Current bioethics trends in Canada

Abstract

Canadian bioethicists have long enjoyed access to bioethics programs in the United States and have collaborated with U.S. organizations working in this field. Nevertheless, special features of Canada's multicultural society and public health services are increasingly seen as raising distinctive issues requiring special attention. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of current Canadian bioethics trends in various areas--including those of training, research on human subjects, human reproduction, termination of life, biotechnology, organ transplants, and AIDS. Comparison of this work with other articles in this issue will show that while some of the trends involved have paralleled similar ones in the United States, some trends (such as that regarding confidentiality and the reporting of HIV infection) have been quite different.