Ethics Lab_UCT

📢 The EthicsLab, in collaboration with the SAMRC/SU Genomics of Brain Disorders Unit, presents a webinar exploring the transformative impact of neurotechnologies and their ethical dimensions. Our panellists, Damian Eke Jasmine Kwasa, PhD Katherine Bassil & Diego Borbón will delve into critical gaps in oversight for emerging technologies, the concept of 'neurorights,' and how advancements are reshaping both the ethics of neuroscience and the neuroscience of ethics. The conversation will also reflect on the role of Africa and the Global South in shaping these discussions. Join us for a rich conversation with exciting thinkers as we navigate the evolving neuroethics landscape and the challenges posed by rapidly advancing neurotechnologies. 🧠 🗓️ Date: Monday, 25th November ⏰ Time: 15:00–16:30 GMT+2 Register here 👉 https://bit.ly/4ezxRJm #Neuroethics #Neurotechnologies #Ethics #Africa #Neuroscience #GlobalSouth

Is heritable human genome editing legal in South Africa? Some people certainly seem to think so - but most scholars in South Africa disagree. A recent article in The Conversation Canada by authors Francoise Baylis and Katie Hasson has sparked an international outcry. The issue at hand is the 2024 revision of the National Health Research Ethics Guidelines, in which language is used that would suggest that persons could be 'born as a result of heritable human genome editing interventions'. Of course, NHREC guidelines are just that - guidelines - and need to be understood in connection with existing legislation. Today, members of the EthicsLab posted two blogposts relating to this issue. In the first, EthicsLab Director Jantina De Vries explains what she sees as the crux of the current controversy - and calls for broad societal debate to ensure that any developments surrounding heritable human genome editing in the country, are grounded in care, justice and the collective good. In the second, Dr Anye-Nkwenti Nyamnjoh critiques the instrumental invocation of Ubuntu philosophy in this debate, without recognising it as a dynamic and evolving concept and practice. https://lnkd.in/d4GWr2jF https://lnkd.in/dX_fqAhn

Is heritable human genome editing legal in South Africa? Some people certainly seem to think so - but most scholars in South Africa disagree. A recent article in The Conversation Canada by authors Francoise Baylis and Katie Hasson has sparked an international outcry. The issue at hand is the 2024 revision of the National Health Research Ethics Guidelines, in which language is used that would suggest that persons could be 'born as a result of heritable human genome editing interventions'. Of course, NHREC guidelines are just that - guidelines - and need to be understood in connection with existing legislation. Today, members of the EthicsLab posted two blogposts relating to this issue. In the first, EthicsLab Director Jantina De Vries explains what she sees as the crux of the current controversy - and calls for broad societal debate to ensure that any developments surrounding heritable human genome editing in the country, are grounded in care, justice and the collective good. In the second, Dr Anye-Nkwenti Nyamnjoh critiques the instrumental invocation of Ubuntu philosophy in this debate, without recognising it as a dynamic and evolving concept and practice. https://lnkd.in/d4GWr2jF https://lnkd.in/dX_fqAhn

✨ Addressing Moral Distress in Healthcare: A Growing Challenge ✨ Moral distress is an increasingly recognized problem around the world, especially in healthcare. It arises when individuals face ethically or morally difficult situations without the tools or support to navigate them effectively. This issue is particularly acute in low-resource settings, where healthcare workers often know the right course of action but are unable to pursue it due to a lack of resources. Over the past year, Heidi Matisonn has worked tirelessly with colleagues across the Faculty to create a space to address moral distress at the hospital that hosts the EthicsLab. This initiative has been instrumental in providing much-needed support to healthcare workers navigating these challenges. With the recent award of a UCT Faculty of Health Sciences Stimulus Grant, Heidi can now take this work to the next level, expanding the EthicsLab’s impact and its commitment to supporting those on the frontlines of care. Here’s to growing solutions that bridge ethics and practice, and to building a future where healthcare workers have the support they need to face moral and ethical challenges with confidence. #HealthcareEthics #MoralDistress #EthicsLab #Solidarity #LowResourceSettings

🌍 What would it take for AI to contribute to a world where collective wellbeing, environmental integrity, and dignity are at the forefront? 🌍 Over the past few days, the EthicsLab hosted an insightful retreat, bringing together voices from Latin America and Africa to explore AI’s world-making potential—and to delve into the ethical questions that arise across the entire AI complex. Our discussions spanned a range of urgent issues: the violence linked to rare mineral extraction, the environmental impact of vast data centers, the encroachment of a digital empire, the push for digitisation of the lives of people in the Global South, and the challenges countries face in pursuing technological sovereignty. We sought to move beyond the narrow focus often seen in AI Ethics, which tends to emphasize individual over collective rights and concerns. Instead, we envisioned an AI ethics agenda centered on collective rights, the wellbeing of people and planet, and dignity for all. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us, sharing insights and perspectives with such care. And special thanks to the Wellcome Trust for supporting this essential work. Anye-Nkwenti Nyamnjoh, Mike Kwet, Evaristo Benyara, Scott Timcke, Liza Cirolia, Melody Musoni, PhD, Paola Ricaurte Quijano, Taah Abongnelaa Divine Fuh, Catriona Gray, Sebastián Lehuedé, Yousif Hassan, Francis Nyamnjoh, Allen Munoriyarwa, Admire Mare

So wonderful to see this work by EthicsLab Heidi Matisonn and UCT colleague Lucy Jamieson make a contribution in the global conversation about digital safety.

🌱 Sowing Seeds of Life and Solidarity 🌍 From August 7-20, 2024, the University of Johannesburg Art Gallery hosted Guardians of Seed, Land, and Life: The Seed Research Journey of the Southern African Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA), a powerful photo-documentary exhibition. This exhibition brought to life the ‘herstories’ of rural women seed guardians from seven SADC countries: eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The exhibition celebrates the quiet yet profound activism of the RWA seed guardians and the seeds they protect. Each individual act of seed guardianship becomes a wave of solidarity across the region, showcasing the power of collective action and resilience in the face of climate change and inequality. The exhibition is curated by EthicsLab Senior Researcher Dr Donna Andrews. In a new blogpost on our website, she reflects on the exhibition and uses words and photos to reflect the enthusiasm and rich engagement with the exhibition and preceding seminar. https://lnkd.in/drWt9B6j

This week, we welcome Fungai Machirori to the EthicsLab for a three-month visiting scholarship. Fungai is a writer, thinker and creative whose work sits at the nexus of feminism, digitality and cosmopolitanism. Fungai has used the digital space as a medium to think critically about, and shape, African female identities, particularly through a website where she brought together Zimbabwean women in the country and in the diaspora. We're very excited to have her join us, and curious to learn more about the work she does. As an idea of who Fungai is - read the 2021 interview with Fungai in the link below. https://lnkd.in/d_MNkUmZ

Tired with the way in which the field of global health ignores systemic inequalities and fails to address positive change? Come and join the Global Health Solidarity Network in a discussion about solidarity concepts and practices from Africa that we are unearthing. This Wednesday at 12:00 SAST (10am GMT), online. Register here: https://lnkd.in/dEjXdJBC Or use the QR code below.

From the burden of disease to the disease of burden - we need to care for our carers too! In a new commentary in the South African Journal of Science, EthicsLab's Heidi Matisonn has teamed up with Professor Jackie Hoare from UCT's Department of Psychiatry to draw attention to the crippling effects of budget cuts to the public healthcare system on healthcare workers' mental wellbeing who are unable to deliver the care their patients need. They ask what happens when we fail to care for our carers - an important conversation. At the EthicsLab, we create space for critical conversations about the moral burden of healthcare practice. Hosted at the UCT Neuroscience Institute every first Tuesday of the month from 16:00-17:00, we hold a space for clinical workers to speak about and reflect on the ethical challenges of healthcare work. Keen to get involved? Then come join us - you can find out more on our website www.ethicslab.co.za, where you can also find short summaries of the different discussions we've had at the Ethics Forum. https://lnkd.in/dvTXSYdi