Trans fat bans, peer recruitment for human subjects research, and the clash of culture versus the rights of physicians are the featured issues in this month’s issue of The American Journal of Bioethics.

First, David Resnik’s article questions the limits of government intervention on banning a particular food, or specifically food chemical, and how effective it might be, and the ethical justification for it.

Second, the ethics of a new method for recruiting human subjects in research involving peer-to-peer recruitment is questioned. Is it okay to have the community members involved in research recruit more study subjects? Are they biased or are they they most informed recruiters?

Lastly, the well-documented case of Samuel Golubchuk forces us to confront deeply held values about patient autonomy, the role of the physician, and the influence of culture upon patient decision-making. As this case is revisited, the authors and commentators alike weigh in on what did and what should have happened in the case.

To read more, go to bioethics.net for this exciting issue!

Summer Johnson, PhD