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Medical travel and the sale of human biological materials: suggestions for ethical policy development

journal contribution
posted on 2010-12-01, 00:00 authored by Dominique MartinDominique Martin
The international medical travel industry includes patients seeking to access human biological materials (HBM) including gametes, organs and stem cells. Of the various niche markets, ‘transplant tourism’ has earned global condemnation and efforts to eradicate cross-border trade in organs, while other markets continue to expand. This article reviews the ethical issues raised by medical travel for HBM, in particular those concerning trade in HBM. It argues that a more consistent approach to the regulation of cross-border trade is imperative to ensure that the perils of ‘transplant tourism’ are not replicated in other markets. In addition, it discusses the role of the self-sufficiency model in assisting the development of ethical and practical policies regarding the procurement and use of human biological materials at a national level, thereby minimizing demand for medical travel.

History

Journal

Global social policy

Volume

10

Issue

3

Pagination

377 - 395

Publisher

Sage

Location

London, Eng

ISSN

1468-0181

eISSN

1741-2803

Language

eng

Publication classification

C Journal article; C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2010, The Authors

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