Abstract
Background
Turkey, with a Muslim population of officially over 99 %, is one of the few secular states in the Muslim world. Although state institutions are not based on Islamic juridical and ethical norms, the latter play a significant role in defining people’s attitudes towards controversial issues in the modern world, especially when backed by opinions of Muslim scholars living in Turkey. Accordingly, opinions of Muslim scholars undoubtedly have an important effect on bioethical decisions made by institutions and individuals.
Objective(s)
To explore the ethical positions of Muslim scholars living in Turkey and their arguments used in the ethical assessment of embryonic stem cell research; to discuss the biological-moral tensions arising in medical research on human embryos.
Design
Qualitative study.
Setting
Muslim scholars located in different parts of Turkey.
Methods
Qualitative method, involving the collection of opinions of various scholars, by means of 15 individual semi-structured interviews, evaluated using thematic qualitative analysis.
Results
Positions regarding embryonic stem cell research differ among Muslim scholars in Turkey. On the other hand, even where positions are similar, they are often supported by different arguments.
Conclusion
Despite the heterogeneity of the arguments presented, the dominant position considers embryonic stem cell research as morally acceptable.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the scholars who gave their time to participate in this study. Additional thanks go to Associate Prof. Dr. Hakan Ertin and Associate Prof. Dr. Rainer Brömer for their important comments on earlier drafts of this article.
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Karakaya, A., Ilkilic, I. Ethical Assessment of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research According to Turkish Muslim Scholars: First Critical Analysis and Some Reflections. Stem Cell Rev and Rep 12, 385–393 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12015-016-9658-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12015-016-9658-4