Negotiating Research Practices with Local Communities
As a genetic epidemiologist working with an isolated community of third world people, you have identified an endemic mutation that seems to explain their group's high susceptibility to heart disease at a young age, which had hitherto been attributed to their diet. In meeting with the communities leadership to discuss these results, you encounter two reactions.
On the one hand, the leadership were relieved to learn that their high fat diet was now "proven" not to be the source of their problems. On the other hand, they now insisted that you not link this genetic finding with their community in any publications or reports, because they fear that a known genetic vulnerability would make their daughters less marriageable among neighboring groups.
How should you respond?
Cite this page:
"Negotiating Research Practices with Local Communities"
Online Ethics Center for Engineering
9/10/2006 9:17:34 PM
National Academy of Engineering
Accessed: Saturday, October 11, 2008
<www.onlineethics.org/CMS/research/modindex/resethpages/negot.aspx>