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.

Wednesday (13/04), the weekly routine program, Raboan Discussion Forum was again held by the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities (CBMH FK-KMK UGM). The virtual event raised the topic of Generating Chimera, Is it Solution for Organ Donor Shortage, which was presented by dr. Yudha Nur Patria, DHC, MMed (ClinEpi), MMS, PhD. The discussion forum was led by dr. Galuh Dyah Fatmala as moderator.

dr. Yudha Nur Patria explained that the number of organ donor needs continues to increase every year. Even though this is not balanced with the number of available donor organs. In the United States, for example, only a third of patients requiring organ donors successfully undergo organ replacement surgery.

Some researchers see this problem and try to do research using genetic engineering technology. One of the research carried out is the formation of chimera organisms. This research caused various reactions from the bioethicist based on several considerations. One of them is the concern of producing organisms that are like humans.

Countries such as France, UK, and Germany tend not to recommend and even prohibit this action. Meanwhile, the United States and Japan did not prohibit it, but only imposed restrictions.

Chimera is a term used to refer to creatures from Greek mythology that have the bodies of several animal species. For example, a lion with bird wings and a snake-shaped tail. The term chimera is used to describe an organism formed from several combinations of other organisms.

In his presentation, Dr. Yudha Nur Patria gave an illustration of the formation of chimera organs from human and pig cells. In the early phase of fetal formation called a blastocyst, human cells will be injected into pig cells so that a pig is born that has an organism with the characteristics of human cells. These organisms are then taken to be transplanted into the human body in need of organ donors.

Research on the formation of chimera organisms has been carried out previously in rats and mice by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, California.

The weekly program Raboan Discussion Forum program was again held by the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities (CBMH FK-KMK UGM) on Wednesday (30/03). The virtual forum presented Nur Aini Setiawati, PhD, a historian from the History Department, Gadjah Mada University. He raised a topic with the title Policy for Handling Influenza, Epidemic and Pandemic Diseases in Yogyakarta. The event was guided by moderator dr. Galuh Dyah Fatmala from CBMH FK-KMK UGM and Unesco Chair on Bioethics UGM.

Nur Aini found that influenza epidemics have a long history in Indonesia. The outbreak became a recurring event and had the same policy patterns at the time it occurred. In his presentation, Nur Aini gave an example of the Influenza pandemic that emerged during the colonial period in 1918, then 1957, and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 until now.

According to Nur Aini, by looking at the historical view of the Influenza handling policy, it is hoped that the government will be able to make the right decisions for current problems.

“What kind of Influenza policy in Yogyakarta in 1918 is expected to provide solutions for the present.” Nur Aini said.

The influenza pandemic that occurred in 1918 prompted the colonial government to issue policies to prevent infectious diseases. Under the direction of Dienst der Pestbestijding (Pest Eradication Service), the colonial government issued several policies, including quarantine policies, mandatory reporting policies, and treatment policies by doctors and paramedics.

First, the government prohibits the public from visiting their relatives or neighbors who have influenza in the hospital. The policy taken by the Dutch East Indies government was known as the Quarantine Ordinance. Its implementation was published in the Staatblad van Nederlands no 277 of 1911 which explained the granting of authority to the government to carry out quarantine in areas affected by the outbreak. This policy also emerged during the current Covid 19 pandemic where people’s movements were restricted through the lockdown policy (PPKM and PSBB).

The second policy is the obligation to report to the paramedic if there are residents who contract influenza or die. This policy can also be found today when the government has formed a task force tasked with collecting data on patients who are positive for Covid 19.

The third policy is for doctors and paramedics to control each barracks and monitor developments in villages affected by influenza outbreaks.

Raboan Discussion Forum was again held by the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities (CBMH FK-KMK UGM) on (16/03). On that occasion, the theme raised was Javanese Ancestor Sex Education: An Ethical Perspective. The event which was held virtually invited speaker Chandra Halim, M.A who is a lecturer in the History Study Program at Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta. Meanwhile, the moderator is dr. Galuh Dyah Fatmala.

Chandra Halim’s presentation was motivated by a recent phenomenon, namely the many problems of sexual violence experienced by young people in Indonesia. According to Chandra Halim, this is one of the effects of sex education in Indonesia, which is still often considered taboo to talk about. So often the discussion of sex education is something that society avoids.

Based on a search conducted by Chandra Halim through historical evidence, found that in the past the Javanese ancestors gave sex education to young people. Sex education that was carried out at that time was not only knowledge about intercourse but also lessons about how to behave ethically between husband and wife.

In the past, Javanese ancestors in the Banjoemas district had known a tradition called Gowokan. This tradition is one of the traditions that teach ethics in married life, especially in sex education. The Gowokan tradition is carried out by a Gowok who has the duty of being a teacher to test how ready a young man is to be married.

A Gowok is often identified with a prostitute, even though according to Chandra Halim this is not the case. A Gowok is not a prostitute who just peddles the game of intercourse. But it is more obvious that Gowok teaches men to be men who are able to complete a woman and treat women well (lelaning jagad).

Besides Gowokan, another tradition that was also a practice of sex education in the past was Ngenger. The Ngenger tradition is a practice where the groom-to-be has to surrender to the prospective in-laws. He is allowed to sleep at the prospective in-laws’ house together with the bride-to-be. The tradition is carried out after the process of dowry. The practice of Ngenger is carried out so that the prospective groom familiarizes himself with the prospective bride’s family and the community around the prospective bride’s residence.

Not only in the form of tradition but the practice of sex education of Javanese ancestors is also found in ancient texts such as Serat Centhini, Serat Nitimani, and Serat Gatho loco. In the text, it was found that there were many things related to sex and women’s education. The Serat Panitisastra which is a legacy from the Pakubuwana V era also talks about many things related to women’s problems.

The Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities (CBMH FK-KMK) Universitas Gadjah Mada once again held the weekly Raboan Discussion Forum. The event, which was held virtually, raised the issue of bioethics science with the title Bioethics: Where is your Knowledge Tree. CBMH FK-KMK UGM invited speaker dr. Siti Pariani, MS., MSC., Ph.D who is a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga. Meanwhile, the moderator was Erlin Erlina, S.IP, M.A., Ph.D who is a researcher at CBMH FK-KMK UGM and Lecturer at Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, UGM.

To the forum participants, dr. Siti Pariani explained her ideas regarding the discussion of the scientific tree of Bioethics which according to her still needs to be discussed. At the beginning of his presentation, dr. Siti Pariani tries to remind the nature of the science of Bioethics which is a science with the aim of solving problems that exist in society with an ethical basis as a concept that will examine the nature of goodness in social behaviour.

dr. Siti Pariani highlighted that each discipline has its own code of ethics which is the result of consensus from the thoughts of experts in the field. The code of ethics can be said to be a branch of a universal ethical tree.

The discussion then continues on the scientific tree of Bioethics. According to dr. Siti Pariani’s knowledge of bioethics has roots in several other disciplines including philosophy, sociology, anthropology and psychology. This knowledge then developed into branches of the tree of bioethics which later became the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights as we know it today.

In addition, dr. Siti Pariani also added that Bioethics as science should also have a system that continues to process. dr. Siti Pariani said that the system is contained in the tri dharma, namely education, research, and service. These three aspects become the form of output for the science of Bioethics.

At the end of his presentation, dr. Siti Pariani reminded us that science must return to its main goal which is human welfare and safety.