2009, Vol.10, No.2

Journal of the Korea Bioethics Association 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.55

pISSN : 1598-0324
https://journal.kci.go.kr/kba

The Chakrabarty case which allowed patenting of a living organism for the first time has created many issues specifically with regards to privatization and commercialization of life and distorting the boundaries between living and non-living things. Since then, polyploid of oyster and onco-mouse have been patented. Furthermore, with the progress of the Human Genome Project, there is more discussion on patenting human genes and human-possessing viruses. In the process, whether the human-related patents destroy human dignity have become an important issue. The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and UNESCO Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights(1997) strongly stress the importance of human dignity and recommend not to exploit it for commercialization. Finally, the human-related patents tend to promote commercialization rather than preserving life dignity, therefore, to damage human dignity. Human dignity should always be preserved.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a moral view for bio-ethics in the field of university education. In field of university education of bio-ethics, there are some tendency to lecture guiding con or pro selections for socially and morally concerned issues. But, it is merely interesting centered approach to ethical problems of bio-technology and contemporary medical issues. Especially, this study focused on virtue-ethics or community oriented ethics which follows Christian ethicist Stanley Hauerwas. Of course, this paper is not a theological introducing for Hauerwas but an applied understanding from his theology for better understanding of bio-ethics in university’s education. This paper proposes three elements to understand the essential tasks of bio-medical as follows; (1) Recognizing of bio-medical issues as a human character connected problems. According to S. Hauerwas, the core of morality is not act (duty) but agent (character) This means that morality is from one’s moral character, that is, virtue. In this meaning, the most important element of bio-ethics education is human personality. (2) Enhancement of responsibility in technological era. The core value in age of technology is responsibility. In this context, H. Jonas’ philosophical view of responsibility in technological age, W. Schweiker’s theological perspective of responsibility in Christian ethics would deepen university education for bio-ethics. (3) Wholistic understanding of life and death. Bio-medical ethics in university education must understand the value of life as a whole including problem of death. Reverence for life is not simply health and cure concern. And death is not a simple concept which ends the life. Now, bio-ethics in university education must pursue the wholistic view.

The protection for maternity is important to prevent the health of maternity, and it is the important national duty in constitutional law for the completeness of the health, development, and good rearing condition of offsprings. In the view of the protection for maternity, it is essential to preserve the completeness of maternity. Maternity is the natural and continuing process completed by pregnancy and procreation. It is gained from the continuing process of ‘from the mother’ and ‘in the mother’, and two factors is essential and inseparable for preserving the completeness of maternity which is a basic premise forming the human beings. It has the possibility to the various and different view points, but in the focus at the preservation of the maternal completeness, the baby who is birthed from oocyte donation program or surrogate mother has the severe defect on the completeness of maternity which is a basic premise forming the human beings. So therefore, it is important to prepare the firming legal systems for the protection of the rights on maternity. In the field of infertility treatment, before starting the procedure of oocyte donation program or surrogate mother program, it is necessary for the doctor to decide the treatment procedure after the sincere discussion with the infertility couples who are going to receive the treatment, oocytes donor, and candidate to surrogate uterus on the basic thinking of the bioethics on maternity and the informed consent to them.