Technological decision-making under scientific uncertainty : preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in South Africa

Abstract

The normative analysis focuses on three aspects. First, it is evaluated whether the government acted correctly when it ignored expert advice that suggested the benefits of using AZT to prevent the risk of mother-to-child transmission outweighed the risks. Second, by exploring Thabo Mbeki's level of expertise, it explored whether he was in a position to make a reliable judgement about the state of the scientific discourse about the safety of AZT. Third, a proposal is made that prescribes how actors should proceed if they want to judge the authenticity of scientific controversies that are involved in the context of technological decision-making processes.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo