Bioética, solidaridad y voluntariado: Posibilidad de intervención en la sociedad

Abstract

The study proposes “solidarity” as both a value that must be incorporated into the 21

st century’s bioethical agenda and an instrument serving to guide people and associations in exercising voluntary practice. In order to explain how solidarity can materialize itself, it analyzes the motivations behind engaging into voluntary activities jointly with the associations involved in the volunteers’ service of the National Cancer Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Data for analysis were obtained by applying two instruments: one includes a questionnaire divided into two parts, the first of which was destined to identify the socioeconomic profile, and the second to assess solidarity as a value that spurs the performance of voluntary work. The other instrument embodies some semistructured interviews aimed at collecting supplementary information for analysis. It was concluded that introducing the solidarity concept imposes a breakup with the model of welfare or assisted volunteers’ work; this implies being able to perceive the egocentric interests generally found behind voluntary practices, while assessing the qualifications of volunteering activities politically motivated and committed to meet the specific demands and requirements of our present times.