Regulating bone transplants: Thoughts on the moral, political and economic aspects of a technology

Abstract

This article explores moral, political and economic aspects of the regulation of bone transplants. It is argued that EU and Danish legislation attempt regulating through a relatively narrow medical understanding of the knowledge relevant for practising the technology. Thereby a number of factors are ignored despite their relevance for what is done in practice. Also, a number of moral implications of the technology and its regulation remain unattended to. Greater understanding of the issues at stake for health professionals and patients might create enhanced coherence between the official regulation and what people do in practice.