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Individuality of the Early Human Embryo
Černý, David
In his contribution, the author, by means of philosophical argumentation, arrived at the conclusion that a human embryo is in all the stages of its development an individual member of humankind. However, this conclusion is just the first step to solution of the issue of moral evaluation of human embryonic stem cell research.
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Interreligious dialogue and bioethics
RODKOVÁ, Iveta
The diploma thesis deals with the topic of interreligious dialogue and bioethics. The thesis analyses ethical context of specific biomedical issues, namely euthanasia, abortion, assisted reproduction and embryonic stem cells research viewed through the eyes of three world monotheistic religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam). Sacred books, published documents and further available sources are used to explain the approach of those religions to the bioethical issues (answering the questions of why and how these religions approach the issues). The aim of the theoretical piece of work is to show observed differences and similarities. At the beginning of the thesis there is a general description of the religions in the context of medical ethics. It briefly characterizes religious beliefs and shows documents which these ethical beliefs are based on. The work shows differences but also common features of monotheistic religions. After the religions are discussed in general there is a chapter focused exclusively on interreligious dialogue. The thesis stresses out the importance of an open discussion between religions which leads to unity and reconciliation. Interreligious dialogue represents openness to unknown and willingness to a discussion. It is not possible not to mention a project called Global Ethic by a Swiss professor of theology Hans Küng, who is thoroughly interested in an interreligious dialogue mentioned above. Further chapters of the diploma thesis deal with specific bioethical questions and with the approach of Judaism, Christianity and Islam to these questions. Firstly, the thesis focuses on the issue of euthanasia followed by abortions, assisted reproduction and finally by embryonic stem cells research. The knowledge gained by studying the available sources shows that out of the listed bioethical issues world religions are mostly uniform in the opinion on euthanasia. All the monotheistic religions refer to untouchability and sanctity of human life from its beginning to natural death. It is only God who is a creator and possessor of all creation. That is why euthanasia and assisted suicide is seen negatively and at a distance as an act which does not belong to the hands of man. In 2005 the representatives of the three monotheistic religions in the Czech Republic signed a document in which they express their common negative attitude to the issue of euthanasia. Contrary to the opinion expressing agreement on the end of human life, which is seen by all the religions as the moment of natural death, there is a non-uniform opinion on its beginning. The differences in opinions of Christians, Jews and Muslims on the beginning of human life shape their attitude to abortions, assisted reproductions and also to embryonic stem cells research. In Christianity human life begins at the moment of conception and therefore from ethical point of view it has the most controversial attitude to such medical techniques. The life of the mother is valued in the same way as the life of the fetus. In Judaism an embryo has got lower status than an unborn child, therefore this religion has a slightly more benevolent attitude than Christianity. However, certain boundaries which are discussed below must be followed. In Islam the point crucial for the questions of abortion, assisted reproduction and embryonic cell stems research is when a soul is breathed into a fetus. It is only after this moment when embryo gains the status of a human person and therefore becomes untouchable. Islam and Judaism have a less strict attitude to the bioethical issues (except for euthanasia) than Christianity. The diploma thesis presents a review of opinions and values of certain monotheistic religions on bioethics issues with the concentration on interreligious dialogue. It brings an overview of similarities and differences in ethical opinions.
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Ethical aspects of Nursing care in mechanical ventilated Patients
KŘIVKOVÁ, Jana
The diploma is focused on Ethical aspects of nursing care from the perspective of staff providing nursing care in the intensive care units and long-term intensive care units. We were also interested in respondent?s knowledge in the field of ethical principles in biomedicine and their legislation. The thesis is divided into two parts - theoretical and empirical. The theoretical part describes nursing care of the mechanically ventilated patients, short history of medical ethics and current status of the ethics in biomedicine. The investigative part was implemented by combination of a quantitative and a qualitative research. For the quantitative part of the investigation we used the method of questioning by a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions, 10 closed questions, 8 half-opened questions and 2 open questions which offered to show a personal opinion. Questionnaires were anonymous. Respondents that were asked were workers providing nursing care in the intensive care units and long-term intensive care units. The first goal of the diploma was to find out respondents point of view on nursing care in patients on long term mechanical ventilation. The second goal was to find out the most important ethical problems in providing nursing care in this category of patients. The last goal of the diploma was to find out respondents knowledge of codes of ethics and legislation. For the quantitative research we had two hypotheses: 1. There are ethical problems related to providing nursing care in patients on long term mechanical ventilation. This hypothesis was verified, because statistically significant majority of respondents said, that there are ethical problems related to providing nursing care in this category of patients. 2. The nurses´ approach to patients on long term mechanical ventilation is different in the intensive care units and long term intensive care units. This hypothesis was verified, because there were statistically significant differences between answers of respondents providing nursing care in intensive care units and long term intensive care units. For the qualitative research we used the technique of half-structured interview offering open questions. Into the research file was involved 10 nurses, 5 from intensive care units and 5 from long term intensive care units. There were set three investigatory questions. 1. What opinion has respondents about nursing care in patients on long term mechanical ventilation? The investigation showed that nurses have the same attitude to long term ventilated paitents as in the case of patients on acute short term mechanical ventilation. 2. What are the most serious ethical problems related to nursing long term mechanical ventilated patients? The research found out the most serious ethical problems related to long term mechanical ventilation from the point view of a nursing staff. These are preservation of human dignity and prolonging medically futile treatment. 3. What awareness of basic ethical principles and their legislation the respondents have? The investigation showed that nurses have poor knowledge of the issue. The results confirm the current situation of this issue. Based on the results of our research, we prepared educational brochure draft, which could help to facilitate orientation in this field.
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Value Background of Bioethics
Drozenová, Wendy
The paper deals with the concept of bioethics: a discipline emerging from the results of natural science and leading inevitably to philosophical questions. The other part of the paper results into the issue doctor- patient relation.
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Ethics in healthcare
Matuská, Nela ; Drozen, František (advisor) ; Šípek, Ladislav (referee)
Our health is what we value most. Medicine as a scientific branch has made a great step forward in the last decades. Due to this fact, the demographical structure of inhabitants changed significantly. People reach higher age, we are able to treat diseases, which used to cause death. Nevertheless, we are not anymore in a phase, when financial costs equal treatment needed for all people in Czech Republic. Therefore, the topic Ethics in healthcare is an actual one. The aim of this thesis is the description and following analysis of actual problems in Czech healthcare. There are stated the main problems in Czech healthcare, where the relationship between ethics and economics is mostly visible. The proposal for improving the actual situation, is to extend the Ethical code of Czech Medical Chamber, as the document, which brings the main ethical standards in healthcare. The next proposal for improving the actual situation in Czech healthcare, is to make new ethical codes for different medical specialties. It is also advised to place the Ethical code of Czech Medical Chamber on visible places. The used method is compilation of literature and interviews with professionals and medics for analytical approaches. In this thesis, data from Czech Institution for Health Information and Statistics are used. There are also used articles form healthcare magazines and from general periodicals.
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Ethical aspects of prenatal diagnosis
ŠIROKÁ, Barbora
The thesis deals with the applications of ethical principles in prenatal diagnosis. The introduction is devoted to the phenomenon of life and its aspects. The professional medical part characterises the preimplantation and prenatal diagnosis and methods used during the care of pregnant. The ethical part of the thesis describes the origin, the approaches and concepts of bioethics. Further it defines each of bioethical principles which are based on bioethics. At the end of the third chapter various aspects and problems of medical ethics are shown. The aim of the last chapter of this thesis is the ethical reflection in which the different diagnostic methods are examined in terms of bioethical principles. It´s followed by analyzing the current situation ethics of prenatal diagnosis in the Czech Republic. Comparison of different opinions from professionals in this field is interesting and surprising. The fourth chapter is concluded with specific case studies of pregnant women. Conclusions include evaluation and comparison of available information and express my own view on the issue.
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Birth and termination of unborn life
LUŇÁKOVÁ, Jana
The thesis deals with the problem of the origin of human life and abortion. It focuses on different approaches to the question as to when unborn human life becomes a person, and, consequently, when it should be guaranteed the right to life. The thesis is divided into four main chapters corresponding to four main aspects of the issue of abortion. The first chapter provides information from embryological (biological creation of man) and medical (abortion) perspective. The second chapter deals with the abortion legislation in the Czech Republic (history and current situation). The third chapter examines different ethical questions such as identity of the person, the right to decide about their own body, etc. The last chapter gives an account on person and abortion from the Christian point of view.
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Ethical problems in organ´s extraction towards transplantation
ESCOBAR CASTILLO, Javier Jesus
The present bachelor thesis is concerned with organ transplantation with the view to the associated ethic problems. The theoretical part consists of the introduction into the problems of this fast developing medical field, and refers to the legislative treatment of organ transplantation in the Czech Republic. The outlined transplantation process as a medical branch is the basis from which a number of social issues arise {--} issues related to morals, the law, and human relations and similar. The conclusion of the theoretical part formulates the aforesaid issues as the principal ethic problems: the subject of death, a consent or refusal with the post-mortem organ donation, organ trade and the selection of transplant candidates in the register. Moreover, the theoretical part compares different approaches to organ transplantations adopted in other countries, together with recommendations of the European Union. The thesis emphasizes the fact that to comprehend these sensitive ethic issues the public need to be informed, so the social consensus can be reached. The aim of the thesis is to determine the predispositions of the students of the Faculty of Health and Social Studies to donate organs, or their willingness to accept organs in the role of ill recipients. The adopted working hypotheses lay in such assumptions that on the one hand, students{\crq} approach to organ donation tends to be negative should they become donors; and, on the other hand, their approach is positive should they become recipients themselves. Another hypothesis assumed a certain lack of knowledge of the organ transplantation problems on the students{\crq} part, the fact of which renders the distribution of important information among the public virtually impossible. The research was conducted by means of questionnaires. The research results acquired from students were compared with the latest nationwide survey carried out by Factum Invenio, the marketing service company which is professionally concerned with such surveys. Needless to say, the abovementioned hypotheses were not confirmed by our research. On the contrary, the research ascertained high altruism and revealed a relatively good grasp of the organ transplant problems in most of the respondents. These facts are even more noticeable when compared with the nationwide research. Our research proved that students neither have ethic problems with the organ donation itself, nor with the ethically controversial and legislatively established strategy of obtaining organs: the strategy that saves human lives. Apparently, our respondents{\crq} moral standards of social justice are higher than those of the public as a whole. If our respondents spread their awareness of the problems among the public in concert with their viewpoints, they could contribute to the hope for a meaningful life with a transplanted organ of a diseased person on the waiting list.
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