Indonesia Physician and Legal Perception on Human Enhancement Technology [Raboan Discussion Forum]

Wednesday (08/06), the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities (CBMH FK-KMK UGM) held the Raboan Discussion Forum again. The first Raboan after the Eid holiday featured a sharing ideas segment about a research project by CBMH FK-KMK UGM titled Sharing Ideas: Exploring Perceptions of Indonesian Doctors and Legal Experts on Human Enhancement Technology (HET). The virtual forum presented speakers Nabila Puspakesuma S.Psi M.Sc and moderator dr. Wika Hartanti, MIH.

Nabila explained that the phenomenon that became the background of HET’s research was integrating technology into everyday life, which is now widely used. Especially in this research is in the medical field. The presence of technology is actually used for healing patients, but along with the times, technology is also used to improve the human condition, including athletics, aesthetics, and cognitive performance. This phenomenon has the potential to create potential and is also legal. The presence of HET can be a challenge for the sustainability of implementing ethics and laws that have been applied so far. So there needs to be initial research that discusses the public’s view of this technology.
“This technology will challenge the legal concept of responsibility and requires a new approach to regulation,” said Nabila.

The research by CBMH FK-KMK UGM will be carried out on a population of doctors and legal experts in Indonesia. According to Nabila, it is essential to know because doctors and legal experts have a responsibility as gatekeepers for implementing the latest technology. Doctors and legal experts can guard against anything that could interfere with the continuity of public ethics and law.

The definition of HET, according to the SIENNA Foundation, is the process of improving human abilities in a positive direction, permanently or temporarily. HET is used to enhance, modify, and/or add traits or abilities that a person has had since birth. The categories of HET include cognitive, affective, moral, physical, cosmetic, and longevity.

Previously, research related to HET was mostly carried out in developed countries such as countries in the Americas and Europe. Whereas in Indonesia, the application of HET technology has begun to be widely carried out while the research is relatively small. This also prompted Nabila and the CBMH FK-KMK UGM team to carry out this research.