Institutional development of bioethics in Ibero-America: preliminary results of the Ibero-American Bioethics Atlas

Abstract

This paper presents the preliminary results obtained in the conformation of the Ibero-American Atlas on Bioethics developed by the Anahuac Center for Strategic Development in Bioethics (CADEBI) regarding the identification and analysis of the existing Bioethics institutions in the Region. A documentary review was carried out through search engines, databases, social networks, and other sources. The information obtained was grouped into six different categories according to the structure, objectives, and activities developed. In this way, an initial diagnosis was made based on the documentary sources available on the Web. As part of the results, 157 institutions in 25 countries were identified, as well as the variation in institutional density, concentrated mainly in Spain (29 institutions), Mexico (26 institutions), Argentina (17 institutions), Brazil (13 institutions), Chile (11 institutions), and Colombia (8 institutions). It also highlights the importance of national bioethics commissions in institutional development, pointing out the relationship between the scientific and technological progress of countries and the development of bioethics. The text concludes with a proposal to create an Observatory of the Ibero-American Bioethics Network to document and promote institutional and scientific exchange in the Region, as well as some recommendations derived from the development of this work.