Neurotransplantacje tkanki embrionalnej. Systematyzacja problemów etycznych

Abstract

The attempt of systemizing moral problems arisen from the use of human fetal tissue in neurotransplantology has been given in the paper. Such an exact thematic specification is justifiable because of the fact of using embryonic tissue for treating various diseases. The reason of choosing this section of transplantology are new emerging questions connected on the one hand with the source of the tissue, on the other with the use of the human brain tissue, then again with the interference into the brain (of a recipient) which is regarded as the centre of man’s personality. Since the problems have been a current issue after undertaking the attempts of treating Parkinson’s disease which is considered to be the model neurodegenerative disease, at first the empirical data of the research of this experimental therapy have been given in short. The key to systematize the ethical problems of feto-neurotransplantology which has been commonly used by bioethics is utilitarian Principles of Biomedical Ethics T. L. Beauchamp & J. F. Childress. The principles are based on four universal criteria: respect of autonomy, nonmalefcence, beneficence and iustitia. Within the transplantation proceedings there are two actions - explantation and implantation - thus the existing problem characterized by the two distinguished realities. In the case of explanation there are questions concerning the legal donor - mother and the real donor, that is human embryo, whereas in the case of implantation the question is focused on the recipient. There is also a supplementary group of issues concerning emerging social problems, putting aside the question of the ethics of the scientific research. The article compiles only the ethical problems without taking any attempt to solve them, therefore Ethical Guidelines for the Use of Human Embryonic or Fetal Tissue worked out by Network of European CNS Transplantation and Restoration (NECTAR) has been enclosed as the material for further consideration and as one of the trials to codify the problems under disscussion.