Is `Property' Necessary? On Owning the Human Body and its Parts

Courts usually treat control over human bodies and body parts as a property issue and find that people do not have property rights in themselves. This contradicts the liberal philosophical principle that people should be able to perform any self-regarding actions that do not cause harm to others. The philosophical inconsistencies under pinning the legal treatment of body parts arguably stem from a misplaced judicial preoccupation with‘property’. A better approach would be to hold a policy inquiry into the degree of liberty a society wishes to grant its inhabitants. Only once this substantive issue has been addressed should property be raised as a possible method of implementing the policy. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Button to Make Poverty History &; How to Double Your Donation

Even if together we could make poverty history, we would not all do our part. The paper presents a device that makes it more likely for everybody to do his part. This is achieved by making everybody’s contribution dependent on the other people’s commitment to contribute given that certain conditions are fulfilled. Furthermore, a device is introduced which, based on the same general idea, doubles everybody’s donation. Finally, possibilities, assumptions and limitations of such devices are addressed.     

From ‘Virgin Births’ to ‘Octomom’: Representations of Single Motherhood via Sperm Donation in the UK News

The use of sperm donation by single women has provoked public, professional and political debate. Newspapers serve as a critical means of both broadcasting this debate and effecting a representation of this user group within the public sphere. This study uses the theory of social representations to examine how single motherhood by sperm donation has been represented in the UK news over time. The study sampled news coverage on this topic in eight British newspapers during three 4‐year periods between the years 1988 and 2012. The dataset of news reports (n = 406) was analysed using a qualitative approach. Findings indicated that UK media reports of single women using donor sperm are underpinned by conventional categories of the ‘personal’, the ‘traditional’ and the ‘natural’ that when paired with their corollaries produce a representation of this user group as the social ‘other’. The amount of coverage on this topic over time was found to vary according to the political orientation of different media sources. Using key concepts from social representations theory, this article discusses the relationship between themata and anchoring in the maintenance of representations of the social ‘other’ in mass mediated communication. Findings are explained in relation to theoretical conceptions of the mass media and its position within the public sphere. It is argued that the use of personal narratives in news reports of single mothers by sperm donation may have significant implications for public understandings of this social group. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Pity for economically disadvantaged groups motivates donation and ally collective action intentions

We argue that pity can motivate collective action intentions toward groups that are both politically and economically deprived. We tested this connection in four online surveys and an experiment. In Study 1 (N = 1,007), pity for the Roma in Hungary predicted collective action intentions, which was replicated in Study 2 in connection with refugees in Germany (N = 191) and in Hungary (N = 563). Study 3 (N = 475) demonstrated that for not economically but politically disadvantaged groups (e.g., sexual minorities), pity was not a predictor of ally action. In an experiment (Study 4, N = 447), pity was just as strong a predictor of collective action intentions as outrage on behalf of an economically and politically disadvantaged outgroup. Pity can be a mobilizing emotion when it comes to groups that are both economically and politically disadvantaged; however, outrage remains more important in the absence of economic hardship.     

The role of identity in how whole‐blood donors reflect on and construct their future as a plasma donor

In the context of decreased demand for whole blood and increased demand for plasma‐derived products, donors in Australia are increasingly being asked to convert from whole‐blood to plasmapheresis donations. Plasmapheresis is a different type of donation to whole blood as the process takes longer and can be engaged in more frequently. What is unknown is whether whole‐blood donors view donating plasma as consistent with their donor identity and how they respond to the possibility of donating more frequently. To explore this, we undertook semistructured telephone interviews with 26 whole‐blood donors who had recently made their first plasma donation. Findings indicated that whereas donating plasma was viewed as a bigger ask than donating whole blood, the former was viewed as consistent with their identity as a donor because both behaviours were seen to benefit others and self and were located within the same institutional context. Donating plasma was an opportunity for donors to enhance their self‐concept as an altruistic giver. When contemplating their future donation behaviour, donors considered how their donor identity would fit alongside other salient roles. These findings have implications for how institutions can position their request of existing donors to give a different gift.     

国外器官捐献评估方法介绍

器官移植已成为医学上应用越来越广泛的手段之一。器官移植中器官捐献的分析评估体系作为成熟器官移植系统不可或缺的一部分,能够对器官捐献水平和做出客观的评估,包括捐献潜力,即潜在捐献者率（Potential Donors rate,,PDr）和捐献有效力,即实际捐献者率（Actual Donors rate,ADr）（单位：per million population,pmp）。本文将介绍通过对多国器官捐献评估方法进行分析、总结得出器官捐献中供体评估的主体方法,包括流程、分析方法、适用范围及其积极意义等,希望可以利于我国研究。     

Caring for Bereaved Families: Self-Efficacy in the Donation Request Process

Motivated by an organ shortage, a primary objective of professionals involved with organ and tissue donation is to identify and modify key factors that facilitate or impede family consent. Procedural factors associated with the donation request process have been highlighted as target areas for change. Several studies have demonstrated that family consent rates increase when specific procedural knowledge and skills are incorporated into agency protocols and health care professionals become proficient with these procedures. Thus, training of these professionals heavily emphasizes development of procedural competencies, with relatively little time allocated to fostering affective helping skills or competencies. Given the lack of attention to affective competencies, this study was designed to examine perceived procedural and affective self-efficacy among health care professionals receiving training as designated requestors. Findings suggest trained requestors report greater confidence in their ability to perform procedural tasks associated with the donation request process than in their ability to manage affective or emotion-laden issues related to the process.     

骨髓捐献人中途拒捐的民事责任探析——基于信赖保护的视角

基于捐献行为的公益性、单务性和人身性,各国法律赋予捐献人任意撤销权,但是出于对捐献人允诺的信赖而改变自身处境的接受人利益也应该得到保护.从信赖保护的视角出发,在血型高分辨检测之前,捐献人一旦签订了捐献协议,即负有保护接受人信赖利益的义务,捐献人虽然有权中途拒捐,但应当承担信赖赔偿责任.     

Banking on brains: Insights of brain donor relatives and friends from an experiential perspective

Brain donation is critical to understand the pathological causes of neurodegenerative diseases. Increasing levels of donation requires an understanding of those factors that both encourage and deter donation. At present, there are few studies of how people understand, feel and decide about brain donation for scientific research. This qualitative experiential study contributes to the growing literature on brain donation through its specific focus on how the donation process is experienced from the perspectives of family members and friends. Nineteen semi-structured interviews were analysed using a phenomenologically informed thematic analysis. Four themes were derived from the analysis, three of which are described in detail: Making the decision to donate; a personal perspective on the donation process; the significance of the brain; beliefs about brain donation. In particular, the thematic analysis highlights the variation of individual decision making and the emotions and reasons underpinning such decisions. Key conclusions include the importance of integrated practice amongst relevant healthcare professionals as well as the need for supportive and informed communication. Also, in light of the finding that the brain assumed no special significance for most participants, the value of the distinction between brain donation for research purposes and organ transplantation is questioned.