In my pursuit of information on PD I have been reading a book
edited by George I. Turnbull entitled Physical Therapy Management
of Parkinson's Disease ( New York, 1992). One chapter deals with
neural transplantation therapy where the author makes some
valuable points regarding ethical considerations. I think you
will find the following direct quotation interesting.
"Two kinds of ethical question[s] are commonly raised about the
type of transplants described here. The first relates to the use
of tissue from aborted fetuses. Might the therapeutic use of
fetal tissue encourage abortion, motivate conception for the sole
purpose of donating fetal tissue, and ultimately lead to the sale
of fetal tissue? The second relates to the potential risk of
this procedure for the PD patient.
The procurement of fetal tissue for transplantation might
conceivably motivate abuse if it were the sole reason for
abortion. However, the frequency of routine abortions for
independent reasons already far exceeds projected needs for
transplantation: each year, over 1.3 million pregnancies are
voluntarily terminated in the United States alone. Approximately
two-thirds of induced abortions are performed at stages
appropriate for neural transplantation (i.e., between the 6th and
11th week of gestation). Approximately 100,000 new cases of PD
are diagnosed each year in the United States, and not all of
these would be satisfactory candidates for transplantation
surgery. Thus, even if dopaminergic neurons could be isolated
from only one in 10 currently available fetuses, the supply of
fetal neuron tissue from legal and independently motivated
abortions substantially exceeds anticipated demand.
There have been suggestions that the use of fetal tissue may lead
to an increase in the number of abortions by providing new resons
for abortion, such as for providing donor tissue for a
genetically related recipient. However, as described above, no
immunologic advantages appear to be gained in this way.
Financial motives could also contribute to the practice of
conceiving solely to provide fetal tissue if it could be sold.
At present, the sale of human organs is prohibited in the United
States and Canada, a prohibition that includes the sale of human
fetal tissue. In general, it appears that these possible abuses
can be prevented by reasonable measures, such as prohibiting the
targeting of fetal tissue to any specific recipient.
A second concern is whether the risk to the recipient is
warranted. Human fetal neural transplantation is at present an
experimental procedure, and an unsatisfactory outcome is
possible. The grafts may be without effect or may even
compromise brain function and exacerbate parkinsonian symptoms.
However, the risk associated with the procedure must be
considered in the light of the progressive and terminal course
of PD. These risks may be acceptable because of the benefits of
success to the patient. The decision should be the patient's,
without coercion and after thorough discussion of the procedure
and its forseeable risks." (pp30-31).
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| Sid Roberts [log in to unmask] |
| Youngstown State History Department |
| University Youngstown, OH 44555 |
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