Intentions and the Ethics of Therapeutic Use Exemptions: a Conceptual and Empirical Study

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Philosophy.On 5th March 2018 the DCMS Select Committee issued a report on Doping and Anti-Doping in UK Sport. In the case of Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky it stated that, while there was no violation of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, its activity: "does cross the ethical line that David Brailsford says he himself drew for Team Sky.... In this case, ... we believe that drugs were being used by Team Sky, within the WADA rules, to enhance the performance of riders, and not just to treat medical need." (DCMS 2018) This statement is insufficient in providing an explanation of exactly why it was felt that the behaviour was wrong. Where exactly does this "ethical line" sit in the scope of TUEs and drug violations in sport? What criteria must be met, in addition to complying with the rules, for any given use of a TUE to be considered ethical? These questions must be answered, as suggestions of immoral practice, even without a specific practice constituting a doping violation, have the potential to cause serious damage to the future public image and career of athletes, coaches, medical staff, and teams and franchises as seen in the case of Team Sky. This notion that there is an ethical issue with the use of TUEs that is not being properly captured within the current scope of doping regulations is not isolated to this one case. The same can be said of the conception of this undefined ethical line for the alleged misuse TUEs within the boundaries of the current rules. Former Team GB cycling coach Shane Sutton was quoted in a BBC documentary as saying: