The aim of this article is to analyse the role of metaphors for the infertile body in the context of assisted reproduction, using conceptual metaphor theory as a framework, and to evaluate the moral significance of these metaphors. This sub-study is part of a larger study examining the biosafety practices of new biotechnologies in Latvia. In the sub-study, special attention was paid to metaphors used by assisted reproductive technology users, egg donors and experts. It can be concluded that not only (...) does the infertility experience influence the choice of metaphors, but the use of certain metaphors can also change the infertility experience. In this process the practice of infertility treatment and the meaning of the body are socially and culturally shaped. The main groups of metaphors for the infertile body discovered through interview analysis are: order/disorder, the body as a resource, the body as a container, the body as a project, and anthropomorphization of gametes. (shrink)

The aim of this article is to analyse the role of metaphors for the infertile body in the context of assisted reproduction, using conceptual metaphor theory as a framework, and to evaluate the moral significance of these metaphors. This sub-study is part of a larger study examining the biosafety practices of new biotechnologies in Latvia. In the sub-study, special attention was paid to metaphors used by assisted reproductive technology users, egg donors and experts. It can be concluded that not only (...) does the infertility experience influence the choice of metaphors, but the use of certain metaphors can also change the infertility experience. In this process the practice of infertility treatment and the meaning of the body are socially and culturally shaped. The main groups of metaphors for the infertile body discovered through interview analysis are: order/disorder, the body as a resource, the body as a container, the body as a project, and anthropomorphization of gametes. (shrink)

In this paper, I argue that women who experience fibromyalgia may find themselves in a double bind. They may feel the need to describe their pain as extreme weakness or violence to convince health care providers and loved ones of the severity of it, but having to describe themselves repeatedly in these ways may be internalized and lead to a diminished sense of agency, especially in a culture that already systematically denigrates the strength and credibility of women.

This study is a contribution to Chinese-Western dialogue of bioethics but perhaps the first one of its kind. From a Chinese-Western comparative ethical perspective, this work brings Chinese ethical theories, especially Confucian ethics, into a contemporary context of the epidemic of HIV/AIDS, and to see how the deeply-rooted thoughts of Confucius interact, compete, or integrate with concepts from Western ethical traditions. An underlying belief is that some ideas in Confucian ethics are important and insightful beyond their cultural and historical origins (...) in China and other Confucianism influenced societies.Methodologically, this thesis employs two approaches, conceptual normative analysis combined with critical interpretation. The ‘interpretive’ approach I employ, as an important methodology supplementing my normative analysis, not only deals with Chinese ancient texts, but also explains specific beliefs and practices in China.With a critical eye, this thesis carefully examines a number of key topics in the ethics of AIDS in China from a cross-cultural perspective. Topics including: views on personhood and the vulnerability of People Living with HIV/AIDS; prioritising and balancing the role of ‘harm reduction’ and the role of ‘eradication of deviant behaviour’ in AIDS policy in China; rights-based opt-out approach and duty-based family-centred approach in HIV testing and Biobanking; blood donation; moral responsibility and personal responsibility for health; and the popular rhetoric of ‘innocent infection’ versus ‘guilty infection’ in AIDS. My overall aim in this work is to present a cross-cultural bioethics study through the investigation of some ethical issues in AIDS in China from a Chinese-Western comparative perspective and also attempt to suggest a humane and effective policy for HIV/AIDS which I believe is appropriate to both traditions. I believe this work has contributed to our knowledge in three related but independent areas: the control of the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in China; medical ethics in China; and to both the methods and the utility of cross-cultural study of bioethics between China and the West. (shrink)

The aim of this study was to explore metaphors for discovering values and norms held by nurses in home-based nursing care. Ten interviews were analysed and interpreted in accordance with a metaphor analytical method. In the analysis, metaphoric linguistic expressions and two entailments emerged, grounded in the conceptual metaphor ‘home-based nursing care is an endless journey’, which were created in a cross-domain mapping between the two conceptual domains of home-based nursing care and travel. The metaphor exposed home-based nursing care as (...) being in constant motion, thereby requiring nurses to adjust to circumstances that demand ethical maturity. The study focuses on the importance of developing further theories supporting nurses’ expressions of their experiences of everyday ethical issues. (shrink)

Background: Metaphors are often used within the context of ethics and healthcare but have hardly been explored in relation to moral reasoning. Objective: To describe a central set of metaphors in one case and to explore their contribution to moral reasoning. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 parents of a child suffering from the neurodegenerative disease CLN3. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and metaphors were analyzed. The researchers wrote memos and discussed about their analyses until they reached consensus. Ethical (...) considerations: Participants gave oral and written consent and their confidentiality and anonymity were respected. Findings: A central set of metaphors referred to the semantic field of the hands and arms and consisted of two central metaphors that existed in a dialectical relationship: grasping versus letting go. Participants used these metaphors to describe their child’s experiences, who had to “let go” of abilities, while “clinging” to structures and the relationship with their parent(s). They also used it to describe their own experiences: participants tried to “grab” the good moments with their child and had to “let go” of their child when (s)he approached death. Participants, in addition, “held” onto caring for their child while being confronted with the necessity to “let go” of this care, leaving it to professional caregivers. Discussion: The ethical analysis of the findings shows that thinking in terms of the dialectical relationship between “grasping” and “letting go” helps professional caregivers to critically think about images of good care for children with CLN3. It also helps them to bear witness to the vulnerable, dependent, and embodied nature of the moral self of children with CLN3 and their parents. Conclusion: Metaphorical reasoning may support the inclusion of marginalized perspectives in moral reasoning. Future studies should further explore the contribution of metaphorical reasoning to moral reasoning in other cases. (shrink)