A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BIOETHICAL ISSUES FROM VIEW POINTS OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATION IN TURKEY, ROMAN CATHOLICISM AND ORTHODOX JUDAISM.

Kerim M. Munir,Cemal Huseyin Güvercin

doi:10.4067/s1726-569x2017000200327

Abstract

The arguments set forth by religious authority are important since they play a crucial role in shaping the social values of the public and influence the decision of individuals in practice pertaining to bioethical issues. The Religious Affairs Administration (RAA) was established at the inception of the Republic of Turkey in 1924 to guide religious considerations moving out of the Ottoman caliphate to a secular bioethical framework. In this article, the bioethical views of the RAA under Islamic tradition is examined and contrasted with those influenced by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Judaic traditions. On bioethical deliberations related to the beginning and end-of-life, all three religious traditions justify sacredness of life and that of God's will in its preservation it. Assisted reproduction techniques between spouses is considered to be appropriate, although third party involvement is explicitly forbidden. Organ transplantation is approved by all three religious traditions, except uterine transplantation. Contraceptive practices are approved under certain conditions - views differ most on approaches to contraception and the appropriateness of methods. The RAA judgement on cloning is to prohibit it, like Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Judaism. In other topics, cosmetic surgery and gender determination are approved only for treatment.

Highlights

Bioethics, is a field of study concerned with the moral, legal, political, and social issues raised by medicine, biomedical research, and life sciences technologies, as genetic engineering, stem cell research, asisted reproduction methods, organ transplants, and care of the terminally ill[1]
While contemporary philosophical approaches in bioethics draw upon secular presumptions, religion continues to play an important role in both personal moral reasoning and public debate[2]
Bioethical issues in terms of religion perspectives represent a broad array of ethical dilemmas in Turkey, as elsewhere, but may not have been elucidated in prior studies

Summary

Introduction

Bioethics, is a field of study concerned with the moral, legal, political, and social issues raised by medicine, biomedical research, and life sciences technologies, as genetic engineering, stem cell research, asisted reproduction methods, organ transplants, and care of the terminally ill[1]. The RAA generally approaches the issue of organ transplantation positively with the exception of uterine transplants consistent with the view on IVF practice only within married couples (see below). Hunger strike leading to death, euthanasia, witholding of treatment or withdrawal of life support and abortion, based on the core principle of “sanctity of life”. After life support units have increasingly been involved in medical care, the concept of brain death has become a topical issue, as such persons are the source of organ donations. According to RCC, any killing of an innocent person directly and intentionally to be a great sin and an immoral act, this unequivocally stating that such practices as abortion, euthanasia, and destruction of human embryos in medical research are not approved.

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