Cuadernos De Bioetica[JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
[Bioethics after 50 Years: A Reflection on the need to restore human biology to its proper place].
López-Moratalla N, Font M
Cuad Bioet · 2026 · PMID 42154497 · Publisher ↗
The development of Bioethics over approximately half a century makes it possible, with sufficient historical perspective, to recognise the existence of two major phases regarding the place that positive science has occup...
The development of Bioethics over approximately half a century makes it possible, with sufficient historical perspective, to recognise the existence of two major phases regarding the place that positive science has occupied within the broader set of modes of human knowledge. In an initial phase, which can be situated in the last quarter of the twentieth century, science was regarded not only as the most solid knowledge available but, in many contexts, as the only truly reliable form of knowledge. This position did not merely acknowledge the methodological value of science; it tended to absolutise it, attributing to it the capacity to answer any relevant question about reality. Subsequently, during the first quarter of the twenty-first century, an apparently opposite phenomenon has emerged. Science has begun to be regarded as dispensable or irrelevant when its results do not support certain ideological constructions, or even when they come into conflict with them. In this way, the cultural authority of science ceases to depend on its capacity to describe reality and instead becomes dependent on its usefulness in sustaining particular pre-existing interpretative frameworks. Within this historical and intellectual context, it becomes necessary to restore biological truths to their proper place within the overall system of human knowledge and within the body of ideas that shape Culture. Only if Biology occupies this appropriate place will it be possible for Bioethics to achieve genuine interdisciplinarity, capable of integrating simultaneously the natural meaning of biological processes with their human significance. It is precisely in this integration that ethical judgement in the sphere of human corporeality consists. The resistance of Nature to certain manipulations should not be interpreted merely as a technical difficulty, but rather as an indication of the existence of real natural limits. These limits do not disappear simply because human beings possess technological means with which to attempt to overcome them. When such limits are systematically ignored, science runs the risk of turning into science fiction. This transformation may be encouraged by economic interests linked to future technological promises which, on occasion, end up promoting fraud within scientific research itself. The debate surrounding cloning constitutes a paradigmatic example of this process. On the other hand, the scientific arguments that at a given moment allow a fact to be affirmed should never be regarded as absolutely definitive. The emergence of new data requires arguments to be continually revised and refined. A particularly relevant example in this regard is the current updated scientific elaboration concerning the personal character of the human zygote and, in connection with this, the understanding of the origin of monozygotic twins.
[The pathologization of the human condition: A critique of the transhumanist rejection of human nature].
Rodríguez Comellas J
Cuad Bioet · 2026 · PMID 42154496 · Publisher ↗
This article develops an ethical critique of transhumanism through the concept of bioideology, understood as a contemporary ideology that replaces the classical conception of human nature with a deficient, surpassable re...
This article develops an ethical critique of transhumanism through the concept of bioideology, understood as a contemporary ideology that replaces the classical conception of human nature with a deficient, surpassable reality subject to technical optimization. In contrast to the Aristotelian approach, which recognized natural ends (telos) within the human structure, transhumanism advances a naturalistic ethics based on indefinite enhancement, where health-understood as biotechnological functionalitybecomes the ultimate goal. The article examines the different meanings attributed to the term ″nature″ within transhumanist discourse: as what is biologically given, as opposed to the artificial, as human essence, and as a limit. This semantic ambiguity serves to justify the overcoming of nature and to neutralize ethical objections. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the ″moralization of nature,″ in which certain biological traits-such as health, youth, or intelligence-are elevated to moral norms, while fragility, illness, or old age are interpreted as defects to be corrected. By conceiving nature as an obstacle, transhumanism fosters the medicalization of existence and of moral evil, while redefining identity as a technical project. Human dignity ceases to be inherent and becomes contingent upon the degree of perfection achieved. In response, the article defends a conception of human nature as embodied, vulnerable, and open to moral perfection, from which it is possible to ground an ethics of limits, care, and unconditional respect for the concrete person.
[Ectogenesis. Artificial womb tecnology and clinical practice: Ethical and legal limits].
Villalobos Salas GR
Cuad Bioet · 2026 · PMID 42154495 · Publisher ↗
The possibility of gestating outside the woman's body, through technologies such as ectogenesis, has moved from a speculative concept to a tangible horizon in the biomedical field. Over the past decade, experimental adva...
The possibility of gestating outside the woman's body, through technologies such as ectogenesis, has moved from a speculative concept to a tangible horizon in the biomedical field. Over the past decade, experimental advances in animal models have demonstrated the feasibility of sustaining prematurely extracted fetuses in extrauterine devices, a process known as partial ectogenesis. However, these advances have fueled the belief that the reproductive future of humanity may ultimately lie in total ectogenesis that is, the complete development of an embryo within an artificial womb, entirely independent of the maternal body. This article examines the ethical and regulatory implications of artificial gestation, with particular emphasis on its clinical applications (neonatology or reproduction) and the potential effects on the meaning of pregnancy, maternity, and the protection of the gestated subject. Through a rigorous review of specialized literature, it identifies the main challenges this technology poses to traditional legal and bioethical categories like birth and filiation. The analysis is structured around three key axes: (1) the clinical analysis of partial and total ectogenesis; (2) the ethical and anthropological implications arising from the use of both technologies; and (3) the legal gaps concerning so-called reproductive rights and the need to adapt existing regulatory frameworks. Ultimately, the future of partial or complete ectogenesis will depend on our societies' ability to integrate technological progress with an ethics grounded in respect for the human person, ensuring that biotechnology does not supplant the very value of life it seeks to protect.
Fraud in scientific research and its implications for healthcare professional educators.
Ordoñez-Torres K, Lopez-Barreda R
Cuad Bioet · 2026 · PMID 42154494 · Publisher ↗
BACKGROUND: This study aims to contribute to the reflection on the impact of fraud in medical publications and to offer suggestions to health science educators to limit the potential harm of fraudulent publications conce...
BACKGROUND: This study aims to contribute to the reflection on the impact of fraud in medical publications and to offer suggestions to health science educators to limit the potential harm of fraudulent publications concerning scientific literature integrity and patient wellbeing. METHODS: We analyze the retractions of Joachim Boldt and Yoshitaka Fujii, the two researchers with the most cases of retractions due to fraud. The Web of Science and Retraction Watch Database were consulted in December 5th 2023. We also carried out a bibliographic search on scientific integrity and critical thinking to identify ways for preventing fraud and mitigating its consequences. RESULTS: 194 studies were obtained for Boldt and 151 for Fujii. These studies generated 5,450 citations for Boldt and 2,245 for Fujii. After filtering to include only citations from systematic reviews, 734 systematic reviews were found to have cited Boldt's retracted studies, while 140 systematic reviews cited Fujii's studies. The literature reports that several non-technical skills linked to leadership and management are important for researchers, such as effective communication, teamwork, coaching, task sharing, strategic planning, budgeting, personnel selection and evaluation, and situational awareness. CONCLUSIONS: All actors must work to foster a culture of integrity at all stages of the research process to prevent harm to patients. It is essential to identify appropriate pedagogical strategies to influence the skills, attitudes and behaviors of future professionals. Developing integrity and critical judgment may require the use of different methodological approaches to those traditionally used in the medical sciences.
A qualitative evidence synthesis on the bioethical issues of the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare and proposed solutions.
Palmer-Coll RJ, Brokke VA, Calvo P
Cuad Bioet · 2026 · PMID 42154493 · Publisher ↗
BACKGROUND: The exponential increase of the use and development of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has brought several ethical concerns, but there is no clear guidance on how to guarantee an ethical use of Med...
BACKGROUND: The exponential increase of the use and development of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has brought several ethical concerns, but there is no clear guidance on how to guarantee an ethical use of Medical-AI. METHOD: We carried out a qualitative systematic review of studies about the bioethical landscape regarding ethical issues, principles and solutions of using Medical-AI. We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, and three other databases, together with relevant guidelines and frameworks. The GRACECERQual tool was used for confidence assessment of findings. Thematic analysis was used to analyze results. RESULTS: 180 studies were selected. We developed a framework to classify our findings into: Ethical Issues, Ethical Principles and Solutions. DISCUSSION: We used our findings to develop a theoretical logic model for an ethical medical-AI. We defined and discussed the need for explicability as the fifth bioethical principle and developed a checklist for an ethical use of medical-AI by clinicians.
[Clinical trial or ″regular clinical practice″? The trasmetir study example].
Sanz Rubiales Á, Del Valle Rivero ML, Torrego García JC … +1 more , Morán Valverde S
Cuad Bioet · 2026 · PMID 42154492
The methodological and ethical analysis of clinical studies is a responsibility of the Research Ethics Committees. There are scenarios in which this assessment can be very difficult. This is the case with the TRASMETIR t...
The methodological and ethical analysis of clinical studies is a responsibility of the Research Ethics Committees. There are scenarios in which this assessment can be very difficult. This is the case with the TRASMETIR trial that studies liver transplantation in patients with unresectable metastases of colorectal carcinoma. It was conducted in several Spanish hospitals as a clinical trial because liver transplantation was not previously considered a treatment indication for these patients. To justify and supervise the trial, it was stated that it would not represent an additional financial burden for the hospitals and that it was a study based on routine clinical practice. Thus, the infrastructure and professionals dedicated to performing liver transplantation for approved indications could participate in this prospective clinical trial as if it were part of their ordinary work. Upon a detailed analysis of this new and interesting experience, we observed that there are ethical issues that require closer attention. These include the distinction between clinical practice and clinical studies, the impact of possible public sponsorship in clinical trials, the information received in order to participate in a trial by the different professional profiles that collaborate in the systematics of each transplant, the priority and availability of biological resources such as organs for transplantation for their integration into clinical trials, or the way in which information is given and the content of this information to the donor or relatives.
[From the silence of common sense to the noise of invented rights: A medical-ethical reflection on human life].
Calabria Gallego MD
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 41437700 · Publisher ↗
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
[Artificial intelligence vs self-awareness: An ethical approach].
López-Moratalla N, de la Fuente C, Font M
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 41437699 · Publisher ↗
Artificial intelligence (Al) is advancing at a rapid pace, raising fundamental questions regarding its relationship with the human mind. While Al may far exceed human capabilities in specific tasks such as large-scale da...
Artificial intelligence (Al) is advancing at a rapid pace, raising fundamental questions regarding its relationship with the human mind. While Al may far exceed human capabilities in specific tasks such as large-scale data processing, computational speed, or statistical prediction-it remains significantly limited in essential areas such as empathy, consciousness, moral judgement, and genuine creativity. The human mind, characterized by its complexity and flexibility, operates within emotional, cultural, and ethical frameworks that Al can only simulate, but never truly comprehend. Accordingly, this work proposes the ethical imperative of understanding and disseminating a realistic conception of human corporeality, a fundamental aspect of our existence which Al, by its very nature, will always lack.
[Ready to die at 75?].
Sanz Rubiales Á, Del Valle Rivero ML, Mateo Otero L
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 41437698 · Publisher ↗
Professor Ezekiel J. Emanuel, an expert on bioethics issues, has expressed his intention to refuse treatments that are not merely palliative once he turns 75. The arguments with which he try to justify it are that increa...
Professor Ezekiel J. Emanuel, an expert on bioethics issues, has expressed his intention to refuse treatments that are not merely palliative once he turns 75. The arguments with which he try to justify it are that increasing the length of life does not imply a parallel increase in the quality of life, that the limitations of living from that age also represent a burden for the family who, in addition, are left with the memory of a more deteriorated image of the person and, finally, that defining a moment in which no more treatments are received may be a way to face with lucidity the proximity of death, making it easier to reflect on the meaning of life. This stoic decision, which is presented to us as prudent and altruistic, can also be understood as a utilitarian attitude, since it values the person based on their capabilities, disproportionate to the clinical situation, since it does not consider the prognosis or suitability of possible treatments, and individualistic because it limits the assessment to the subjective perception and anticipated estimate of each one. Even so, the ideas that appear in the text are suggestive and would justify its use as a debate instrument in bioethics teaching programs.
[The pharmacist and assisted death: What is their perspective? What dilemmas do they face?].
Mateo Folgado E, López Guzmán J
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 41437697 · Publisher ↗
Medically induced death is a topic of particular relevance in today's healthcare world. The loss of the fundamental value of human life in society is leading to the emergence of new legislation in an increasing number of...
Medically induced death is a topic of particular relevance in today's healthcare world. The loss of the fundamental value of human life in society is leading to the emergence of new legislation in an increasing number of countries that permit the practice of euthanasia and/or assisted suicide. The perspective of pharmacists as healthcare professionals who directly participate by dispensing the medication used to end a patient's life has been very little studied. This paper presents a review of studies that gather pharmacists' opinions and experiences regarding assisted death, revealing a high level of support for these practices within the profession. However, in-depth analysis is necessary to uncover the real contradictions and ethical dilemmas pharmacists face in their role as healthcare providers.
[The Constitutional Court's exclusion of individuals with mental illness from access to euthanasia: Reflections on judgment STC 19/2023].
de Montalvo Jääskeläinen F
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 41437696 · Publisher ↗
In 2023, the Constitutional Court addressed the debate concerning the negative dimension of the right to life that is, whether an individual may request assistance from the State to die. The Court held that the recogniti...
In 2023, the Constitutional Court addressed the debate concerning the negative dimension of the right to life that is, whether an individual may request assistance from the State to die. The Court held that the recognition of such a right is not incompatible with the right to life enshrined in Article 15 of the Spanish Constitution. However, the Court also clarified that this right is not of a general nature, but rather must be situated within a specific context: the context of euthanasia. This context is characterized by the presence of physical or psychological suffering, which must, in any case, occur within the framework of a somatic illness.
[XV International Congress of the Spanish Association of Bioethics and Medical Ethics (AEBI) held in Vigo on September 26 and 27, 2025].
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 40924895 · Publisher ↗
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
[Reflections derived from report: The Lancet commission on medicine, nazism, and the holocaust: historical evidence, implications for today, teaching for tomorrow].
Marí-Bauset S
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 40924894 · Publisher ↗
Although, in principle, the Lancet article Commission on Medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust, aims to provide medical students with a moral compass to guide the future of medical practice as a social retaining wall again...
Although, in principle, the Lancet article Commission on Medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust, aims to provide medical students with a moral compass to guide the future of medical practice as a social retaining wall against anti-Semitism, it deals with the Holocaust not from a philosophical point of view, but from a pedagogical one, resorting to didactic strategies from a historiographical approach. What seemed to be a plea against the behaviour of the Nazi doctors' experiments becomes a justification of the positive law of the liberal democracies in use. However, what it ignores is of the utmost importance: that the majority of the regime's doctors were tried and sentenced for their iniquitous actions, and yet, in contemporary Western society, an even greater danger is very much present: techno-science, which, as it stands, can once again compromise the identity, dignity and very life of the human person. Going deeper into the causes, the target of our study, and preventing their repetition means rethinking human nature from the perspective of aristotelian-thomistic thought, which is the basis of the moral laws that derive from the natural law. This moral rearmament supposes assuming, from philosophical realism, the ontological order of being, the anthropological order of being-with, insofar as reason knows as the order of ought to be, which is transmuted into an ethical order thanks to the exercise of the freedom of the human person.
[Children's brains with gender dysphoria. Effects of hormones and puberty blockers on a developing brain. An ethical approach].
López Moratalla N, Calleja A, Font M
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 40924893 · Publisher ↗
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in minors with gender dysphoria (GD) seeking transition treatments, including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. The developing child's brain exhibits structur...
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in minors with gender dysphoria (GD) seeking transition treatments, including puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. The developing child's brain exhibits structural and functional differences in children with GD compared to cisgender children, particularly in areas where sex differences exist. Brain development during childhood and adolescence is strongly influenced by sex hormones. During puberty, a significant reorganisation of the brain occurs, with changes in grey and white matter affecting cognition, emotional regulation, and socialisation. The administration of puberty blockers interferes with this process, which may have consequences on IQ, working memory,and decision-making. Treatments with puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones have both benefits and risks. Among the benefits, reducing the distress of minors by preventing the irreversible bodily changes of puberty is often cited. However, the risks include decreased bone density, potential impacts on fertility,and alterations in brain development. Recent studies indicate that puberty suppression may affect cognitive functionality and executive functions. The rise in GD diagnoses has raised concerns within the medical community. It has been observed that many minors with GD have a history of adverse childhood experiences, higher rates of anxiety and depression, and, in some cases, diagnoses within the autism spectrum. Additionally, some studies suggest that the surge in gender dysphoria diagnoses among adolescents may be influenced by social factors and exposure to digital networks. In response to the growing controversy over the effects of these treatments, some countries have restricted or banned the use of puberty blockers in minors, citing a lack of solid scientific evidence regarding their long-term safety and effectiveness. From an ethical perspective, concerns have been raised about medical practices not based on scientific evidence, the application of the principle of the child's best interests, and questions regarding minors' capacity to provide informed consent. The importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of GD is emphasised, considering alternatives that do not involve irreversible medical interventions until the minor reaches sufficient maturity to make fully informed decisions.
[Ai's use in health care and informed consent].
Pereira Sáez C
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 40924892 · Publisher ↗
The implications of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in many areas of human existence compels us to reflect on its ethical relevance. This paper addresses the signification of its use in healthcare for patient inf...
The implications of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in many areas of human existence compels us to reflect on its ethical relevance. This paper addresses the signification of its use in healthcare for patient informed consent. To this end, it first proposes an understanding of AI, as well as the basis for informed consent. Next, a fundamental question is briefly addressed: the free condition of the human person, subject both of ethics and Law. The conclusion proposed is that a use of AI respectful to the free nature of persons requires understanding it always as a tool in this case, in the service of healthcare. To ensure this is not a hollow assertion, it must be translated into a demystification of AI: It is necessary to consider and use it not as an authentic subject, a substitute for the person, but as a product or human development, taking into account that, ultimately, it is the human being who designs it and decides to use it and how. One measure that can help prevent AI personification is to ensure human intervention already in the early stages of AI system development. Trying to solve the ethical uncertainties posed by AI by requiring human intervention when the AI system is already developed and making decisions in the real life may be little more than a rubber stamp that purports to endorse what it cannot.
[The right to attention at university: Is it reasonable to ban smartphones?].
Ballesteros A
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 40924891 · Publisher ↗
Focused attention and shared attention are in crisis, which hinders the achievement of the goals of the university institution. This article reviews the possibility of recognizing a right to attention and concludes that,...
Focused attention and shared attention are in crisis, which hinders the achievement of the goals of the university institution. This article reviews the possibility of recognizing a right to attention and concludes that, in this specific context, the best way to recover attention is to prohibit the use of smartphones in class-rooms and libraries. After briefly presenting the advantages of such a ban, the article outlines objections to it, along with a response to each one.
[Bioethics and human person in the context of emerging technologies].
Postigo Solana E
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 40924890 · Publisher ↗
This article examines the ethical challenges posed by NBIC emerging and converging technologies (na-notechnology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and information technologies, and cognitive sciences) from the pers...
This article examines the ethical challenges posed by NBIC emerging and converging technologies (na-notechnology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and information technologies, and cognitive sciences) from the perspective of personalist bioethics. Their biomedical and social applications are described, high-lighting the main values at stake: dignity, life, autonomy, vulnerability, and justice. Finally, guidelines are proposed, inspired by the principles of personalist bioethics: defense of human life, therapeutic totality, responsible freedom, and justice, to ensure that technological development remains at the service of the person and the common good.
[Editor's Note: Ethical use of innovative technologies in biomedical research and healthcare].
Pastor LM
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 40924889 · Publisher ↗
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
Euthanasia and the Media in Spain (2019-2021).
Usanos RA, Massé García MC, Lorenzo Izquierdo D … +1 more , Esquerda Aresté M
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 40388334 · Publisher ↗
The regulation legal of euthanasia in Spain was preceded by an increase in media coverage. This study conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses of media coverage in the 12 most widely circulated Spanish media outle...
The regulation legal of euthanasia in Spain was preceded by an increase in media coverage. This study conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses of media coverage in the 12 most widely circulated Spanish media outlets between January 2019 and March 2021, immediately before the enactment of the law regulating euthanasia. In total, 281 news articles were examined. About 51.6% of the news articles supported euthanasia, 18.9% opposed it, and 29.5% were neutral. Qualitative analysis revealed a substantial distinction between pro- and anti-euthanasia groups. The semantic field of items in pro-euthanasia articles comprised "law," "death," "suffering," and "pain." In contrast, the semantic field of articles opposing euthanasia comprised "life," "death," "people/person," and "illness." The media predominantly favored euthanasia, albeit offering limited discussion of alternatives, such as palliative care. It is crucial to cultivate an ethical culture that empowers citizens to make end-of-life decisions based on clear-cut principles, rational reasoning, and diverse perspectives.
[Ethics of Emotions in the Face of Other's Suffering].
Serrano Martínez M
Cuad Bioet · 2025 · PMID 40388333 · Publisher ↗
Pain and suffering are physical and psychological sensations that affect people throughout life. In those who witness the suffering of others, various types of emotions may arise, making them feel connected to those who...
Pain and suffering are physical and psychological sensations that affect people throughout life. In those who witness the suffering of others, various types of emotions may arise, making them feel connected to those who are suffering with different intensity. It is important to examine which emotion brings them closer to the pain of others, because depending on which one is predominant the therapeutic and intersubjective relationship of accompaniment and help can be facilitated or interrupted. Here, we examine the different emotions that arise in the presence of suffering individuals: sorrow, pity, empathy, commiseration, compassion, and finally mercy and transcendence, and the differences among them based on interpersonal proximity.
About
- Frequency
- Sun
- Papers found
- 200
- RSS feed
- Subscribe