Michael Tai

There are sets of principles of medical ethics. The ancient Hippocratic teachings of nonmalificense and benefifence lay the ground for bioethical deliberation. Georgetown’s four principles published in 1973 had set the tone for the modern discussion of medical ethics. A European commission of the biomed-II project for basic ethical principles in bioethics and biolaw during 1995-1998, under the leadership of Peter Kempt and Jacob Rendtorff, proposed autonomy, dignity, integrity and vulnerability as basic ethical principles in European bioethics. Asian scholar Prof. Michael Tai proposed principles of bioethics with Asian spirituality in 1999 at the second Asian Bioethics Seminar held at Nihon University in Japan [1]. Twenty years has passed since these Asian principles were suggested but the proposed Asian principles have not been widely discussed since it was not pubslihed in a well-known journal. As we look back to the last 20 years, we find that these Asian priciples are not only still valid, they should also be widely circulated for the bioethical world to ponder, as these principles are based on Asian cultural ethos effecting one fourth of the world population. Principles of bioethics must include cultural passion in order to reflect on the ways people live and act. The set of principles suggested by Porf. Tai are rooted in Asian culture, and include Compassion, Ahimsa, Respect, Righteousness and Dharma.

With the rapid development of biotechnology, the physician is now more able to keep a patient's life going indefinitely on a life support system. The question of whether we should switch off the machine often arises when, according to the medical prognosis, there is no hope of recovery, or in a no-win situation where you are 'damned if you do and damned if you don't'. In a case which seems without hope, the dilemma of whether to prolong a life or let it go disturbs many people, including health professionals as well as the family of the patient. In this painful situation, an ethics consultant who has received intensive training can help the concerned parties to arrive at what may be the best decision. How do Asians, especially those living in countries influenced by Confucian teachings, reach their answers? Three aspects are usually considered: (1) motivation and situation; (2) reasonableness and propriety; and (3) lawfulness and legality. More specifically, three questions are deliberated, as follows. (1) Where an action has already been taken, what motivated it and in what situation? Or, where a decision has still to be made, what should motivate it, and what are the relevant features of the situation? (2) Was the attempted resolution of the dilemma, or is its prospective resolution, reasonable and in accordance with traditional principles of ethical behaviour? (3) Was the action taken lawful, or would the intended action be lawful? This approach to finding an answer has been practised for centuries in Confucian society. But what is legal may not always be reasonable, what is reasonable may not always be compassionate, and what is compassionate may not always be either legal or reasonable. Principles to guide decision-making are therefore called for. This article, written by Michael Cheng-tek Tai in collaboration with Donald Hill, discusses the Confucian method of solving a problem and examines its principal features and how they are applied in ethics consultations. The article is followed by a series of questions and answers and a commentary by Donald Hill.

This article addresses the ethics of betel nut use in Taiwan. It first presents scientific facts about the betel quid and its consumption and the generally accepted negative health consequences associated with its use: oral and esophageal cancer, coronary artery disease, metabolic diseases, and adverse effects in pregnancy. It then analyzes the cultural background and economic factors contributing to its popularity in Asia. The governmental and institutional attempts to curb betel nut cultivation, distribution, and sales are also described. Finally, the article analyzes the bioethical implications of this often-ignored subject from the perspectives of human dignity, the good of health, vulnerable groups, cultural diversity, informed consent, and ethical blind spots.

In a society where filial piety is regarded as a social norm, should a son consent to withdrawing treatments to his terminally ill father or should he request that his father’s life be maintained as long as possible? Leaving a father unattended is regarded as unfilial in a Confucian society, let alone untreated while being ill. Although Taoism also teaches filial piety, it asserts artificially as unnatural. In other words in Taoist view, uselessly prolonging a life through life-sustaining devices or futilely treating an incurable terminal patient is against the will of Heaven. This paper is not an argument in favor of euthanasia but a discussion of what is natural and un-natural in terms of life and death phenomenon from Taoist perspective. Artificial life relying on external means is not harmonious with nature. Thus keeping a person in PVS stage alive should be ethically flaw. In this sense, don’t all attempts to cure illness un-natural? This author will say that if treatments can restore health, then it is not un-natural. But if medical procedures fail to revert the deterorating health of a terminally ill patient and treatments prove to be futile, foregoing treatments can be regarded as flowing with Heaven and thus is ethically justifiable

Because of cultural differences between East and West, any attempt at outright adaptation of Western ideas in Asia will undoubtly encounter problems, if not rejection. Transferring an idea from one place to another is just like transplanting an organ from a donor to a recipient—rejection is to be expected. Human cultures respond to new ideas from different value systems in very much the same way.Recently, biomedical ethics has received much attention in Asia. Fundamental advances in medicine have motivated medical scientists to look at the ethical issues arising from this progress. Will the principles upheld by the bioethicists in the West meet the challenge in Asia? This article argues that Asian bioethicists must develop a bioethics responding to their own cultural contexts. If Western principles are adopted, then they must be re-interpreted and even modified, if necessary, in light of Asian beliefs.

Because of cultural differences between East and West, any attempt at outright adaptation of Western ideas in Asia will undoubtly encounter problems, if not rejection. Transferring an idea from one place to another is just like transplanting an organ from a donor to a recipient—rejection is to be expected. Human cultures respond to new ideas from different value systems in very much the same way.Recently, biomedical ethics has received much attention in Asia. Fundamental advances in medicine have motivated medical scientists to look at the ethical issues arising from this progress. Will the principles upheld by the bioethicists in the West meet the challenge in Asia? This article argues that Asian bioethicists must develop a bioethics responding to their own cultural contexts. If Western principles are adopted, then they must be re-interpreted and even modified, if necessary, in light of Asian beliefs

Spirituality is a profound concept, and the sentiment of the people inside, but also with the external behavior of a behavior-linked, it can be religious, psychological, social relationships, but is more flexible in nature. This paper will explore spirituality and ethics of the relationship, and stressed that a person's spirituality sentiment will affect the nature of people's concern. Although Leung good basic care, but it could become victims of broken cutting force, the weak fraud, only deeply rooted in spirituality is the ethics of care would care. Spirituality is a rich concept that refers not only to one's inner being, it can also mean the motivating power that moulds a person's demeanor in earthly living. It can be religious, moralistic, psychological, social inter-personal or even spiritual. This paper will first discuss the relationship between spirituality and ethics and then argue that spirituality can influence the ethicality of the care-giving in a particular situation. Extending caring to the needy is always good but sometimes it can also become the tool of exploitation to the vulnerable. One's spiritual well-being, or shall we say, one's spirituality, can determine the ethics-ness of a given care