Strategie argumentacyjne w debacie dotyczącej etycznych aspektów dopuszczalności donacji mitochondrialnej

Abstract

ARGUMENTATION STRATEGIES IN THE DEBATE ON MITOCHONDRIAL DONATION Bioethical aspects of mitochondrial donation have recently become one of the most debated issues. The growing interest in the philosophical and bioethical problems it generates has become even more visible since mitochondrial donation was legally allowed in Great Britain in 2015. In this paper we will take a closer look at the arguments employed in the debate, such as 1) argument from uncertainty closely connected with an obligation to use safe and already known alternative medical procedures; 2) the threat of losing personal identity; 3) the fear of creating a child of three parents; 4) detrimental outcome of manipulation in the human germ line. We will analyze the arguments showing that they are in fact the result of the lack of precision in employing medical terminology, the simplification of argumentation or the manifestation of ‘status quo bias’.

Keywords

• mitochondrial donation
• definitional problems
• argumentation inconsistencies