Bioethics, Conflicts of Interest, & the Limits of Transparency‪.‬

The movement in bioethics toward disclosure of financial conflicts of interest is well and good, most of the time. But in some cases, disclosure is not only unnecessary but destructive. When bioethicists advance arguments whose premises and logical moves are open to scrutiny, disclosure--far from clearing the air of bias introduces bias. Over the past several years, there has been growing concern about the commercialization of bioethics. As ever more bioethicists become paid consultants to private industry and paid advocates in court proceedings, many have warned of the dangers such activity can pose to the bioethicist's integrity as a teacher and researcher. (1) This, in turn, has led to increasing demands for disclsure requirements.