Ethical Aspects of Nuclear and Mitochondrial DNA Transfer
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) (cloning), as a reproductive or therapeutic method, and mitochondrial DNA transfer, as a method to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial diseases, are analyzed in this paper from a bioethics perspective. The licit purpose of being able to treat certain diseases, as in the case of SCNT, cannot justify, in any case, resorting to illicit means such as the manipulation, selection, and elimination of human embryos in the blastocyst phase, by using cell lines obtained from them. Crossing this line paves the way (as utilitarian ethics advocates) to assuming any cost in scientific experimentation so long as satisfactory results are obtained. With mitochondr…
Trasplante de córnea: aspectos bioéticos
Resumen: Este trabajo aborda los aspectos bioéticos del trasplante de córnea, desde la donación y los tipos de la misma, incluyendo el comercio de órganos y tejidos, así como la metodología del trasplante y el uso de tratamientos inmunosupresores, además del consentimiento informado y la participación del paciente en las decisiones. Se analizan las técnicas actuales, la efectividad y las circunstancias en las que se puede aplicar cada una de ellas así como los estudios emergentes basados en la terapia celular. Algunos de los estudios emplean células troncales derivadas de embriones humanos, y otras de tejidos adultos y células troncales pluripotentes inducidas (iPS). Se propone un análisis …
The Vatican Opinion on Gender Theory
This article is a reasoned response to the article by Timothy F. Murphy, recently published in the prestigious journal Bioethics, on the supposed opposition between the views of the Catholic Church and what he calls “contemporary science” in relation to certain anthropological issues linked to the gender perspective. To point to “the Vatican” as anchored in an unscientific and anachronistic position, using the term contemporary science to which he attributes a unanimous representation of current scientific thinking on the subject is, in our view, unfounded and completely unacceptable. In his reflection, he does not adequately distinguish between intersex and transgenderism, two clearly dif…
Does levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive have a post-fertilization effect? A review of its mechanism of action.
Background: Recent studies have identified that levonorgestrel administered orally in emergency contraception (LNG-EC) is only efficacious when taken before ovulation. However, the drug does not consistently prevent follicular rupture or impair sperm function. Objective: The present systematic review is performed to analyze and more precisely define the extent to which pre-fertilization mechanisms of action may explain the drug's efficacy in pregnancy avoidance. We also examine the available evidence to determine if pre-ovulatory drug administration may be associated with post-fertilization effects. Conclusion: The mechanism of action of LNG-EC is reviewed. The drug has no ability to alter…
Gestational surrogacy. Ethical aspects / Maternità surrogata. Questioni etiche
Gestational surrogacy is the practice that takes place when a woman becomes pregnant with a foetus with which she is not genetically related, and the eggs used to produce it come from a donor or the contracting mother, to whom the baby will be handed over after the birth. The woman acting as surrogate may be contracted commercially and remunerated for her service, or the surrogacy may be altruistic, a circumstance that arises when, generally, a member of the family or friend selflessly volunteers. The ethical debate lies in which should prevail: the hypothetical right of the parents to have a child, the reproductive rights of the woman, or even the good of the child itself. At the heart of …
The Use of NFP When Pregnancy Is Contraindicated?
The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has declared the moral liceity of hysterectomy when certain medical criteria are met but does not exclude other options, “for example, recourse to infertile periods or total abstinence.” Consequently, there may be couples who prefer to use natural family planning (NFP) methods. We shall refer to these in this article. The efficacy of NFP methods is determined by knowing the day of ovulation. To that end, three parameters are used: the presence and consistency of cervical mucus, measurement of the basal body temperature, and the determination of particular hormones in urine. Of the NFP methods used, the so-called sympto-thermal method se…
Maternal-foetal immunity: an admirable design in favour of life
La modulazione della risposta immunitaria materno-fetale, volta a beneficiare la gestazione di un individuo il cui materiale genetico e estraneo a quello della madre (poiche il 50% e di origine paterna), e un processo biologico, unico, molto complesso, che coinvolge il padre, la madre e il bambino. I primi segnali emessi dal liquido seminale sono gia in grado di promuovere l’inizio di un adattamento immunitario, in cui gli antigeni espressi successivamente dal feto e la sequenza di meccanismi umorali e cellulari dei quali la madre sara responsabile nell’ultimo trimestre, formeranno un ambiente di equilibrio omeostatico, in cui i processi di tolleranza immunitaria volti a tutelare la nuova v…