Ozturk Turkmen H, Arda B
Deontology Department, Ankara University School of Medicine, Morphology Campus, Deontology Department, Sihhiye Ankara, Turkey.
J Med Ethics. 2008 Dec;34(12):833-7. doi: 10.1136/jme.2007.022806.
Advances in medical technology and information have facilitated clinical practices that favourably affect the success rates of treatment for diseases. Regenerative medicine has been the focus of the recent medical agenda, to the extent of fundamentally changing treatment paradigms. Stem cell practices, their efficacy, and associated ethical concerns have been debated intensively in many countries. Stem cell research is carried out along with the treatment of patients. Thus, various groups affected by the practices inevitably participate in the discussions. In addition to discussions based on avoiding any harm, providing benefits and respecting personal autonomy and justice, problems arise owing to the lack of legal regulations for stem cell research and practice. The dimensions of the problems vary in the developing countries, with widespread use of advanced medical technology but with lack of sources allocated for healthcare, dominance of paternalistic physician-patient relationships and failure to achieve a sufficient level of awareness of patients' rights. This article discusses the current situation of stem cell practices within the context of regenerative medicine in Turkey and ethical concerns about some of the legal regulations, such as the Regulation for Umblical Cord Blood Banking and Guidelines for Non-embryonic Stem Cell Study for Non-clinical Purposes directing the research on this issue.
医学技术和信息的进步推动了临床实践，对疾病治疗成功率产生了积极影响。再生医学已成为近期医学议程的焦点，甚至从根本上改变了治疗模式。干细胞实践、其疗效以及相关伦理问题在许多国家都引发了激烈辩论。干细胞研究与患者治疗同步进行。因此，受这些实践影响的各个群体不可避免地参与到讨论中来。除了基于避免伤害、提供益处以及尊重个人自主和正义的讨论外，由于缺乏干细胞研究和实践的法律法规，还出现了一些问题。在发展中国家，这些问题的层面各不相同，存在先进医疗技术广泛使用但医疗保健资源分配不足、家长式医患关系占主导以及患者权利意识未达到足够水平等情况。本文探讨了土耳其再生医学背景下干细胞实践的现状，以及对一些法律法规的伦理关切，比如指导该问题研究的《脐带血库管理规定》和《非临床用途非胚胎干细胞研究指南》。
