Taking bioethics to the funeral directors?
Prof Vikki Entwistle - University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
Death features strongly in bioethics in the context of debates about why, when and how healthcare should prevent or assist dying and about the conditions in which dead bodies can be used for organ transplantation, medical research and education. Less attention has been paid to questions of what is ethically required or warranted in the more commonplace situations in which the bodies of people who have died must somehow be managed in the time between their death and the disposal of their body by burial, cremation or otherwise. Nurses, mortuary staff and funeral directors are all expected to treat the dead with respect and dignity, but why, and what can this mean in practice? This presentation will consider some of the practical challenges and philosophical puzzles of death care work that bioethics could usefully engage with.
Take the opportunity to network with your fellow delegates at the official welcome function on the First Floor of the conference venue. This event includes canapes and a complimentary drink (cash/eftpos bar available).
Join us after the AABHL Welcome Function for an informal gathering to meet the new Editors-in-Chief of the Journal of Bioethical Inquiry (JBI): Dr Chris Mayes and Dr Diego Silva. Come and chat with us about recent editorial changes, share feedback, and explore opportunities for publishing, digital content, peer review, and internships with the new editors and editorial staff.
All AABHL conference attendees welcome - PhD students and ECRs especially encouraged to join. Drinks and light catering provided.
Convenors: Dr Christopher Mayes and Dr Diego Silva