We are proud to present our June 2020 issue, the second issue of this year’s volume 12, with a thematic section on the ethical responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this first issue of the Asian Bioethics Review since the advent of global lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are very pleased to publish a range of papers from across the globe that demonstrate very admirably the continued contributions of the bioethics community. We have been particularly heartened by the very strong response to our Call for Perspective papers addressing the ethical issues raised by the pandemic.
The current issue is framed by COVID-19-related contributions, but we also offer other important perspectives in bioethics on a range of issues—all advocating for change in our world. This issue stands as testament to the sustainability of bioethical contributions, both those that are a rapid response to a crisis such as COVID-19 and those that demonstrate the continued struggle we face collectively to bring about changes for the better in human health and well-being.
All articles in this issue enjoy either Free Access (some via PubMed Central) or Open Access. They can all be downloaded and printed, even without a subscription – simply click on the title. The copyright of Free Access articles is shared by Springer Nature and the National University of Singapore. The copyright of Open Access articles remains with the respective authors.
Editorial – Free Access
Sustaining bioethical contributions in times of crisis and change
Graeme T. Laurie
June 2020 – 12(2): 61-63 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00129-z
Original Article – Free Access
The Perfect Moral Storm: Diverse ethical considerations in the COVID-19 pandemic
Vicki Xafis, G. Owen Schaefer, Markus Labude, Yujia Zhu, and Li Yang Hsu
June 2020 – 12(2): 65-83 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00125-3
Original Article – Free Access via PMC
Ethical Practices and Legal Challenges in Mental Health Research in India
Smita N. Deshpande, Vishwajit L. Nimgaonkar, Triptish Bhatia, Nagendra Narayan Mishra, Rajesh Nagpal, and Lisa S. Parker
June 2020 – 12(2): 87-102 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00116-4
Original Article – Free Access via PMC
The Ethics of the Reuse of Disposable Medical Supplies
Anjan Kumar Das, Taketoshi Okita, Aya Enzo, and Atsushi Asai
June 2020 – 12(2): 103-116 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00114-6
Original Article – Free Access via PMC
Will Confucian Values Help or Hinder the Crisis of Elder Care in Modern Singapore?
Kathryn Muyskens
June 2020 – 12(2): 117-134 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00123-5
Original Article – Free Access via PMC
Non-Commercial Surrogacy in Thailand: Ethical, Legal, Social Implications in Local and Global Context
Yuri Hibino
June 2020 – 12(2): 135-147 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00126-2
Original Article – Free Access via PMC
Life after death – the dead shall teach the living’ – a qualitative study on the motivations and expectations of body donors, their families and religious scholars in the South Indian city of Bangalore
Aiswarya Sasi, Radhika Hegde, Stephen Dayal, and Manjulika Vaz
June 2020 – 12(2): 149-172 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00117-3
Original Article – Free Access via PMC
What Does it Mean for a Case to be “Local”? The Importance of Local Relevance and Resonance for Bioethics Education in the Asia Pacific Region
Sara M. Bergstresser, Kulsoom Ghias, Stuart Lane, Wee-Ming Lau, Isabel S.S. Hwang, Olivia M.Y. Ngan, Robert L. Klitzman, and Ho Keung Ng
June 2020 – 12(2): 173-194 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00120-8
Analysis – Free Access via PMC
An ethical analysis of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) using the stake-holder approach to Universal Health Care in India
Saumil Dholakia
June 2020 – 12(2): 195-203 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00121-7
Update – Free Access
The Role of Palliative Medicine in ICU Bed Allocation in COVID-19: a Joint Position Statement of the Singapore Hospice Council and the Chapter of Palliative Medicine Physicians
Lalit Kumar Radha Krishna, Han Yee Neo, Elisha Wan Ying Chia, Kuang Teck Tay, Noreen Chan, Patricia Soek Hui Neo, Cynthia Goh, Tan Ying Peh, Min Chiam, and James Alvin Yiew Hock Low
June 2020 – 12(2): 205-211 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00128-0
Perspective Article – Free Access
COVID-19 pandemic: a litmus test of trust in the health system
Vijayaprasad Gopichandran, Sudharshini Subramaniam, and Maria Jusler Kalsingh
June 2020 – 12(2): 213-221 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00122-6
Perspective Article – Open Access
“What’s inconvenient for you, is life-saving for me”: How health inequities are playing out during the COVID-19 pandemic
Vicki Xafis
June 2020 – 12(2): 223-234 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00119-1
Perspective Article – Open Access
COVID-19 super-spreaders: definitional quandaries and implications
Emma Cave
June 2020 – 12(2): 235-242 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00118-2
Perspective Article – Open Access
Ethics Education for Successful Infectious Disease Control of COVID-19
Hannah YeeFen Lim
June 2020 – 12(2): 243-251 – doi: 10.1007/s41649-020-00124-4
Asian Bioethics Review 