Ethics, AIDS, and Africa – three concepts that conjure up
a host of powerful associations. Ethics: our fragile human
attempts to negotiate acceptable paths through conflicts
of value. AIDS: the world's deadliest epidemic since the
Black Plague of the 14th century. And Africa: cradle of
humankind, burdened by colonization, famine, poverty
and civil war. In what ways do ethics, AIDS and Africa go
together, and how is our thinking challenged by their relationship?
Editors Van Niekerk and Kopelman have assembled an
impressive list of well-respected authors to deal with this
question. Their contributions focus on the impact of AIDS
in sub-Saharan Africa and take on some of the key ethical
issues raised by HIV/AIDS research, policy and clinical
practice in the region. Although rich in details, it is fair to
say that four general themes dominate this book: the ethical
role of national governments in tackling the AIDS epidemic,
with special focus on the South African case; the
epidemic and responses to it as reflections of global inequity;
the ethical responsibilities of pharmaceutical companies
in the struggle against HIV/AIDS, and the dilemmas
involved in HIV prevention research, particularly in vaccine
studies.