[Dutch Institute for Health Care Improvement's standard code of practice entitled, "Donation of fetal tissue"]. / CBO-modelreglement 'Terbeschikkingstelling van foetaal weefsel'.

The Dutch Law on Foetal Tissue (Wet Foetaal Weefsel) sets out conditions and regulations concerning the donation, storage and permissibility of use of foetal tissue. Each institution where foetal tissue becomes available has to formulate an in-house code of conduct describing how the law will be applied within that institution. A committee, including abortion physicians and gynaecologists, has formulated a number of rules of conduct within the standard code of conduct under the auspices of the Kwaliteitsinstituut voor de Gezondheidszorg CBO [Dutch Institute for Healthcare Improvement]. Complying with this standard code ensures that the law is upheld. In clinical practice, one may deviate from this standard code in case of solid reasons only. Generally, all women can be asked to donate foetal tissue. A basic prerequisite for the inclusion of non-Dutch women is that oral and written communication is possible. The committee considers the age of 16 as a minimum threshold and mental incompetence as an exclusion criterion. Much attention should be paid to providing the women with information and to requesting permission. The basic principle is that the decision to terminate a pregnancy should be strictly separated from the decision to donate foetal tissue. As a general rule, foetal tissue should be stored anonymously. Adjustment of the abortion method in view of the intended scientific research is not permitted.

[Towards a more humane care for the elderly. Ethical reflection]. / Naar een meer menslievende ouderenzorg. Een ethische reflectie.

Care for the elderly needs not only attention, but also reflection. Every future scenario points at a great increase in number and proportion of the elderly. Most discussions focus on (scarcity of) resources and their allocation. In other words: discussions on means. But first, a reflection on values and goals is needed. In this article possible goals for elder care are discussed. Is 'to become as old as possible' a goal worth aiming for? The older we get, the longer the period of morbidity may be, and all we may get are more illness years. If, on the other hand, the goal is to grow old in a healthy way', isn't then health care for the elderly in a way 'too late in the day'? Is the improvement of global (physical, mental and social) well-being of the elderly a realistic goal in the domain of health care? The question arises which motives and values play a part in such goals, especially when the goal is to keep elderly 'active and self-supporting as long as possible'. This article pleads for a moral progress in the care for the elderly. What old people need most, is time, attention and interest from the people around them.