Rc. Cefalo et al., THE BIOETHICS OF HUMAN FETAL TISSUE RESEARCH AND THERAPY - MORAL DECISION-MAKING OF PROFESSIONALS, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 170(1), 1994, pp. 12-19
OBJECTIVE: We investigated the decision making of professionals regard
ing the ethical acceptability of using human fetal tissue from electiv
e abortion for research or therapy. STUDY DESIGN: We surveyed 390 prof
essionals from 20 European countries on their ethical beliefs regardin
g the scientific and medical use of human fetal tissue from elective a
bortion. We assessed the importance of basic medical ethics and belief
s regarding the morality of abortion and fetal rights to their decisio
n making. RESULTS: Sixty-six percent of 198 responding professionals b
elieved that use of fetal tissue from elective abortion was ethically
acceptable. Beliefs regarding the morality of elective abortion and fe
tal exploitation overwhelmingly influenced individual ethics regarding
fetal tissue research or therapy. CONCLUSION: Ethical decision making
is a dynamic process and individuals are not altogether consistent in
their beliefs. The important public policy issues raised in this stud
y concern the rights of the dead fetus, whether these rights are explo
ited through fetal tissue therapy, and whether women's right of author
ity over the disposition of aborted fetal tissue is abdicated.