title: Ethical aspects in xenotransplantation.
abstract: Ethics aims to achieve optimal human behavior. However, applied ethics depend on the cultural environment. In medicine, ethics could allow an amoral operation in a fetus or in chronically ill patients because it is new and rich in prospects for acquiring knowledge and could improve the quality of life of the patient or at least save the life. The operation itself must not be ill natured or unethical and the patient must not be misled or given false hope over the outcome. Ethics would allow us to offend the dignity of man, such as by xenotransplantation, because the wish for well being is often greater than the desire to retain dignity. Ethics in xenotransplantation must be based on the interests of the poor and unlucky patient and must aim for the good of everyone, but especially meet the patient's demands.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Surgical Research, Clinic Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hammer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Molloy
mesh_terms: D017087:Animal Rights; D000818:Animals; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D030881:Disclosure; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D028681:Moral Obligations; D018579:Patient Selection; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous / Q000523:psychology*; D026712:Value of Life