Meulenbergs T, Vermylen J, Schotsmans P T
Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
J Med Ethics. 2005 Jun;31(6):318-21. doi: 10.1136/jme.2003.006924.
Ethics committees are the most important practical instrument of clinical ethics in Belgium and fulfil three tasks: the ethical review of experimental protocols, advising on the ethical aspects of healthcare practice, and ethics consultation. In this article the authors examine the current situation of ethics committees in Belgium from the perspective of clinical ethics. Firstly, the most important steps which thus far have been taken in Belgium are examined. Secondly, recent opinion by the Belgian Advisory Committee on Bioethics with regard to ethics committees is presented and the activities of Belgian ethics committees are discussed. Finally, the option to bring research ethics and clinical ethics under the roof of just one committee is criticised using a pragmatic and a methodological argument. Concomitantly, the authors build an argument in favour of the further development of ethics consultation.
伦理委员会是比利时临床伦理最重要的实践工具，履行三项任务：对实验方案进行伦理审查、就医疗实践的伦理方面提供建议以及进行伦理咨询。在本文中，作者从临床伦理的角度审视了比利时伦理委员会的现状。首先，考察了比利时迄今为止采取的最重要步骤。其次，介绍了比利时生物伦理咨询委员会对伦理委员会的最新意见，并讨论了比利时伦理委员会的活动。最后，从务实和方法论的角度批评了将研究伦理和临床伦理置于同一个委员会之下的选择。与此同时，作者提出了支持进一步发展伦理咨询的理由。
