, but I trust he does not blame me for believing in Centre, the second largest hospital in Israel, has a large the Torah. Each of us did what he had to do. We argued. Bedouin patient population. The majority of patients in This lead to our breaking off our friendship. Too bad. But the obstetrics and the infants’ wards are Bedouin. these things happen. Good medicine requires communication. This means There were better times. At my first bioethics that that the staff should have a reasonable conference, in Fukui and Tsukuba in l993, someone, I understanding of the cultural needs of the patients. But I believe it was Michael Yesley, asked me: “What would never found anyone who knew enough to help our future you do if there were a Palestinian at this conference?” I physicians, nurses, etc. to gain something of this replied that we would go off together to search for edible understanding with respect to our Bedouin patients. I food. have tried to encourage Bedouin and Arab students to Michael’s question turned out to be prophetic, except take a deep interest in this matter. Perhaps it is early to for the fact that Sahin was Turkish. If my memory does see results. Sahin was the first bioethicist I ever met who not deceive me, I met Sahin for the first time, in 1997, at had a deep, scholarly understanding of bioethics the Asian Bioethics Conference in Kobe. We immediately according to the Koran. His lecture in Beer Sheva was paired up and went out looking for edible food. The enlightening not only for me but for quite a number of dietary laws of the Torah and of the Koran are not physicians and nurses who work with Bedouin patients. identical. The Koran does not forbid rabbit and camel, for Too bad I couldn’t get him to stay and teach bioethics in example, while the Torah forbids them. But there is a Israel. I also miss the Turkish coffee, which he and large variety of foods which we both can eat. And more Nurten prepared in our kitchen. importantly, we understand each other’s needs. Although Some years later Sahin invited me to a conference in Hindus and Buddhists understand dietary restrictions, his home town of Sanliurfa, in Eastern Turkey. Sahin people from religions, which have no dietary restrictions, kindly explained to me that the name “Sanliurfa” is can find us both a bit peculiar. So Sahin and I went out composed of two roots, “Sanli” meaning “respected” and food hunting in Kobe. If I remember correctly, we found “Urfa”, which many Turks believe refers to Abraham’s bread, bananas and hard-boiled eggs and we sat on the original home, Ur, which is called in Hebrew, Ur Kasdim, kerbstone to enjoy our feast. All fruits and vegetables are and which people in the West call, Ur of the Chaldees. all right for both of us (with a few exceptions for Jews, Sahin kindly arranged a tour to the archaeological dig at such as produce grown in the Land of Israel during a Haran, which many people believe to be the place, year when the Torah requires us to give the Land a rest.) mentioned in the Torah, where Abraham stayed after Chicken eggs are also all right for both of us unless they leaving Ur and before coming to the Land of Israel.