Medical research abroad - Essay Example

Medical Research Abroad Introduction Halo my dear learned friends. Various researches use various individuals, depending on the suitability of the chosen subjects and the relevance the matter being discussed. This may be men, women or children. I stand before you to discuss about African Women from the perspective of research. This presentation outlines how bride price for African women has affected the use of these women as clinical research specimens. The presentation will dwell on the reasons why African women- bride prices impact negatively on the consent derived for research.

I will then discuss countermeasures that can be put in place to ensure that these negative impacts of bride prices are not experienced. The last bit of the presentation will conclude about the research conducted.Main BodyFormulation of problemMarriages in most African countries become recognized upon payment of the bride price which has many names in various African settings. In South Africa, it is referred to as labola; in East Africa it is referred to as mahari; in Zimbabwe it is referred to as roora; generally, in African settings, it is referred to as head-money.

This payment is normally in the form of cash or other forms, and it is directed towards the family of the lady being married.African women are vulnerable when being used as research specimens as typified by many African constitutions. I will use Nigeria as a case example, maturity is deemed to start when one clocks 18 years. Another way that women can be considered of a mature age is when they have been married. However, as a result of the payment of the bride price, African women are considered as objects that are purchased in marriage.

As a result of this, constitutional rights of these women of being regarded mature are taken away from them upon marriage. Therefore, African will be forced to seek approval from their husbands or even family members of their husbands when they want to enroll in clinical research. This is the challenge that is faced in clinical research using African women.The same normally applies for older women who are unmarried. Ion this scenario, the Nigerian constitution and indeed, most African constitutions have placed women under the care of their father or guardian until they are married.

However, these rules are not applicable in Europe or in America. Another remarkable finding is that bride price is not paid to black women in the West Indies and the US. Therefore, it is only African black women who become disadvantaged when it comes to this.Possible solutionSolutions to this problem faced by African women have no borne much fruits. One has been through abolishing bride price through legislation. However, the best solution is redefining African bride price for African women so that it gets more meaningConclusionBride price gives husbands and their family members undue control over the African women they marry.

This is because; bride price payment is viewed as a way of purchasing women in marriage. This has placed African married women at a low status in society when they are compared to their counterparts in other continents. As a result of this, they are forced to seek approval from their husbands before they can participate in clinical research.Work CitedCIOMS. 2002. International Ethical Guidelines for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects. Geneva: CIOMS