Department of Political Studies, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Clin Anat. 2014 Apr;27(3):286-90. doi: 10.1002/ca.22263. Epub 2013 May 29.
Dead bodies are not persons but nor are they just things. What, ethically speaking, do the living owe the dead when it comes to using their bodies in anatomy? The article begins with the general question of respect for the dead. It distinguishes between why we should respect the dead, how we should respect them, and the weight to be given to respect. It sets out an account of the reason to respect the dead based on their interests. The article then turns to how the dead should be respected and the importance of doing so. Specifically, it considers three ethical issues in anatomy: the role of the family, the use of unclaimed bodies, and the public display of bodies donated for that purpose. This article claims that what it is to respect the dead is substantially determined by their wishes. Nonetheless the article argues that respect is consistent with allowing the family to veto anatomical use even when the deceased has consented because respect for the dead does not require following all their possible wishes. Respect is also consistent with using unclaimed bodies to which no one--deceased or family--has consented because the interests of the dead do not directly require consent and the interests of the family are unlikely to be relevant. Finally, the article does not see anything disrespectful in the public display of the bodies of those who have consented.
尸体不是人，也不仅仅是物。从伦理学角度来看，当涉及到使用死者的身体进行解剖时，生者应该对死者承担什么责任？本文从尊重死者的一般问题开始。它区分了我们为什么要尊重死者，我们应该如何尊重他们，以及应该给予尊重的重要性。它提出了一种基于死者利益的尊重死者的理由。然后，本文转向如何尊重死者以及尊重的重要性。具体来说，它考虑了解剖学中的三个伦理问题：家属的作用、无人认领尸体的使用以及为该目的捐赠的尸体的公开展示。本文声称，尊重死者的主要是由他们的意愿决定的。尽管如此，本文认为，尊重死者与允许家属否决解剖使用是一致的，即使死者已经同意，因为尊重死者并不需要遵循他们所有可能的意愿。尊重也与使用无人认领的尸体一致，这些尸体没有人——死者或家属——同意，因为死者的利益并不直接要求同意，而且家属的利益也不太可能相关。最后，本文认为，公开展示那些已经同意的人的尸体并没有什么不尊重的。
