Religious beliefs versus emotion and personal needs versus bioethics in the field of extreme reproductive technologies and related biotechnologies

FORMAT | Presented paper

LANGUAGE | English

HOW TO CITE| Huidu, A., & Sandu, A. (2020). Religious beliefs versus emotion and personal needs versus bioethics in the field of extreme reproductive technologies and related biotechnologies. Paper presented at the 15th edition of the World Congress of Bioethics: IAB 2020, June 19-21. USA, Philadelphia. https://iab2020.org/

ABSTRACT:

Background: Bioethical literature extensively addresses the impact of religious beliefs on how people react to medically assisted human reproduction technologies and biotechnologies.
Objectives: Our study aims to measure the influence that religious beliefs have on the degree of social acceptance of extreme reproductive technologies (cloning, solo reproduction and artificial embryos) and of the biotechnologies that make such medical practices possible. The novelty of the study is that it measures how social acceptability fluctuates as participants cross through three planes: macro (principial level), mezo (involving close friends and family members) and micro (their own person), under the influence of the affective connection with the people who would use such technologies or personal reproductive needs.
Method: The study is part of a quantitative research using a questionnaire, carried out on a sample of 1884 persons (Greek-Orthodox, Greek-Catholic, Roman-Catholic, Pentecostal, Adventist, Protestant), which is nationally representative for Romania, for a study of 99% confidence degree and an error margin of +/- 3%. The data was collected between March and September 2019.
Findings: Religious beliefs strongly influence the perception of participants on the macro level (principially), where social acceptance is low, but the acceptability increases on the mezo and micro level, under the influence of affectivity and personal need.
Conclusions: The arguments in the bioethical literature are used to balance the internal ethical conflict of participants when their emotional reactions or personal needs modify their ethical decision, and this new ethical decision comes in conflict with their religious beliefs.

KEYWORDS:

Religious Beliefs, Emotions, Social Acceptability, Extreme Reproductive Technologies, Biotechnologies.