The 14th National Conference on Bioethics, Iasi, December 5-7, 2019

The National Conference on Bioethics is a tradition event in Romania, most of the editions being organized in Iasi. The XIVth edition of this Conference was organized in Iasi, in December 5-7, 2019. The organizers of the conference were: Romanian Bioethics Society, Center for Socio-Economic Studies and Multiculturalism and the Dermatologists' Union of Iași, UNESCO Chair in Bioethics – U.M.F. “Grigore T. Popa” Iași, under the aegis of the Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iași and of the Romanian College of Physicians.

As every year, the National Conference on Bioethics brought together professionals from various fields, from all over the country, which created premises for valuable discussions on different topics, from different perspectives. The invited speaker to the conference was Professor Sana Loue from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, a personality with international reputation in the field of bioethics and also an old friend of Iasi and a supporter of the development of Romanian bioethics.

The theme of the conference - "Bioethics, multiculturalism and spirituality" emphasized the interdependence between bioethics and culture, as well as the fact that bioethical debates must take place within the framework of the national culture in order to allow the identification of the most suitable solutions to different problems that the individual and society are confronted with.

The papers presented and the discussions focused on a number of relevant issues in the context of the proposed general theme: bioethics and spirituality, ethics of medical care in a multicultural context, legal regulations and ethical challenges in animal experimentation, ethical challenges of biotechnologies and innovative therapies, ethical dilemma at the beginning and at the end of life.

Center for Socio-Economic Studies and Multiculturalism, as co-organizer of the conference, accepted the publication of some of the papers presented at the conference in the first two issues of 2020 of the Journal of Intercultural Management and Ethics (www.jime.warter.ro), which gives added value and visibility to this scientific event.

The well argumented discussions and debates, and the friendly atmosphere conducive to the dialogue between the participants, made the XIVth National Conference on Bioethics to have, like the previous editions, a high academic standard and created the premises of the continuity of this scientific event of the Romanian bioethics.

Center for Socio-Economic Studies and Multiculturalism