The Law Commission’s recommendation that capital punishment be carried out through lethal injection will further medicalise the death penalty. The editorial describes the history of the profession’s involvement in the death penalty and .calls for all health professionals to oppose any participation in execution.
In developing countries, access to treatment for AIDS and the prospect of an HIV vaccine continue to generate discussion. In this issue, a bioethicist spells out principles critical to implementing the World Health Organizations’s plan for treatment. Researchers involved in the Indian HIV vaccine trials outline ethical problems and their response. An activist describes how intellectual property rights are being used to prevent access to essential drugs in developing countries.Can the community head’s consent substitute for individual consent? Does providing health care constitute an inducement to participate in the research? Our case study and the responses discuss difficulties encountered when conducting a study on tribals
The Supreme Court’s ruling on criminal liability in medical negligence has been greeted with surprise. A senior legal professional comments on the ruling in the context of previous judgments onc:riminal medical negligence.
Finally, the Selected Summary describes the evolving debate on end-of-life care in the USA and comments on the relevance of this subject to India.
Cover: Photograph reproduced courtesy www.fdp.dk