On the myth called 'African Bioethics': further reflections on Segun Gbadegesin's account

This paper examines, and further reflects, on Segun Gbadegesin’s position on the question of African bioethics. In an attempt to situate bioethical discourse within the garb of cultural appropriateness, Gbadegesin gives an African perspective of bioethics by exploring the attitudes of the Yoruba people (an example of an African culture) towards bioethical issues. Through this, he calls for a transcultural bioethics, which will underscore the universality of bioethics without undermining the significance of cultural identities. This paper challenges as a “myth?, the assumptions and positions of Gbadegesin in his recent discourse on African bioethics. By raising and adducing reasons to fundamental questions (such as: How authentic is Gbadegesin’s reportage on the Yoruba attitude to bioethical issues? How plausible is the possibility of a universal/global bioethics that is anchored on the recognition of all cultures in bioethical discourse? Is there a distinctive African bioethics? If yes, what is the nature of such an inquiry? What are the bioethical principles employed in solving bioethical issues in African culture?), this paper defends the position that there is not yet an African bioethics.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bioethics.v3i3.12558 Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2012; 3(3):4-11