Ethics committees and consensus in the post-totalitarian society.

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Political Science
• Sociology

Background:

• Post-totalitarian societies in Central and Eastern Europe transitioned from imposed consensus under communist regimes to democratic governance in the 1990s.
• This transition impacted public interest decision-making, moving from centralized party control to pluralistic parliamentary institutions.
• The concept of consensus evolved from 'imposed consensus' to 'overlapping' or 'procedural' consensus.

Observation:

• The study analyzes the evolution of consensus within ethics committees (ECs) in Slovakia during their first decade.
• Focus is on ECs in biomedical research and healthcare institutions.
• The analysis examines the shift in decision-making paradigms from totalitarian to democratic structures.

Findings:

• Slovakian ethics committees experienced a transformation in their understanding and application of consensus.
• The transition from imposed to procedural consensus created new challenges for consensual decision-making in ECs.
• The study highlights specific examples of these contemporary challenges faced by ECs.

Implications:

• Understanding the evolution of consensus is crucial for effective ethical governance in post-totalitarian contexts.
• The findings offer insights into the complexities of establishing and operating ethics committees in transitional democracies.
• Addressing the challenges in consensual decision-making can strengthen ethical oversight in biomedical research and healthcare.