The AMA House of Delegates is being asked to approve ethical guidelines for animal to human transplants when it meets in Florida this month. By Vida Foubister , AMNews staff. Dec. 11, 2000. The Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs made that recommendation and several others in a report on the ethical implications of animal to human transplantation that will be presented to the House of Delegates at this month's Interim Meeting.
Xenotransplantation has the potential of opening up a new pool of organs to draw from.
CEJA members don't believe the barriers to this technology are insurmountable. Still, they conclude that the public health risk is great enough to warrant that unique steps be taken. However, requiring patients to waive their right to withdraw from a clinical trial isn't believed to be enforceable ethically or legally. It's a fundamental right to be able to withdraw from research when you want to. Currently, the thrust of this research is focused on pig organs.