Today, the April issue of The American Journal of Bioethics is now online.

This month, the journal features two target articles addressing controversial ideas–one in the world of clinical research, the other in the worlds of healthcare and public health.

As Sarah Edwards explains in her Target Article, “Assessing the Remedy: The Case for Contracts in Clinical Trials“, one of the biggest problems for getting adequate clinical trial data is the freedom of research participants to withdraw at any time. She argues, provocatively, that contracts for clinical trial participants might address this issue–and still be ethical.

Celada et al raise the issue in their Target Article as to whether mandatory HIV testing for healthcare workers can be morally justified. Their analysis of the 2006 CDC recommendations regarding said testing concludes that “opt-out” HIV testing in healthcare settings is not morally problematic itself, but that there are important issues regarding implementation and procedure that could raise such issues and that must be anticipated and handled appropriately.

To read more about these important health care and research issues, visit bioethics.net.

Summer Johnson McGee, PhD

Also, stay tuned for next month when AJOB launches its new current topics in bioethics column “Trending”!