title: Donating embryos to stem cell research.
abstract: This paper is based on linked qualitative studies of the donation of human embryos to stem cell research carried out in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and China. All three studies used semi-structured interview protocols to allow an in-depth examination of donors' and non-donors' rationales for their donation decisions, with the aim of gaining information on contextual and other factors that play a role in donor decisions and identifying how these relate to factors that are more usually included in evaluations made by theoretical ethics. Our findings have implications for one factor that has previously been suggested as being of ethical concern: the role of gratitude. Our empirical work shows no evidence that interpersonal gratitude is an important factor, but it does support the existence of a solidarity-based desire to "give something back" to medical research. Thus, we use empirical data to expand and refine the conceptual basis of bioethically theorizing the IVF-stem cell interface.
authors.affiliation: Policy, Ethics and Life Sciences Research Centre, Newcastle University, Claremont Bridge, Claremont Road, Newcastle NE1 7RU, UK. Jackie.scully@ncl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Jackie Leach
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Scully
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Haimes
authors.forename: Anika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mitzkat
authors.forename: Rouven
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Porz
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rehmann-Sutter
mesh_terms: D019924:Embryo Disposition / Q000941:ethics*; D033041:Embryo Research / Q000941:ethics*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells; D006801:Humans; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000941:ethics