Bioethics in Iran: Legislation as the main problem

Although there are only a few centers in Iran specializing in genetic research, the numbers are increasing rapidly. All key research centers are now under the supervision of an organization called The Molecular Medicine Network. With the growing trend in genetic research, health care officials have recognized the need to draw up a detailed guideline on ethical issues. The Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education recently established a national ethics committee to develop some regulations in the field of bioethics. A 27-clause document was issued by the committee. However, references to genetic studies have been minimal. As such, we are trying to finalize the first draft of a guideline which encompasses the most challenging ethical implications in the field of genetics including informed consent, confidentiality, genetic counseling and potential for social harm or psychologic distress imposed by disclosure of individuals’ genetic information. Shia, a branch of Islam and the official religion of Iran has a number of rules and concepts about some important issues of bioethics which are different to the West. In addition, Gnostic concepts integrated in Persian literature are firmly respected by the Iranian population and these lead to different interpretation of bioethical issues. In this article, the current situation of bioethics in genetics and the best way to produce simple, applicable and effective guidelines in this area are discussed.