「器官移植」倫理議題的探討－比較醫護人員、宗教界及法界人士的看法

The purposes of this study are to : to explore the perspectives of medical professionals, legal professionals and the religious representatives regarding the ethical issues on organ transplantation; to investigate the relationship between demographic factors and the variety of ethical judgments and decisions made on controversial clinical issues. The target research population was set at three groups of people in Taipei area. Through the process of convenient sampling, 207 nurses and doctors were selected from two regional hospitals, 152 legal professionals from lawyers, judges, and law school teachers, and 198 religious representatives, including priests, nuns, monks and others. The tool of this study includes clinical ethical questions and demographic information. 1,282 questionnaires were sent out, and 557 valid questionnaires were collected. The response rate was 43.4%. The major findings of the study are as follows. On issues of organ transplantation, professionals from all three sectors tend to be supportive. All parties also agree that the principles governing organ distribution should be based on fairness and efficacy. There are slight disagreements on whether the decedent's family can decide to donate his or her organs when the decedent had not clearly indicated his or her intention on this matter before death, and on the issues regarding organ donation from the death roll. Demographic factors affecting the ethical perspectives on organ transplantation include marital status, educational level, religious belief and profession. In summary, the results of this study can serve as a reference for medical ethics education and for revising organ transplantation regulations in the future.