BMC Medical Ethics最新文献

{"title":"Informed consent in genetic and genomic studies in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of bioethical issues.","authors":"Yunqi Li, Deborah J Bowen, Joon-Ho Yu","doi":"10.1186/s12910-025-01170-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12910-025-01170-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>International collaboration on genetic/genomic studies has expanded dramatically. Informed consent remains a cornerstone for protecting participant autonomy. Over the past few decades, guidelines, recommendations, and theoretical discussions have been published on the informed consent process in cross-cultural contexts, particularly in Africa. These resources suggest best practices-ranging from assessing participant comprehension to engaging local communities. However, it remains unclear how well the current practices address the full range of informed consent challenges encountered by the stakeholders.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed a systematic literature review of empirical studies that explored stakeholders' perspectives, primarily research participants and researchers, on informed consent in the context of international genetic/genomic research in countries of Africa. We followed the PRISMA guideline and used thematic analysis for data synthesis and analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-four relevant articles were identified and reviewed for five bioethical issues: (1) comprehension of consent information, (2) voluntary participation, (3) consent elements, (4) consent model, and (5) community engagement. Different levels of understanding and recall over different consent elements, and multiple factors associated with comprehension were observed. Voluntary participation could be influenced by misconception, monetary and healthcare compensation, and previously established trust with the research team. Many participants show less interest in certain consent elements, such as biobanking, data sharing, and future use, but more in the section on benefits. Returning results had potential advantages in building trust between participants and the research team; however, the most appropriate way to return results is under discussion. There was also conversation over consent models (broad, tired, and dynamic) on their balance between autonomy and practicality. Finally, many articles ascertained the value of community engagement and encouraged researchers to consider local cultural beliefs, social stigma, and decision-making habits when designing the consent process.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We observed an increased interest in the ethical conduct of the informed consent process under international genetics/genomics studies in recent decades. Awareness and attention to these issues are needed to develop more appropriate consent strategies that could further safeguard the rights and welfare of local participants and support the smooth conduct of research.</p>","PeriodicalId":55348,"journal":{"name":"BMC Medical Ethics","volume":"26 1","pages":"99"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275316/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144669040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Views and attitudes about the offer of NIPT: a qualitative study of UK healthcare professionals.","authors":"Peter D Young, Katherine M Sahan","doi":"10.1186/s12910-025-01227-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12910-025-01227-z","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Healthcare professionals have ethical duties to provide information according to conceptions of the doctor-patient relationship, and one way this responsibility is established in practice is by UK guidance on shared decision making. Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is a relatively new prenatal screening test offered by the UK National Health Service (NHS) since 2021. Since NIPT has different characteristics when compared to other prenatal screens and tests-such as the combined test and amniocentesis-it is not clear how information should be offered in a pre-test consultation. Key to answering this question is to understand more about the HCP-patient relational dynamics surrounding the offer of NIPT. Previous studies have focused on the woman's role in this; the views and attitudes of pregnant women about decision making in the offer of NIPT has been interrogated elsewhere. However, little attention has been given to the views and attitudes of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and how those views might shape the dynamics of how NIPT is offered and how the decision-making process goes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;This study carried out qualitative interviews with 20 UK HCPs who offered NIPT and/or provided counselling for NIPT. Findings from the interviews were analysed and themes were developed about how HCPs reported they offered NIPT and their reasons for this.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;HCPs say they conveyed information about the nature of NIPT to women when offering the test. This includes how HCPs say they described the risks of NIPT, their views about clarifying the non-diagnostic nature of NIPT, how they explained NIPT accuracy to women, and how they stressed that decisions about test options were up to the patient. HCPs also reported how they distinguished NIPT from other screens and tests and described NIPT as a different category of screening test. Furthermore, many HCPs say they either provided predetermined information to patients or reported being patient-led in the offer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;This study explores how HCPs reported the offer of NIPT and also how they thought the offer should go, by giving their reasons for what they report. This indicates their normative sense of which information ought to be given (that is, what they believed was critical to provide for decision making). It also indicates which aspects within the offer they believed should be emphasised or played down. The accounts reported here of HCPs' experiences raise questions about how information should be provided to women in the offer of NIPT. This might help us establish better practices of informing women who use NIPT. Results of this study have a number of implications for the ethics of prenatal testing in practice. Firstly, they indicate a need for better guidance and education about how to discuss certain informational aspects within the offer such as NIPT characteristics and statistics. Secondly","PeriodicalId":55348,"journal":{"name":"BMC Medical Ethics","volume":"26 1","pages":"101"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275380/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144669041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ethical dilemmas experienced by midwives in their professional practice in Northwestern Ethiopia: a phenomenological interview study.","authors":"Tadesse Getu, Ayenew Tega, Getie Mihret Aragaw, Misgana Desalegn Menesho, Robel Demelash, Habtamu Wale, Zemenu Addis","doi":"10.1186/s12910-025-01266-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12910-025-01266-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Ethical dilemmas in healthcare arise from conflicts among ethical beliefs, duties, principles, and theories. Midwives face ethical dilemmas in their clinical practice, where their decisions significantly affect the well-being of mothers and infants. However, there is a scarcity of data about midwives' experience of ethical dilemmas in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to explore the ethical dilemmas faced by midwives in their professional practice in northwestern Ethiopia, 2024.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was conducted from December 2023 to January 2024 in three referral hospitals in northwest Ethiopia. A purposive sampling technique was used to select fourteen midwives with at least two years of clinical experience. In-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis method with the support of Atlas.ti version 23.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five major themes and ten sub-themes emerged from participants: Cultural and religious views, including religious beliefs versus abortion care and cultural constraints on women's autonomy; Confidentiality and communication, particularly dilemmas around truth-telling versus preventing harm and confidentiality versus preventing harm; Autonomy versus beneficence, including patient refusal of care and maternal-fetal conflicts; Unsafe work environments, such as personal safety versus professional duty and resource constraint versus highest quality care; and Professional role conflict, including limited decision-making power and restricted practice. Midwives addressed these dilemmas through consultation and negotiation strategies.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study showed that midwives faced various ethical dilemmas in their professional practice resulting from the interface of personal values, cultural influences, institutional limitations, and professional roles. These dilemmas significantly impacted their ability to provide respectful, autonomous, and equitable care. Promoting ethical competence, empowering midwives, and encouraging supportive institutional structures are essential for improving ethical decision-making and the quality of maternal care.</p>","PeriodicalId":55348,"journal":{"name":"BMC Medical Ethics","volume":"26 1","pages":"102"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275365/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144669038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"Healthcare professionals' attitudes towards euthanasia in the Balearic Islands.\"","authors":"Daniel Lerma-García, Juan Carlos Muñoz-Camargo, Laura Cervantes-Torres, Sandra Martínez-Rodríguez, María Dolores Onieva-Zafra","doi":"10.1186/s12910-025-01262-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12910-025-01262-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Euthanasia is a topic of ethical, legal, and medical debate, particularly among healthcare professionals, who play a key role in its implementation. Their attitudes toward euthanasia are essential for shaping healthcare policies and training programs, as these professionals must navigate complex moral and practical considerations in their daily practice. Understanding these perspectives is key to ensuring appropriate policy development and providing effective education for healthcare providers.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aims to analyze the sociodemographic factors influencing attitudes toward euthanasia among healthcare professionals in the Balearic Islands and examine the correlation between two scales measuring these attitudes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 746 healthcare professionals from the Balearic Health Service. Participants completed a validated questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward euthanasia with the Euthanasia Attitude Scale and the Attitude Toward Euthanasia, along with a socio-demographic questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The findings reveal that attitudes toward euthanasia are significantly influenced by variables such as age, gender, religious beliefs, and professional experience. Younger professionals, males, and those with fewer religious convictions tend to express more favorable attitudes toward euthanasia. Differences were also observed across professional categories, with nurses generally showing greater acceptance compared to physicians and other healthcare workers.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Sociodemographic factors play a crucial role in shaping healthcare professionals' attitudes toward euthanasia. These findings underscore the importance of tailored educational strategies and policy considerations to address diverse perspectives within the healthcare sector.</p>","PeriodicalId":55348,"journal":{"name":"BMC Medical Ethics","volume":"26 1","pages":"100"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275305/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144668926","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advancing equity in healthcare systems: understanding implicit bias and infant mortality.","authors":"Sophia M Gran-Ruaz, Shruti Mistry, M Myriah MacIntyre, Dana Strauss, Sonya C Faber, Monnica T Williams","doi":"10.1186/s12910-025-01228-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12910-025-01228-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) and Project Implicit, this study examined whether anti-Black implicit racial biases predict infant mortality for Black Americans. We examined state-level mean Black-White Implicit Association Test (BW-IAT) Bias Scores and controlled for explicit bias scores and White infant mortality rates for over 1.7 million American participants across ten different ethnoracial groups between 2018-2020. Hierarchical linear regressions determined state-level anti-Black implicit bias significantly predicted state-level Black infant mortality rates, above and beyond explicit bias and White infant mortality, in 2018 (b = .32, t(34) = 2.09, p < .05), 2019 (b = .30, t(34) = 2.09, p < .05), and 2020 (b = .32, t(34) = 2.18, p < .05). State-level anti-Black implicit bias also explained a significant proportion of variance in state-level infant mortality rates, in 2018 (R² = 0.30, F(3, 35) = 4.89, p < 0.01), 2019 (R² = .33, F(3, 36) = 5.95, p < .01), and 2020 (R² = .39, F(3, 35) = 7.58, p < .001). Also, among healthcare professionals, there are similar levels of implicit biases compared to the general American population. Findings suggest that implicit racial bias is a risk factor for Black infant mortality. These findings also point to the ethical challenge implicit biases pose to equitable decision-making and patient-provider relationships in healthcare. By integrating these insights into interdisciplinary discussions, this study provides supporting data for systemic reforms and anti-bias training to create a healthcare system grounded in fairness and equity.</p>","PeriodicalId":55348,"journal":{"name":"BMC Medical Ethics","volume":"26 1","pages":"103"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275399/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144668927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ethics support personnel's perceptions of patient and parent participation in clinical ethics support services in pediatric oncology.","authors":"Isabelle Billstein, Cecilia Bartholdson, Anders Castor, Bert Molewijk, Pernilla Pergert","doi":"10.1186/s12910-025-01267-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12910-025-01267-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>There is an ongoing discourse about patient and parent participation (PPP) in Clinical Ethics Support Services (CESS), and this paper focuses specifically on case-based CESS. Participation in CESS is increasing slowly in many contexts due to practical and moral complexity. To gain deeper understanding of PPP in CESS, we need to delve into stakeholders' perspectives and the landscape in which they operate. The aim of the study was to explore perceptions regarding feasibility and moral appropriateness of PPP in CESS in pediatric oncology.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Nordic healthcare personnel (n = 26) working as ethics support personnel in pediatric oncology (and/or pediatrics in general) participated in focus group interviews (n = 6). Data was analyzed with qualitative inductive content analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Despite engagement in CESS, most ethics support personnel had no former experience of PPP in CESS. The ethics support personnel expressed potential benefits with PPP in CESS, but these were overshadowed by fear of causing participant harm. The potential benefits and harms included to deepen understanding and trust, to catalyze confrontation and to create dilemmas of decision-making participation. Reported strategies to mitigate potential negative consequences and reduce risk of causing harm were at organizational, relational and individual levels.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite seeing positive reasons for PPP in CESS, the ethics support personnel were mainly concerned about the potential participant harm and wanted to protect the child and the parent. This could be interpreted as a form of disguised paternalism. The perceived appropriateness of PPP in CESS in pediatric oncology seems to depend on the situation. Furthermore, in cases where it can be considered, there is no universal way of doing it. An important enabler may be to customize PPP in CESS on a case-by-case basis and to apply the identified strategies to reduce potential risk of causing harm. This study contributes to increased knowledge about PPP in CESS from the perspectives of ethics support personnel in pediatric oncology and informs us about what is needed to carefully foster PPP in CESS, both practically and morally.</p>","PeriodicalId":55348,"journal":{"name":"BMC Medical Ethics","volume":"26 1","pages":"104"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12275289/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144669039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experience reports from active volunteer members in German right-to-die organisations through qualitative content analysis.","authors":"Sandy Ohm, Claudia Bozzaro","doi":"10.1186/s12910-025-01263-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12910-025-01263-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Although not widely known to the general public, right-to-die organisations have been active in Germany since the 1980s, similar to Switzerland. Notably, there is often a lack of focus on the volunteer members of these organisations, despite their unique perspectives on the matter. Our study aims to thoroughly investigate the experiences of members in German right-to-die organisations and thereby make a significant contribution to the ongoing debate.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This project was implemented through qualitative interviews conducted with active volunteer members of German right-to-die organisations, followed by a qualitative structured content analysis based on Mayring's approach. Using a coding evaluation method, relevant aspects were extracted from the data and on one hand assigned to predetermined categories, while one the other hand, new categories emerged organically from the material.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After conducting 13 interviews, it became clear that, while some participants were deeply impacted by the dramatic nature of the illness-related circumstances surrounding certain assisted suicides, the majority do not find the work burdensome. Instead, they view it as highly fulfilling and rewarding. In particular, interacting with the relatives of those seeking assistance and with the individuals themselves is seen as especially enriching. Furthermore, participants frequently encounter significant ignorance from large segments of the medical community and law enforcement regarding current regulations, which can lead to complications during assisted suicides. Additionally, collaboration with care facilities and senior residences presents a considerable challenge for many members, often due to religious objections.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our study of volunteer members of right-to-die organisations is, as far as we know, the first one with active volunteers of German right-to-die organisations. The interviews thus provide new and important insights into a lived practice that has been little studied. These insights must be incorporated into the current debate on the responsible establishment of the practice of assisted suicide.</p>","PeriodicalId":55348,"journal":{"name":"BMC Medical Ethics","volume":"26 1","pages":"98"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12273378/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144661041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cultural and ethical barriers to implementing end-of-life advance care planning among oncology nursing professionals: a content analysis of open-ended questions.","authors":"Yi-An Shih, Cheng Wang, Jiahui Ding, Yuhong Zhou, Qian Lu","doi":"10.1186/s12910-025-01261-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12910-025-01261-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Advance care planning (ACP), a cornerstone of ethical end-of-life care, upholds patient autonomy. However, its practice in Confucian-influenced societies, like China, is significantly shaped by cultural norms where family preferences often precede individual choice. This study explored cultural and ethical barriers to ACP implementation among oncology nursing professionals, focusing on tensions between patient-centered care and deeply rooted social norms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on open-ended responses from oncology hospitals across 22 provinces, 4 municipal cities, and 5 autonomous regions in China. Data were collected via a cross-sectional online survey and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's framework to identify patterns in cultural, ethical, and communicative challenges.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 838 oncology nursing professionals participated in the study. Three main interdependent barriers emerged: (1) Cultural norms, including filial piety (15.6% of codes) and death-related taboos (11.0%), often led to family-mediated decision-making (33.1%) over patient autonomy; (2) Ethical dilemmas involved neglecting patient preferences (24.3%) and conflicts between life-prolonging treatments and quality-of-life considerations (8.1%); (3) Communication challenges arose from information asymmetry (7.9%) and power imbalances, which often silenced patient voices. These factors collectively created systemic obstacles to ACP implementation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Context-specific ACP strategies in China should integrate Confucian ethics into nursing education, support ethics consultation, and develop culturally sensitive communication models. Future research must assess these interventions' impact on balancing cultural values and patient autonomy, advancing equitable end-of-life care in culturally diverse healthcare systems.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>Not applicable.</p>","PeriodicalId":55348,"journal":{"name":"BMC Medical Ethics","volume":"26 1","pages":"96"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12247472/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621156","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"Age independent, but person dependent\": a Swiss interview-based study on the meaning of good parenthood at an advanced parental age.","authors":"Nathalie Bettina Neeser, Andrea Martani, Veerle Provoost, Guido Pennings, Bernice Simone Elger, Christian De Geyter, Nicolas Vulliemoz, Tenzin Wangmo","doi":"10.1186/s12910-025-01259-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12910-025-01259-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Child welfare is one of the most important topics when it comes to parenting competence and the definition of good parenthood. This is widely discussed, especially in the context of treatment considerations for medically assisted reproduction (MAR) for patients of Advanced Parental Age (APA, here defined as 40 years and older). The aim of this study is to contribute to the exploration of how different stakeholders in this context envision the concept of good parenthood.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An explorative semi-structured interview study was conducted with a total of 15 healthcare providers, 12 aspiring APA-parents, 21 APA-parents and 20 adult offspring of APA-parents.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After thematic analysis, results show that although the connecting focal point among participant groups is reproductive age, participants consistently emphasized that APA is not a determining factor to define a \"good\" parent. Instead, we identified three themes representing participants' views on this topic: (i) the difficulties in defining good parenthood; (ii) the family structure and context as inherent to parenting quality; and (iii) good parents as conscious adapters.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Participants expressed their views that good parenthood depends on the personality of the parent, rather than on one single characteristic of a parent, such as age. Our results challenge the focus on a singular parental characteristic in safeguarding the welfare of future children and therefore also the role currently attributed to parental age in decisions about access to MAR.</p>","PeriodicalId":55348,"journal":{"name":"BMC Medical Ethics","volume":"26 1","pages":"95"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12247432/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biomedical ethical analysis of patients' perspectives on posthumous reproduction in a gynecology and obstetrics clinic.","authors":"Arif Hüdai Köken, Özlem Kara, Nebahat İnce, Mustafa Kara","doi":"10.1186/s12910-025-01256-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12910-025-01256-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study explores the perspectives of patients attending a gynecology and obstetrics clinic in Türkiye regarding posthumous reproduction from a biomedical ethics standpoint. To examine the bioethical issues about the subject related surviving spouses and potential children may face.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional and descriptive survey was conducted between May 1, 2023, and August 1, 2023. A total of 200 women visiting the Kırşehir Ahi Evran University Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic participated in face-to-face interviews. The survey comprised 20 questions aimed at evaluating participants' views on posthumous reproduction. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25 software, and the Chi-square test was applied, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the participants, 59.5% opposed a woman having a child using a preserved embryo after her husband's death, while 75.5% disapproved of a man having a child through a surrogate after his wife's death. Additionally, 55% supported a woman's reproductive rights in such cases, whereas 57% objected to a man exercising the same right. Concerns about the potential negative impact on children ranged from 50% to 57.5%. The majority believed that posthumous reproduction should only be ethically permissible if the deceased had provided explicit consent beforehand.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Findings indicate that perspectives on posthumous reproduction are influenced by social, cultural, and ethical considerations. Turkish society generally maintains a reserved and critical stance on this issue, with stronger opposition to male surrogacy. The ethical and legal implications of posthumous reproduction highlight the need for legal regulations and public awareness initiatives.</p>","PeriodicalId":55348,"journal":{"name":"BMC Medical Ethics","volume":"26 1","pages":"93"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12247327/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144621155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}