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KMID : 1172020060070020081
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Journal of Korean Bioethics Association
2006 Volume.7 No. 2 p.81 ~ p.97
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A Shift of Ethical Debates By Hwang’s Scandal: From Embryo Ethics Toward Egg Ethics
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Choi Eun-Kyung
Kim Ock-Joo
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Abstract
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In 2005, the whole society in South Korea fell into hot debates caused by Hwang’s scandal. The first ethical issue raised by the Hang Woo Suck’s cloning research was the moral status of embryo and permissibility of human cloning. As the debates went on, the ethical debates shift to ethical problems of egg-extraction from women’s ovary solely for research purposes. In retrospect, Hwang’s research that used thousands of human eggs became possible because of unregulated IVF practice and black markets for human eggs in Korea. Even those who argue for permission of cloned embryo stem cell research cannot say anything without proposing appropriate safeguards against risks or harm to women’s health. After all, a tremendous number of eggs collected for Hwang’s research raised important ethical issues including: commodification of eggs, exploitation of women’s body, voluntariness of donation, validity of informed consent, conflict of interests of IVF doctors-stem cell investigators when they play dual roles, and many more. This paper analyzed how the shift of ethical debates from embryo ethics toward egg ethics occurred, and what the main issues were. Ethical issues on eggs collections for research brought by Hwang’s scandal do matters not only to Korea, but also to other countries that promotes somatic cell nuclear transfer embryonic stem cell research. ethical, These countries are also to face legal, social problems concerning eggs donation or collections as long as the research necessitates human eggs. As embryonic stem cell research goes further internationally, ethical debates surrounding collection of eggs for research need to be discussed and the ethical issues to be scrutinized with international collaboration.
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KEYWORD
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Hwang’s scandal, embryo stem cell research, embryo donation, egg collection for research, research ethics
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