Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, International Issues Subcommittee [Transcript]

6
1 barriers to doing trials, a list of ethical problems that
2 people will put forward which, as I suggested, are
3 important, but all of which can be overcome reasonably.
4 Instead, I'm going to discuss the ethical and human rights
5 consequences of not proceeding and of not having proceeded
6 with field trials of available AIDS vaccine candidates.
7 The key ethical concept in this discussion is
8 the duty to help people in need, and the central human
9 rights obligation is the right to share in scientific
10 advancement and its benefits. That is an exact quote from
11 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, along with the
12 right to non-discrimination and the right to life.
13 Let me explain.
14 The duty to help. What is this about? This is
15 an ethical concept. What is the duty to help about? It's
16 a balance of benefits to the other and risks to the self.
17 Let me illustrate.
18 If you're standing at the edge of a river and
19 the river is roaring down, and someone is being swept away
20 in the river, and you don't know how to swim, there is no
21 ethical violation for failing to throw yourself into the
22 water, because the benefits are unlikely and the risk is
23 very high. However, if you're a lifeguard, a trained
24 lifeguard and you're standing at the edge of a lake and you
25 see someone in trouble, then it is clearly a violation of
26 the ethical duty to help to simply stand and look and do

FREILICHER & ASSOCIATES, COURT REPORTERS
[phone]