(Spain) The XI International Seminar on Biomedicine, Ethics and Human Rights and IV Meeting on Ethics and Society, organized by FUNDERÉTICA in collaboration with other entities were held on 15th and 16th November.
The workshops and lectures were held in the auditorium of the UNED (United Nations Environment and Development) Faculty of Law and Political Sciences. Both the lectures were live streamed and numerous students and health professionals participated in the lessons and many others through the internet.
Among the participants, there was a group of lay Redemptorists from the provinces of Spain and Portugal, as well as many members of the Residential Centre for the Elderly of Our Lady of Perpetual Help of Santa Fe in Granada (a Redemptorist centre).
During the seminar, some books were also published: “Notebook of everyday ethics:Internet and Social Networks, Ethical Aspects”, “Ethics and life: the bioethics” and “Walking together in company” (by FUNDERÉTICA together with the Perpetual Help publishing house and financed by the Residential Center for the Elderly of Our Lady of Perpetual Help). In addition, José Luis Pareja Rivas, director of the Center, participated in the round table discussion “How should ageing be handled?” Accompanied by Alfredo Bohorquez Rodriguez, president of the “Professional Scientific Alliance for the Welfare State” (PSAWS), Matilde Pelegrí Torres, president of the “Mayores de Hoy“ Foundation and Lucia Martinez Utrera, a specialist in Clinical Neuropsychology of the “Masquemente” company.
Rafael Junquera of Estéfani, president of FUNDERÉTICA, gave the closing lecture addressing the ethical aspects of research. All documents can be reviewed through the UNED website and the FUNDERÉTICA website www.funderetica.org.
In addition to the academic part, the seminar showed its commitment to social organizations. This year the ‘Duchenne’ Parent Project Foundation (made up of family members of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy) was invited and a solidarity art exhibition was organized to raise funds.
The participants saw how the speakers shared the fruits of many years of research to make it available to them. Thanks to their efforts, new paths are opening in the field of biomedicine, ethics and human rights. And it is that the humanity of health care which is one of the central themes of the meeting ends up serving to humanity with other areas of society.
E. Ordiales
