Medical Ethics

ISSN Print 2713-0894 ISSN Online 2713-0908

BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL OF ERMC EASTERN EUROPEAN

Log In Registration RU

Issue 1, 2026

Topic The ethics of Matvey Yakovlevich Mudrov

Contents Download
Issue 4, 2024

Topic Implementation of neurotechnologies. Development of ethical guidelines

Contents Download
Issue 1, 2025

Topic Amendments and additions to the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association "Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects"

Contents Download
Issue 2, 2025

Topic Bioethical problems of quantum computing

Contents Download
Issue 3, 2025

Topic Space biology, space medicine and space psychologyin the context of "human sciences"

Contents Download
Issue 4, 2025

Topic Ethical aspects and prospects of space exploration and exploitation

Contents Download

New articles

Demarina SM, Usolkin AA, Balashova YD, Tikhomirova SV

This review examines the ethical and legal implications of creating pharmacogenetic passports during the preconception (prior to conception) and prenatal (intrauterine) periods. The work is based on a methodological differentiation between the stages of genetic testing.. Preconception screening aims to assess carrier status in prospective parents and ensure their reproductive freedom, while prenatal testing provides fetus-related data, raising bioethical issues regarding the protection of interests and self-determination of the future child. The technologies of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), and prospects for intrauterine pharmacotherapy in severe congenital abnormalities are discussed. Special attention is given to ethical conflicts such as a conflict between the right to health and the right not to know, limits of parental proxy, and risk of genetic stigmatization. Normative approaches are suggested to address the identified ethical tensions (minimum intervention, clinical benefit, and deferred choice). The analysis of the Russian legislation and international instruments (Oviedo Convention, the GINA Act, the GDPR) yields recommendations for the healthcare system and legal regulation.

Received: 2026-03-19

Published online: 2026-05-23

DOI: 10.24075/medet.2026.012

Comments 0

VIEWS 76

Gidirim UO, Beliaeva AM

The article presents an ethical analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials (PCTs) conducted in developing countries in situations where effective treatment already exists elsewhere in the world. The authors examine a fundamental contradiction: the use of a placebo often becomes feasible only because of global inequality in access to healthcare, whereby the actual standard of care for the local population is the complete absence of treatment. Through two case studies: trials of drugs for HIV prevention and for the treatment of infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS) — the ambiguity of ethical evaluation is demonstrated. The key criterion for the acceptability of a PCT is identified as the degree of potential harm: while in the case of HIV the risk to participants was high but not fatal, in the case of IRDS the use of a placebo directly endangered the lives of infants. To provide a philosophical foundation for the problem, the authors employ John Rawls’ thought experiment of the “veil of ignorance” and Gerald Cohen’s test of interpersonal justifiability. From Rawls’ perspective, PCTs perpetuate injustice, because the standard of care cannot depend on a patient’s place of residence, and no one would agree to risk their life due to the contingency of being born in a poor country. Cohen’s test reveals the moral deficiency in the pharmaceutical companies’ reasoning: they themselves contribute to the inaccessibility of medicines and then use this as a justification for placebo controls. The conclusions argue for the necessity of a differentiated approach: prohibition of PCTs when lethal risks are involved, and permissibility only under the condition that the research is aimed at developing accessible treatment for the same vulnerable population.

Received: 2026-03-13

Published online: 2026-05-21

DOI: 10.24075/medet.2026.011

Comments 0

VIEWS 93

Rutkovskaya LM

The article analyzes the image of healthcare professionals shown in Russian poetry of the XX century through the lens of a duty. The topic declared as the subject of a special comprehensive survey has not been brought up in the Russian scientific field. The notion of ‘a duty’ is defined, a summary of research literature related to this issue is provided. The author mentions that the category of a doctor’s professional duty, which appeared in Russian poetry in the beginning of the XX century only, is firmly fixed and reflected herein during the entire investigated period. Meanwhile, poetry provides examples both for children and adults. In this paper, pieces of poetry by Mayakovsky VV, Chukovsky KI, Drunina YV, Zabolotsky NA and Rutkovsky MA have been analyzed. It is indicated that poetry produces a specific effect on the reader. The author concludes that the images of devoted doctors and nurses that have been created by Russian poets can play a significant methodological and educational role in developing the professional identity and personality of future healthcare professionals.

Received: 2026-04-02

Published online: 2026-05-10

DOI: 10.24075/medet.2026.010

Comments 0

VIEWS 123

Sokolova OV, Zheltkevich OV, Kalabekova SV

The paper analyzes information security issues in Russian healthcare in the context of digital transformation. Digitalization of the healthcare sector, including integration of information systems of medical and pharmaceutical organizations with the Uniform State Health Information System (EGISZ), improves the quality of medicines and healthcare provided to the population. Meanwhile, the risk of patient personal data leakage and computer attacks on healthcare organizational information systems is increasing. The purpose of the study is to develop an integrated approach to information security in medical and pharmaceutical organizations. The research uses content analysis, logical and structural analysis of scientific papers and regulatory legal acts in the field of information technology in healthcare. The authors identify the stages of information security regulation from protecting medical secrets to categorizing critical information infrastructure and using domestic software. The classification of security threats to digital systems is provided based on the location of the threat source depending on whether they originate outside or inside the organization’s network perimeter. The directions and evaluation criteria for improving information security are provided based on modern methods and technologies of information protection, including technical means of protection, legal mechanisms, as well as organizational and managerial methods.

Received: 2026-04-10

Published online: 2026-04-27

DOI: 10.24075/medet.2026.009

Comments 0

VIEWS 162

Submit Manuscript

Popular articles

Sokolova OV, Kulikova OA, Alekseeva KS, Kulikova AA

Distance retail sale of medicines is a mechanism that makes pharmaceutical care more accessible. The objective of the study is to analyze the legal and ethical framework surrounding online retail sales of medicines. The subject of the study is the regulation of ethical standards for consulting in online retail sale of medicines. The study methodology involved first identifying the conditions for remote drug sales and then determining the requirements for this trade method. The research materials included regulatory documents and scientific publications focused on the remote retail sale of medicines. The methods of content analysis, comparison and generalization were used. During the study it has been found out that the current legal frameworks govern how pharmacists comply with ethical standards, specifically addressing the remote sale of medicines. It has been established that, regardless of the method of ordering, information about medicines is provided to customers by a qualified employee of a pharmacy on a professional basis.

Received: 2025-11-10

Published online: 2025-12-08

DOI: 10.24075/medet.2025.025

Comments 0

VIEWS 649

Tereshkova VV, Tereshkova EA, Firsov DE

In the 21st century, the rapid advance of space programs raises ethical concerns about the consequences of exploring and exploiting space resources. The concept note of the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST) on the ethical considerations on space exploration and exploitation adopted in August 2024 states that “the international community is now in need of developing ethical principles for space exploration and exploitation that complement currently existing outer space treaties”. Key areas for future ethical regulation of space projects include prospects for commercial developments, space tourism programs, mining, and deep space exploration to study exoplanet atmospheres and search for terrestrial planets. Space exploration provides important knowledge that improves the quality of life and has a technological and innovative impact on society. The “inspiring factor” of space research is crucial for motivating future generations of scientists to develop science. However, it must be borne in mind that human activities pose significant risks to both near-Earth space and Earth’s ecosystems. The scale of space ethics proposed by COMEST will help systematize information about ethical uncertainty factors, risks and consequences of risks associated with initiatives in space exploration and exploitation.

Received: 2025-09-24

Published online: 2025-12-06

DOI: 10.24075/medet.2025.024

Comments 0

VIEWS 619