Adolescent pregnancy results from the complex interaction between various internal and external vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities persist after the infant's birth when the adolescent becomes a parent. Adolescent parents are unfairly stereotyped as unmotivated and incompetent. Some legislations prohibit adolescents from giving consent on the grounds of incompetency. Despite being different, “competency” is frequently used interchangeably with “capacity”; thus, incompetent individuals are often mistaken to lack capacity. Consequently, legally incompetent adolescents who became parents are frequently disregarded during their infant's decision-making process. (...) This article discusses the distinction between the competence and capacity of adolescent parents, the various vulnerabilities that contribute to an adolescent's incompetency, and advocates respect for the adolescent's capacity in making decisions for her infant. We propose a workflow for obtaining informed consent for infants born to adolescents ethically guided by the respect for individuals principle while staying within the country's legal framework. (shrink)

Even though there is a significant amount of scholarly work examining the ethical issues surrounding human genomics research, little is known about its footing in Malaysia. This study aims to explore the experience of local researchers and research ethics committee (REC) members in developing it in Malaysia. In‐depth interviews were conducted from April to May 2021, and the data were thematically analysed. In advancing this technology, both genomics researchers and REC members have concerns over how this research is being developed (...) in the country especially the absence of a clear ethical and regulatory framework at the national level as a guidance. However, this study argues that it is not a salient issue as there are international guidelines in existence and both researchers and RECs will benefit from a training on the guidelines to ensure genomics research can be developed in an ethical manner. (shrink)

This book explores the ethical and governance concerns of stem cell technology, taking a comparative approach between countries of differing socio-economic status. The book provides a typology of different stem cell types and discusses key ethical issues surrounding the use of human stem cells in research. Topics covered include the moral status of human embryos, various religious perspectives, and the challenges posed by unproven stem cell interventions. The book also examines the existing governance frameworks in the UK, Singapore, and Malaysia, (...) identifying the laws, guidelines, and advisory bodies established to address the identified ethical issues. Applicable lessons on establishing robust regulatory frameworks, fostering public trust, and ensuring responsible research practices are outlined. By providing a comparative analysis of the interplay between ethics, governance, and the socio-economic contexts of these three commonwealth countries, this book will interest health law, research ethics and bioethics scholars. (shrink)