Shima Behnam Manesh * (MA)

  Faculty of LAW, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

  Department of Epidemiology and Reproductive Health, Reproductive Biomedicine Center,

  Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACER, Tehran, Iran

  Abstract

 Introduction: One of the most important issues about transgenic animals is using their organs for transplantation to human body. This issue has raised a lot of ethical and scientific controversies. Considering ethical issues, the range of received criticism is so large that we can divide them into two comprehensive groups the first group is known as intrinsic ethical criticisms, and other group is called extrinsic criticism. We can still divide the second group criticism into two subgroups the first subgroup studies the problem from a human-centered point of view, and the second deals with the problem from the animal-centered viewpoint rejecting such activities.

 Methods: In this article, through the use of published books and manuals about transgenic animals and by the help of descriptive approach, the writer aimed to fully discuss the raised ethical conflicts so that it is made clear whether xenotransplantation is acceptable regarding the ethical criticism and scientific ambiguities or not.

 Conclusion: It is noteworthy that the present studies point out that despite proposing the precautionary principle, which has ethical and legal background, in this step, due to the presence of ambiguities and the uncertainty of accepted scientific theories, transplantation of animal organ into human body is found to have perils for human life and animals. So it is considered unethical.

  Key words: t ransgenic animals, organ transplant, animal welfare, precautionary principle

  Please cite this article as follows:

  Behnam Manesh Sh. Ethical challenges regarding Xenotransplantation of transgenic animals to human beings. Hakim Research Journal 2012 15(1): 13- 21.

  * Corresponding Author: Department of Epidemiology and Reproductive Health, Reproductive Biomedicine Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACER, Tehran, Iran. P.O.Box :16635148.

  Tel: : +98- 21- 22339929, Fax: +98- 21- 22306481, E-mail: avishan_sh1363@yahoo.com