RESUMEN
The practice of posthumous use of sperm raises social, ethical, and legal questions. We examine the issue of who should be allowed to use the sperm-only the deceased's spouse or the deceased's parents as well-from the perspective of solidarity and relational autonomy. Following a theoretical discussion of various accounts of solidarity and relational autonomy, the legal status of posthumous assisted reproduction is examined in three jurisdictions-the USA, Australia, and Israel-in which most applications to the courts were submitted by the deceased's parents. In Israel, we found fifteen court rulings on requests for posthumous use of sperm and fourteen in Australia. A smaller number were found in the case of the USA. The analysis reveals that Israeli and Australian courts employ solidarity-based arguments to justify their decisions to allow posthumous use of sperm, particularly when the deceased's true wishes are unknown. We thus conclude that the posthumous use of sperm can be legally extended to include the deceased's parents based on solidarity and relational autonomy arguments.
Asunto(s)
Padres/psicología , Concepción Póstuma/ética , Concepción Póstuma/legislación & jurisprudencia , Autonomía Relacional , Espermatozoides , Esposos/legislación & jurisprudencia , Australia , Femenino , Humanos , Consentimiento Informado/legislación & jurisprudencia , Israel , Masculino , Consentimiento Presumido/legislación & jurisprudencia , Técnicas Reproductivas Asistidas/ética , Técnicas Reproductivas Asistidas/legislación & jurisprudencia , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
Natural disasters in populated areas may result in massive casualties and extensive destruction of infrastructure. Humanitarian aid delegations may have to cope with the complicated issue of patient prioritization under conditions of severe resource scarcity. A triage model, consisting of five principles, is proposed for the prioritization of patients, and it is argued that rational and reasonable agents would agree upon them. The Israel Defense Force's humanitarian mission to Haiti following the 2010 earthquake serves as a case study for the various considerations taken into account when designing the ethical-clinical policy of field hospitals. The discussion focuses on three applications: the decision to include an intensive care unit, the decision to include obstetrics and neonatal units, and the treatment policy for compound fractures.