Burr J, Reynolds P
University of Sheffield, School of Health and Related Research, Regent Court, 30 Regent Street, Sheffield, South Yorks S1 4DA, UK.
J Med Ethics. 2008 Apr;34(4):281-4. doi: 10.1136/jme.2007.020412.
The issue of genetic inheritance, and particularly the contradictory rights of donors, recipients and donor offspring as to the disclosure of donor identities, is ethically complicated. Donors, donor offspring and parents of donor offspring may appeal to individual rights for confidentiality or disclosure within legal systems based on liberal rights discourse. This paper explores the ethical issues of non-disclosure of genetic inheritance by contrasting two principle models used to articulate the problem--liberal and communitarian ethical models. It argues that whilst the latter provides a more constructive avenue to providing an ethics for donation than the competing and contradictory positions represented in a liberal rights approach, it raises issues of ethical judgement and authority that remain problematic. This ethical discussion is supported by a field study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, exploring the perceptions and experiences of recipients of donor sperm and their partners towards donor anonymity. The field study provides the empirical basis of an argument for making ethical judgements on the grounds of the community good rather than individual rights, that nevertheless recognises that both are inherently problematic.
基因遗传问题，尤其是捐赠者、受赠者及捐赠者后代在捐赠者身份信息披露方面相互矛盾的权利，在伦理层面十分复杂。基于自由主义权利话语，捐赠者、捐赠者后代及捐赠者后代的父母可能会在法律体系内诉诸个人权利以要求保密或披露信息。本文通过对比用于阐述该问题的两种主要模式——自由主义伦理模式和社群主义伦理模式，探讨了基因遗传信息不披露的伦理问题。文章认为，虽然相较于自由主义权利方法中相互竞争且矛盾的立场，后者为捐赠伦理提供了一条更具建设性的途径，但它引发了伦理判断和权威方面的问题，这些问题仍然存在争议。由惠康信托基金会资助的一项实地研究支持了这一伦理讨论，该研究探讨了接受捐赠精子者及其伴侣对捐赠者匿名的看法和经历。该实地研究为基于公共利益而非个人权利进行伦理判断提供了实证依据，不过也认识到两者本质上都存在问题。
