Beyond the 'embryo question': human embryonic stem cell ethics in the context of biomaterial donation in the UK.

Discussion about the ethics of human embryonic stem cell (ESC) research in the UK tends to be dominated by the divisive and potentially intractable issue of the moral status of the embryo. This can have the effect of silencing or marginalizing other concerns, especially in the context of public enga...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bahadur, G, Morrison, M, Machin, L
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: 2010
_version_ 1826256572951560192
author Bahadur, G
Morrison, M
Machin, L
author_facet Bahadur, G
Morrison, M
Machin, L
author_sort Bahadur, G
collection OXFORD
description Discussion about the ethics of human embryonic stem cell (ESC) research in the UK tends to be dominated by the divisive and potentially intractable issue of the moral status of the embryo. This can have the effect of silencing or marginalizing other concerns, especially in the context of public engagement with science in this field. One such area of potential public concern is the donation of oocytes and embryos to stem cell research. Contemporary research on the views of donors and potential donors about a wide range of biomaterials, from solid organs to gametes and bone marrow, is reviewed and used to illustrate the range and types of ethical concerns articulated by this important group of stakeholders. Attitudes to donation are found to vary according to the type of tissue being donated or collected, the purpose for which donation is being sought and the nature of the recipient of the donation. Pertinently, attitudes towards donating oocytes are found to differ in some respects from donation of embryos or fetal tissue. The implications of these findings for ensuring ethically robust informed consent and publicly acceptable sourcing of human biomaterials for stem cell research are then considered.
first_indexed 2024-03-06T18:04:21Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:00ebc7a1-7e29-474c-b769-7063a9f05108
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-06T18:04:21Z
publishDate 2010
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:00ebc7a1-7e29-474c-b769-7063a9f051082022-03-26T08:32:05ZBeyond the 'embryo question': human embryonic stem cell ethics in the context of biomaterial donation in the UK.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:00ebc7a1-7e29-474c-b769-7063a9f05108EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2010Bahadur, GMorrison, MMachin, LDiscussion about the ethics of human embryonic stem cell (ESC) research in the UK tends to be dominated by the divisive and potentially intractable issue of the moral status of the embryo. This can have the effect of silencing or marginalizing other concerns, especially in the context of public engagement with science in this field. One such area of potential public concern is the donation of oocytes and embryos to stem cell research. Contemporary research on the views of donors and potential donors about a wide range of biomaterials, from solid organs to gametes and bone marrow, is reviewed and used to illustrate the range and types of ethical concerns articulated by this important group of stakeholders. Attitudes to donation are found to vary according to the type of tissue being donated or collected, the purpose for which donation is being sought and the nature of the recipient of the donation. Pertinently, attitudes towards donating oocytes are found to differ in some respects from donation of embryos or fetal tissue. The implications of these findings for ensuring ethically robust informed consent and publicly acceptable sourcing of human biomaterials for stem cell research are then considered.
spellingShingle Bahadur, G
Morrison, M
Machin, L
Beyond the 'embryo question': human embryonic stem cell ethics in the context of biomaterial donation in the UK.
title Beyond the 'embryo question': human embryonic stem cell ethics in the context of biomaterial donation in the UK.
title_full Beyond the 'embryo question': human embryonic stem cell ethics in the context of biomaterial donation in the UK.
title_fullStr Beyond the 'embryo question': human embryonic stem cell ethics in the context of biomaterial donation in the UK.
title_full_unstemmed Beyond the 'embryo question': human embryonic stem cell ethics in the context of biomaterial donation in the UK.
title_short Beyond the 'embryo question': human embryonic stem cell ethics in the context of biomaterial donation in the UK.
title_sort beyond the embryo question human embryonic stem cell ethics in the context of biomaterial donation in the uk
work_keys_str_mv AT bahadurg beyondtheembryoquestionhumanembryonicstemcellethicsinthecontextofbiomaterialdonationintheuk
AT morrisonm beyondtheembryoquestionhumanembryonicstemcellethicsinthecontextofbiomaterialdonationintheuk
AT machinl beyondtheembryoquestionhumanembryonicstemcellethicsinthecontextofbiomaterialdonationintheuk