Bert Gordijn

Definition of the problem: Cord blood banks have been and are still being set up in many modern states all over the world. Cord blood transplantation, however, gives rise to a specific set of ethical problems, that must be cleared up and analyzed before full responsibility can be assumed and the establishment of banks for frozen cord blood samples and the structural implementation of cord blood transplantation can be justified. The main ethical issues concerning cord blood stem cell transplantation can be divided into at least six groups of questions that are closely related. First, there are ethical issues concerning the status of the treatment. Must cord blood transplantation somehow still be considered an „investigational” treatment or can it be regarded as accepted therapy? Second, we must face the question of the ownership of the placental tissue. Third, there are questions regarding the fairness in the collection and distribution of cord blood. Fourth, there is the issue of informed consent. Fifth, there is the question of whether how new data from medical testing will be communicated to the parents or the donor. Finally, questions related to privacy and confidentiality need to be addressed. Conclusion: As it is likely in the years to come that the supply and demand for cord blood will grow, clinicians will increasingly need answers to these ethical questions. Only thoughtful analysis of the attendant ethical issues of the establishment of banks for frozen blood samples and the structural implementation of cord blood transplantation can mitigate potential problems

Solidarity belongs to the basic principles of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and is part of the ethical repertoire of European moral traditions and European healthcare systems. This paper discusses how leaders of Catholic healthcare organizations (HCOs) can understand their institutional moral responsibility with regard to the preservation of solidarity. In dealing with this question, we make use of Taylor's philosophy of modern culture. We first argue that, just as all HCOs, Catholic ones also can embody and strengthen solidarity by just doing their quintessential job, that is, to care for people with ill health. Second, we focus on the Catholic identity of these organizations and argue that this characteristic can empower a radical commitment to solidarity. Finally, we argue that CST provides a critical ethical framework for approaching solidarity from the perspective of the common good

The volume contributes to the ongoing nanoethics debate in four topical areas. The first part tackles questions of what could be called ‘meta-nanoethics’. Its focus lies on basic concepts and the issue of what - if anything - is truly novel and special about the new field of nanoethics or its subject matter. The second part of this volume presents a selection of interesting perspectives on some of the opportunities and challenges of nanotechnology. Part three takes a more in depth look at one of the most pressing current concerns: how to deal with the risks and uncertainties surrounding nanotechnology in a responsible manner. In its fourth and final part the volume touches on issues of public debate and policy.

In a lifelog, data from various sources are combined to form a record from which one can retrieve information about oneself and the environment in which one is situated. It could be considered similar to an automated biography. Lifelog technology is still at an early stage of development. However, the history of lifelogs so far shows a clear academic, corporate and governmental interest. Therefore, a thorough inquiry into the ethical aspects of lifelogs could prove beneficial to the responsible development of this field. This article maps the main ethically relevant challenges and opportunities associated with the further development of lifelog technologies as discussed in the scholarly literature. By identifying challenges and opportunities in the current debate, we were able to identify other challenges and opportunities left unmentioned. Some of these challenges are partly explained by a blind spot in the current debate. Whilst the current debate focuses mainly on lifelogs held by individuals, lifelogs held by governmental institutions and corporations pose idiosyncratic ethical concerns as well. We have provided a brief taxonomy of lifelog technology to show the variety in uses for lifelogs. In addition, we provided a general approach to alleviate the ethical challenges identified in the critical analysis

When we founded Studies in Ethics, Law and Technology we wondered if we might, like Icarus, be trying to fly too close to the sun. Had we set ourselves an impossible task in seeking to create a new community of interdisciplinary scholars under the umbrella of the words ethics, law and technology? Would expert scholars in biotechnologies, nanotechnologies, neurotechnologies, information technologies, weapons and security technologies, energy and fuel technologies, space based technologies, and/or new media and communication technologies all come together in one place? As we show in this editorial, the answer is yes