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Content archived on 2024-05-14

Ethical guidance on the use of human embryonic and fetal tissue transplantation

Objective

OBJECTIVES:

- To ethically evaluate the practice of embryonic and fetal tissue transplantation as well as the existing guidelines and regulations of embryonic and fetal tissue tranplantation.

- To make an inventory and ethical analysis of the moral issues involved.
- To make a comparative analysis of existing guidelines, regulations and debates in a number of European countries.
- To study empirical questions concerning the practice of fetal tissue transplantation, more in particular on:
- the uses and distribution of abortuses and human fetal tissue;
- attitudes and experiences of professionals involved in the handling of fetal tissue for transplantation purposes;
- attitudes and experiences of women who where requested to donate fetal tissue for transplantation purposes.
- To formulate recommendations, given the importance of refining and supplementing the current guidelines and regulations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION:

Ongoing research in the field of human embryonic and fetal tissue transplantation (EFTT) holds promise of the development of new approaches for treatment of a variety of disorders which cause severe suffering. At the same time, however, human EFTT raises ethical questions which need to be addressed. The main goal of this project is to ethically evaluate the practice of EFTT, as well as the existing guidelines and regulations concerning EFTT. Being an interdiciplinary project, experts in the fields of biomedical sciences, law, bioethics, and philosophy participate in the project.

In the first part, a comprehensive picture of the scientific state of the art and future developments in EFTT will be developed, as well as an exhaustive overview of the ethical issues raised by EFTT. Then guidelines and regulations in various European countries will be studied, as well as trans-national guidelines.



The third part of the project will address a number of empirical issues. Three survey will be conducted: one on the uses and distribution of abortions and human fetal issue, one on attitudes and experiences of professionals involved in the handling of fetal tissue for transplantation purposes, and one on attitudes and experiences of women who were requested to donate fetal tissue for transplantation purposes.

Finally, in the fourth part of the project the justification of clinical trials of EFTT in patients suffering from neurological and (neuro)psychiatric illnesses will be addressed.

KEYWORDS

Ethics, policy, transplantation, abortion, human fetus, donor, recipient, clinical trials

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Coordinator

Stichting Instituut voor Gezondheidsethiek
EU contribution
No data
Address

6200 AT Maastricht
Netherlands

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Total cost

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Participants (9)

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