The ICS Ethics Committee have been involved in a number of projects since Tokyo. These are:
ICS-Sponsored Project – White Paper on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) by Elise De. The document was completed with the input of members Cristina Naranjo Ortiz and Ruwan Fernando.
Ethics Abstract Award. The EC remains committed to promoting this award for the best ethics-based presentation at the ICS Annual Meeting. A prize of £500 is attached to the award. The contest was incorporated into the abstract submission process this year such that an individual seeking to submit in this category could follow a link to samples of types of ethics abstracts including case reports and research studies. This effort was led by Alvaro Bedoya-Ronga. Further, to remind the membership about the award, word was disseminated via trainee activities and articles were placed in the e-Bulletin.
Contributions to ICS 2017 in Florence. The EC has, again this year, created an interactive workshop to be presented in Florence. The title is “The Ethics of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Other Urogenital Interventions: An Interactive Workshop.” This will be an advanced workshop examining the ethical considerations related to FGM and other procedures that involve genital alteration. It is thought that, by comparing and contrasting such practices as FGM, circumcision and genital plastic surgery, critical thinking and lively discussion will ensue and result in the exchange of perspectives amongst the participants. It is anticipated that ideas will be developed that can be used as the basis for white papers or other EC projects in the future.
Ethics Committee Involvement in Live Surgery Demonstrations. For the first time in ICS history, live surgery demonstrations are being held at the annual meeting. At the behest of Sherif Mourad, General Secretary, monitors from the EC will be assigned to cover the presentations to ensure that patients’ rights are protected and the demonstrations are carried out in an ethical manner. Prof. Finazzi Agro chose Dr. Nina Davis to monitor the urologic procedures and Dr. Ruwan Fernando to monitor the urogynaecologic procedures.
Updating the Ethics Committee microsite. Heidi Moossdorff-Steinhauser has been updating the EC microsite to keep it up-to-date and to add content that will make it an educational and informative resource for members seeking ethics-related materials. For instance, the slides from Dr. Suzy Elneil’s in-depth and incisive presentation on fistula care in developing nations from last year’s workshop has been added to the site.