英文摘要 |
Stem cell research is a field that has attracted considerable scientific, financial investment and attention in China. It is also a field surrounded by ethical controversies and policy developments concerning cloning, the moral status of human embryos, sourcing of human embryos for research. However, the fact that the domains of life sciences in China are still seriously underdeveloped in infrastructural, policy, legal and ethical terms has prompted different explanations and debates. Some argue that this lag can be understood as expressing the need for reforms, supporting Chinese efforts to implement a policy of modernization. Others refer to a"technological imperative" that is deeply ingrained in China’s politics and ideology, especially in the areas of population and biomedicine policy. In spite of such biased assumptions, Chinese policy makers were recognized that the discontinuation of political interference with the sciences was essential for their survival, and have adopted a view that regards a sound system of legal regulations and bioethical guidelines as a strategic advantage in the competitions of the global and regional markets of life sciences. Chinese bioethicists find themselves torn between the necessity to re-create a fully-fledged regulatory policy framework that would also accommodate China’s culture and aspirations to become global players in the life sciences. The result is a top-down approach in bioethics, embodied newly formulated notions of Chinese society and created on behalf of the people. This research examines efforts to develop systems of science governance in the field of stem cell research and how these relate to the cultural contexts of the country in question. This includes, on the one hand, deliberative efforts to determine what constitutes scientifically sound and ethically appropriate stem cell research, and on the other, regulatory efforts to establish rigorous systems of ethical and stem cell research. |