論胚胎的道德地位——儒家倫理的視角

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English. For 40 years, international rules have limited human embryo research to the first 14 days of embryonic development. On May 26, 2021, in its latest guidelines for stem cell research and its medical applications, the International Society for Stem Cell Research eased the 14-day restriction. This raises myriad ethical issues. At their core is the debate over the moral status of embryos, which exposes ethical conflicts between cultural perspectives. This article discusses the moral status of embryos and argues from the perspective of Confucian ethics that the 14-day limit should not be waived at the present moment.

Press Regulation in the UK Nowadays: The Guardian about IPSO and IMPRESS

According to research different countries have unique experiences in solving ethical conflicts. The current study characterized the current situation of media regulation in the UK as a crisis, since two similar regulators function instead of one single national body. The Independent Press Standards Organization (IPSO) oversees most national newspapers, while the Independent Monitor for the Press (IMPRESS) deals with local and regional publications. The analysis of the Guardian`s articles from 2014 to 2021 on media regulation showed that after the Press Complaints Commission was closed the Guardian didn`t accept IPSO`s protection and worked out its own self-regulatory scheme. The journalists perceive that IPSO repeats the PCC`s mistake and is far from being an independent regulator. The study found that IPSO is not sufficiently resolute and consistent in upholding standards when it comes to major British publications. IPSO refused to accept the jurisdiction of Press Recognition Panel (PRP) that controls if regulators meet certain requirements (39 Criteria). The main advantage of IMPRESS is that it still exists on the basis of grants and voluntary contributions. It is not financially dependent on the media industry and has received an approval of the PRP. IMPRESS deals mostly with local papers so it has no big influence on a national scale. The study found few cases of IMPRESS activities in “The Guardian”. Technologies pose new regulatory issues. A strict system of internal regulation in some publications is an interesting example in this sphere. “The Guardian” has 20 years of experience in such work.

Ethical and Methodological Challenges in Research with Hard-to-Reach Groups: Examples from Research on Family Caregivers for Migrant Older Adults Living with Dementia

Family caregivers of migrants with dementia constitute a population group that is hard to reach for research participation due to factors such as shame about the disease and past experiences of discrimination. In this paper, research-ethical challenges associated with participant recruitment and qualitative data collection among relatives of migrants with dementia are discussed. Over a period of 8 years, three studies were conducted to investigate the experiences of family caregivers for persons with dementia of Turkish descent in Germany. Across these studies, a total of 32 family caregivers were interviewed. In this paper, based on the “Principles of Biomedical Ethics” according to Beauchamp and Childress (2009), research-ethical conflicts associated with sampling methods and the presence of third parties during qualitative interviews are discussed. The potential risks emanating from sampling strategies and the presence of third parties during interviews regarding the voluntary nature of study participation are examined. Additionally, this paper formulates recommendations for ensuring truly voluntary participation and protecting both the participants (family caregivers) and third parties (especially relatives with dementia) from harm. These practical recommendations aim to help future researchers to avoid ethical pitfalls and represent a roadmap for making necessary methodological decisions.

ETHICS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS: ETHICAL THEORIES, CODES AND CONFLICTS

Public relations, an important element of the media society, is a management function which helps establish and nurture the links of mutual communication, understanding, acceptance and cooperation between the organization and the surrounding public. The development of the public relations profession is commonly seen as a progressive evolution from unsophisticated and unethical early practice to the planned, strategic, ethical campaigns of the modern age. However, when discussing the practice of public relations in the XXI century, there are certain doubts, or rather, ethical conflicts. Being the key moral principle and the fundamental philosophical concept, truth should be the goal of every relationship and communication. However, in the public relations practice, truth is occasionally suppressed due to its partial placement. The process of communication itself functions to a significant extent through the mass media, and the violation of ethics in that respect is the trade in media space, which is a difficult form of violation of the philosophy of morality. The main purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of ethics and its development in public relations. This paper analyzes the ethics of public relations as a self-regulation platform for this profession. The application of ethical theories based on utilitarian and deontological approaches has also been discussed. In addition, codes of ethics applied in the PR profession are presented, as well as examples of unethical actions in the public relations profession.

Being torn by inevitable moral dilemma: experiences of ICU nurses

Background Ethical decision-making of nurses could affect patients’ recovery and also decrease medical costs. To make ethical decisions, ICU nurses experience complicated ethical conflicts. Considering the multi-dimensional process of ethical decision-making, the present study was conducted to describe the experiences of ICU nurses regarding ethical decision making. Method The present research is a qualitative study with conventional content analysis approach that was done in 2020. Fourteen ICU nurses were interviewed using a semi-structured in-depth interview method. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Granheim and Landman approach. Results Being torn by inevitable moral dilemma was defined as the main category which contained the categories of conflict with professional self, feeling squeezed between self-authority and demands of others, and Surrounded by organizational limitations. Conclusions Results of the present study showed that moral dilemma is a situation in which the nurses are forced to choose between two options based on their equipment and facilities. In these situations, the nurses would hesitate between their internal conflicts and confusion between choosing their own benefits and patients’ benefits. To prevent ethical challenges in decision making, it is necessary to educate healthcare team about ethical dilemmas and empower the personnel for encountering ethical challenges.

Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells Derived from Human and Animal Perinatal Tissues—Origins, Characteristics, Signaling Pathways, and Clinical Trials

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are currently one of the most extensively researched fields due to their promising opportunity for use in regenerative medicine. There are many sources of MSCs, of which cells of perinatal origin appear to be an invaluable pool. Compared to embryonic stem cells, they are devoid of ethical conflicts because they are derived from tissues surrounding the fetus and can be safely recovered from medical waste after delivery. Additionally, perinatal MSCs exhibit better self-renewal and differentiation properties than those derived from adult tissues. It is important to consider the anatomy of perinatal tissues and the general description of MSCs, including their isolation, differentiation, and characterization of different types of perinatal MSCs from both animals and humans (placenta, umbilical cord, amniotic fluid). Ultimately, signaling pathways are essential to consider regarding the clinical applications of MSCs. It is important to consider the origin of these cells, referring to the anatomical structure of the organs of origin, when describing the general and specific characteristics of the different types of MSCs as well as the pathways involved in differentiation.

Ethical Considerations in Psychological Consultation to Critical Care Settings

This chapter discusses the ethical and professional standards affecting psychologists who provide consultation as members of interdisciplinary treatment teams in critical care and intensive care settings. The authors describe the unique characteristics of critical and intensive care units and how they contribute to complex life and death decisions, which in turn can result in unique moral, ethical, and clinical psychological dilemmas. In particular, this chapter focuses on the ethical quandaries that are commonly faced by psychologists in these highly specialized medical settings, and provides a mechanism for resolving ethical conflicts when they occur. Case examples are provided, each of which illustrate one of the ten ethical standards listed in the American Psychological Association’s code of ethics. Lastly, a model for maintaining ethical situational awareness in psychological consultations in critical care settings is proposed to serve as a guide for psychologists as they navigate and ultimately resolve challenging ethical dilemmas.

The effects of neoliberalism: Teachers’ experiences and ethical dilemmas to policy initiatives within vocational education and training in Australia

Neoliberal policy reforms have had a marked influence on nearly every aspect of education, including the enrolment practices employed by institutions, teaching and assessment practices, and even the outcomes for students and society. There is a widespread expectation that teachers should contribute to quality outcomes for students along with their moral/ethical development and character formation while at the same time behaving ethically in the currently challenging environment of the education sector, including the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. However, this apparent pressure for maintaining quality education while simultaneously conforming to the ethicality of professional practices in the context of rapid policy changes of a neoliberal sort masks considerable controversy around the meaning of quality education with respect to both moral/ethical behaviour in education and the appropriate forms of practice that would constitute this area of education. A recent research project into the impact of the changing contemporary cultural context of VET on the creation of moral dilemmas facing VET teachers in their work has identified the VET teachers’ perspectives of the ethical dilemmas experienced, by identifying the tensions between competing values and the resulting interactions. The research design for the study drew primarily on exploratory and discursive interviews with 18 VET teachers in South-East Queensland, selected from those responding to a call for participation in the study. The study pointed to the value of dilemmas as constructs through which to generate knowledge of ethical conflicts arising from contextual changes in policy. Four drivers that they attributed to causing those dilemmas were identified: changing immigration rules, changing funding requirements, changing culture and philosophy of RTOs, and inadequate teacher preparation. In each of these respects, the ambitious business expectations engendered by neoliberal restructuring and reform in recent years can be seen as articulating or presupposing values pertaining to standards of practice and performance of the RTO, which in turn can be seen to compromise traditional norms associated with teacher professionalism. It is with these values and conflicts that we are concerned in this paper.

Ethics in canine reproduction – a survey among veterinarians who provide canine reproductive services

Objective Several dog breeds suffer from health and welfare problems due to unfavorable anatomies and high prevalence of inherited diseases. Veterinarians should care for animal health and welfare but they may also be involved in breeding management including the use of reproductive techniques. Material and methods An online survey was conducted to find out how veterinarians who are involved in small animal reproduction regard ethical issues, which services they provide, how they discuss and handle ethical concerns and talk about them with breeders. Results In total, 83 participants mainly from Europe completed the online survey. Opinions on which interventions are ethical or not were heterogeneous. Most respondents (79.2 %) found it ethical to perform artificial insemination (AI) in dogs which did not reproduce naturally before. However, 62.7 % of participants stated that surgical insemination is not ethical. Elective cesarean sections are considered not ethical by approximately half of the participants. A closer look at responses to the questions of whether AI is ethical under specific conse quences suggests that most veterinarians are making ethical and value judgments in terms of what is justifiable or not. However, more than 80 % feel at least sometimes compromised by ethical conflicts. Clinical relevance This research intended to foster discussion of this topic. International strategies should be developed to support solving conflicts and dilemmas related to ethical issues in dog breeding and assisted reproduction, as well as diminishing physical disabilities and heritable diseases.