TY - JOUR
T1 - Karma, reincarnation, and medicine
T2 - Hindu perspectives on biomedical research
AU - Hutchinson, Janis Faye
AU - Sharp, Richard
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments We would like to thank the Indian community in Houston for their participation in this project. In particular, we want to thank the leaders at the Gujarati Samaj Cultural Center in Houston and Sri Meenakshi Temple. We also want to acknowledge that the data presented here comes in part from interviews and small group discussions conducted by Deepa S. Reddy, University of Houston-Clear Lake. This research was conducted with the assistance of Jonathan Verma, Corrie Manigold, Aswini K. Betha, and Deanna Guidry. This study was supported by a grant from NIH (HG003083).
Funding Information:
Social issues associated with the HGP lead congress in 1990 to set aside 5% of the HGP budget to fund the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Human Genetics Research (ELSI) program. This was an attempt to achieve a balance between privacy concerns and ‘‘fair use’’ of genetic data (Jeffords and Daschle 2001, p. 1249). The current study was funded by ELSI and is part of a larger project, the Human Haplotype Map Project (HapMap) which is a study to investigate genetic differences related to disease. The goal of the current study is to understand reasons for participating, or not, in genetic research such as the HapMap project and other genetic/medical research from the perspective of the Indian American community in Houston, Texas. In this article, we report on a topic central to this discussion among Indian Americans: karma and reincarnation.
PY - 2008/12
Y1 - 2008/12
N2 - Prior to the completion of the Human Genome Project, bioethicists and other academics debated the impact of this new genetic information on medicine, health care, group identification, and peoples' lives. A major issue is the potential for unintended and intended adverse consequences to groups and individuals. When conducting research in, for instance, American Indian and Alaskan native (AI/AN) populations, political, cultural, religious and historical issues must be considered. Among African Americans, the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment is a reminder of racism and discrimination in this country. The goal of the current study is to understand reasons for participating, or not, in genetic research such as the HapMap project and other genetic/medical research from the perspective of the Indian American community in Houston, Texas. In this article, we report on a topic central to this discussion among Indian Americans: karma and reincarnation. Both concepts are important beliefs when considering the body and what should happen to it. Karma and reincarnation are also important considerations in participation in medical and genetic research because, according to karma, what is done to the body can affect future existences and the health of future descendants. Such views of genetic and medical research are culturally mediated. Spiritual beliefs about the body, tissue, and fluids and what happens to them when separated from the body can influence ideas about the utility and acceptability of genetic research and thereby affect the recruitment process. Within this community it is understood that genetic and environmental factors contribute to complex diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer; and acknowledgment of the significance of environmental stressors in the production of disease. A commitment to service, i.e. "betterment of humanity," karmic beliefs, and targeting environmental stressors could be prominent avenues for public health campaigns in this population. This study suggests that minority status does not automatically indicate unwillingness to participate in genetic or medical research. Indian Americans were not skeptical about the potential benefits of biomedical research in comparison to other ethnic minority communities in the United States.
AB - Prior to the completion of the Human Genome Project, bioethicists and other academics debated the impact of this new genetic information on medicine, health care, group identification, and peoples' lives. A major issue is the potential for unintended and intended adverse consequences to groups and individuals. When conducting research in, for instance, American Indian and Alaskan native (AI/AN) populations, political, cultural, religious and historical issues must be considered. Among African Americans, the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment is a reminder of racism and discrimination in this country. The goal of the current study is to understand reasons for participating, or not, in genetic research such as the HapMap project and other genetic/medical research from the perspective of the Indian American community in Houston, Texas. In this article, we report on a topic central to this discussion among Indian Americans: karma and reincarnation. Both concepts are important beliefs when considering the body and what should happen to it. Karma and reincarnation are also important considerations in participation in medical and genetic research because, according to karma, what is done to the body can affect future existences and the health of future descendants. Such views of genetic and medical research are culturally mediated. Spiritual beliefs about the body, tissue, and fluids and what happens to them when separated from the body can influence ideas about the utility and acceptability of genetic research and thereby affect the recruitment process. Within this community it is understood that genetic and environmental factors contribute to complex diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer; and acknowledgment of the significance of environmental stressors in the production of disease. A commitment to service, i.e. "betterment of humanity," karmic beliefs, and targeting environmental stressors could be prominent avenues for public health campaigns in this population. This study suggests that minority status does not automatically indicate unwillingness to participate in genetic or medical research. Indian Americans were not skeptical about the potential benefits of biomedical research in comparison to other ethnic minority communities in the United States.
KW - Genetic research
KW - Karma
KW - Medical research
KW - Reincarnation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=68049137321&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=68049137321&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11568-009-9079-4
DO - 10.1007/s11568-009-9079-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 19479363
AN - SCOPUS:68049137321
SN - 1871-7934
VL - 2
SP - 107
EP - 111
JO - Genomic Medicine
JF - Genomic Medicine
IS - 3-4
ER -