Helsinki Debate Continues

In response to an article in the latest issue of the Bulletin of Medical Ethics criticising the WMA’s handling of discussions over the future of the Helsinki Declaration, the WMA issued the following statement:

• The article in the Bulletin of Medical Ethics was written before last week’s meeting of the WMA Council in Santiago, Chile and the debate that took place over revising the Declaration of Helsinki, and as a result contained a number of misunderstandings.
• The WMA Council is continuing its discussions over revising the Helsinki Declaration and has set up a new working group to take this matter forward. Meanwhile, national medical associations have been asked to consult experts and other representative groups in their own countries to gather further comments. These will be forwarded to the working group who will report back to the WMA’s medical ethics committee for further debate at the WMA’s annual General Assembly in Tel Aviv in October.