De Povos Indígenas no Brasil
Notícias
Overdue: PSU should return Amazon blood samples
16/05/2010
Fonte: Patriot-News Editorial Board - http://www.pennlive.com/editorials
Penn State University prides itself on academics, athletics and "improving the well-being and health of individuals and communities," according to its mission.
But in Brazil, there is a different view of Penn State.
The university is the largest holder of blood samples from an Amazon tribe known as the Yanomami.
In 2006, the Brazilian government formally asked for the blood back.
Today, the blood still sits in a freezer in State College.
The samples have created a worldwide ethical firestorm. They were collected in the 1960s by two American researchers. Accounts vary on how much the tribe understood what was happening and whether the tribe was promised medical and other assistance that it never received. That is a debate for another day.
It was an era before "informed consent" was the norm much like the case of the African-American woman Henrietta Lacks whose cells were taken from a cancerous tumor when she died in 1951 and used for medical research.
In the case of the Yanomami blood, there is a clear way to put things right: return the blood so it can be destroyed in the Yanomami custom. The tribe believes all parts of the dead must be destroyed before a person can depart this world.
Penn State was once seen as a hero in this decadeslong saga.
After the Brazilian government made its formal request, Penn State is credited with getting the other holders of the blood - the American Cancer Institute and three other universities - on board with the notion of returning the blood samples. State College is housing one of the other university's samples in an effort to streamline the return.
Everything seemed on track for a smooth transition.
But here in 2010, Penn State is gaining a negative reputation for not keeping its word and drowning the situation in red tape.
When we called Penn State this week to inquire about the status, spokeswoman Lisa Powers reaffirmed the university's commitment to returning the blood, but said, "We have never been given a specific person to send the blood to and in what manner."
That answer falls flat.
A Brazilian newspaper reported last week that a plan is in place to have the universities and American Cancer Institute bring their samples to Washington, D.C., where the Brazilian health agency (called Anvisa) would then take over and transport the blood back to Brazil and ultimately to the Yanomami people.
There have been enough excuses. While there are many parties involved in this seemingly simple transaction, concerns about how to transport the blood or that the universities could be liable for any hiccups in the return should have been sorted out in the last five years.
Enough is enough.
As Robert Borofsky, an anthropology professor at Hawaii Pacific University and author of a book on the Yanomami ordeal says, "It's like the oil spill in the gulf.
There is enough blame to go around about everything, but now we need to keep everyone focused on returning the blood."
It's time to make good on the university's word.
Let Penn State be the hero again by being the first to get the blood on its way to Washington, D.C., this year and ultimately back to Brazil.
The matter and the blood should finally be laid to rest.
http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2010/05/overdue_psu_should_return_amaz.html
But in Brazil, there is a different view of Penn State.
The university is the largest holder of blood samples from an Amazon tribe known as the Yanomami.
In 2006, the Brazilian government formally asked for the blood back.
Today, the blood still sits in a freezer in State College.
The samples have created a worldwide ethical firestorm. They were collected in the 1960s by two American researchers. Accounts vary on how much the tribe understood what was happening and whether the tribe was promised medical and other assistance that it never received. That is a debate for another day.
It was an era before "informed consent" was the norm much like the case of the African-American woman Henrietta Lacks whose cells were taken from a cancerous tumor when she died in 1951 and used for medical research.
In the case of the Yanomami blood, there is a clear way to put things right: return the blood so it can be destroyed in the Yanomami custom. The tribe believes all parts of the dead must be destroyed before a person can depart this world.
Penn State was once seen as a hero in this decadeslong saga.
After the Brazilian government made its formal request, Penn State is credited with getting the other holders of the blood - the American Cancer Institute and three other universities - on board with the notion of returning the blood samples. State College is housing one of the other university's samples in an effort to streamline the return.
Everything seemed on track for a smooth transition.
But here in 2010, Penn State is gaining a negative reputation for not keeping its word and drowning the situation in red tape.
When we called Penn State this week to inquire about the status, spokeswoman Lisa Powers reaffirmed the university's commitment to returning the blood, but said, "We have never been given a specific person to send the blood to and in what manner."
That answer falls flat.
A Brazilian newspaper reported last week that a plan is in place to have the universities and American Cancer Institute bring their samples to Washington, D.C., where the Brazilian health agency (called Anvisa) would then take over and transport the blood back to Brazil and ultimately to the Yanomami people.
There have been enough excuses. While there are many parties involved in this seemingly simple transaction, concerns about how to transport the blood or that the universities could be liable for any hiccups in the return should have been sorted out in the last five years.
Enough is enough.
As Robert Borofsky, an anthropology professor at Hawaii Pacific University and author of a book on the Yanomami ordeal says, "It's like the oil spill in the gulf.
There is enough blame to go around about everything, but now we need to keep everyone focused on returning the blood."
It's time to make good on the university's word.
Let Penn State be the hero again by being the first to get the blood on its way to Washington, D.C., this year and ultimately back to Brazil.
The matter and the blood should finally be laid to rest.
http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2010/05/overdue_psu_should_return_amaz.html
As notícias publicadas no site Povos Indígenas no Brasil são pesquisadas diariamente em diferentes fontes e transcritas tal qual apresentadas em seu canal de origem. O Instituto Socioambiental não se responsabiliza pelas opiniões ou erros publicados nestes textos .Caso você encontre alguma inconsistência nas notícias, por favor, entre em contato diretamente com a fonte.