A Comparative Study of Religious and Disability Studies Approaches to Bioethical Issues

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K02183
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Religious studies
• Research Institution: Tottori University
• Principal Investigator: ANDO Yasunori 鳥取大学, 医学部, 准教授 (70283992)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 生命倫理問題 / 誕生と死 / いのち / 宗教 / スピリチュアリティ / 障害者運動 / 障害学 / 生命倫理学批判

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Regarding bioethical issues, especially those concerning birth and death, there are similarities between the religious approach and the disability studies approach in that they criticize the emphasis on procedural "self-determination" in existing bioethics and consider "seikatsu" and "inochi" as a whole, as well as in that they criticize views unique to medicine and the eugenics ideology hidden therein. On the other hand, the disability studies approach criticizes the discourse on the seeking a "good death" as crushing the lives of people with disabilities, while the religious approach, which has taught "awareness of death" and "acceptance of death," is more lenient on this point. A comparison of the two approaches calls for further reflection on the plurality and pluralism of "interested parties" in bioethical issues.

Free Research Field

生命倫理・死生学・宗教学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は生命倫理問題における宗教的アプローチと障害学的アプローチの比較についての初の本格的研究であり、複数の分野で学術的意義を有する。医療や福祉、生命倫理などにおける宗教的な物の見方の意義に焦点を当てる本研究は、宗教学における近年のスピリチュアリティ研究や社会貢献研究を引き継ぎ、発展させる。生命倫理学における医学・医療的な物の見方の相対化という面では、生命倫理学にも寄与するところが多く、障害学や障害者運動に対しても別方向からの視点を提供しえるものである。コロナ禍で「いのちの選別」が問われる社会的状況のなかでさまざまな立場の研究者、当事者、支援者との議論・対話を進める上での社会的意義も大きい。