Medical Advance??

[jon_forward]

IMHO....when we start to mess with the very thing we as a living being come from...there has to be a line that isnt crossed...and the line needs to be established..I am not against progress per-say.....but this could turn into a bad thing...very bad..

 

[wonderwench]

That is a rather apocalyptic view. Even if a small amount of cloning is done, the overwhelming number of humans will continue to be created the good old fashioned way.

Research to solve diseases will do nothing to impact natural procreation, except perhaps to provide a way for infertile couples to correct their problems so they can have natural children.

 

[jon_forward]

I ALREADY HAVE A CLONE.....his name is jim and he is my twin bro.... and that is the only way cloning should be allowed...because I believe wether conception happens the old fashioned way: or in a pet're dish , once the cells start to divide a human life is formed...and with it a soul...

 

[wonderwench]

Then jon, as much as we agree on other topics, we will have to agree to disagree on this one. I don't share that belief.

 

[Moi]

Originally posted by wonderwench
For those who claim that we shouldn't mess with mother nature:

How do you feel about anti-biotics?
How do you feel about surgery to correct cleft palettes?
How do you feel about eye glasses and contact lenses?
How do you feel about organ transplants?

We live longer than our ancestors precisely because we have used our cognitive and conceptual abilities to create medical technology which prolongs life and makes it healthier.

I have no problems with this type of research. If someday, my heart is failing and a new organ can be grown to save my life - fabulous. It is entirely plausible that organs can be grown without having to harvest them from another human.

The analogy of living longer by blinding babies is specious. Nobody in their right mind advocates forcibly ending a life to save another. A hundred cells is not a human life.

My husband is a Type I diabetic. If he could receive a new pancrease or platelette cells to cure his diabetes, I would be overjoyed. Without research, this will never happen.

I don't think it is at all specious that someday there will have to be a choice made between life and quality of life for others. I didn't say that people would kill I said that they would be willing to reduce the quality of life of others just so some would live. It is already the case. Drug resistant bacteria, staph infections, pneumonia, etc. are all consequences of ridiculous attempts to cure everything. The fact that your husband has diabetes is, of course, deserved of sympathy and I'm not sure anyone would purposesy inflict someone with a disease- I certainly wouldn't. However, screwing around with biology always has consequences. It is short sided to think that medical advances don't come with cost. Yes, it is better for the person with that disease, yes. But biologically, there is a price to pay. And I don't think that we as a society should have to pay for them.

As for your questions about how we feel about certain medical treatments, I assure you that the medical profession is the first one I think of when someone makes the comment "it's a slippery slope". The noble goals of reducing suffering have become bastardized into so many other things. The amount of time and money that we spend on such medical advances will always be a double edged sword- and only time will tell when the other side of the sword irreparably cuts humanity. I think we are almost there. I think it's time to reign in the god complex some scientists have.

 

[jon_forward]

Originally posted by wonderwench
Then jon, as much as we agree on other topics, we will have to agree to disagree on this one. I don't share that belief.

 

[Aquarian]

What gets me most on this topic is hearing repeatedly that there are ethical questions surrounding cloning but rarely hearing anything about what those questions are. Somebody should come up with a list of the questions that need answering and they should be debated until a clear consensus is acheived. Perhaps that is already happening somewhere, but the mainstream stops at the 'there are questions' line.

 

[wonderwench]

IMO, the only ethical question about cloning is whether a life is destroyed to save another. That would be murder.

I have also heard hysteria that "vat grown" people would be considered second class humans. But they wouldn't be if we applied the equal protection clause of the Constitution.

Much of the objections are religious in nature - not legal.

 

[rtwngAvngr]

Is it killing embryos? yes.

Is it going to happen? yes.

I have to side with bully and his djinn theory on this one.

And the vat grown people will be perfect. I just hope they're not liberals.

 

[jon_forward]

Originally posted by rtwngAvngr


And the vat grown people will be perfect. I just hope they're not liberals.

remember that commercail that was on the super bowl several years ago..I think it was apples.....bunch of mindless sods plodding along..... Bingo....

 

[rtwngAvngr]

Originally posted by jon_forward
remember that commercail that was on the super bowl several years ago..I think it was apples.....bunch of mindless sods plodding along..... Bingo....

If the government creates them they will be libs for sure.

Who wants to help me, Big D and William Joyce create a right wing clone army in sandpoint?

 

[jon_forward]

an army...just like anything else is only as strong as its weakest link...in this case the army would be missing some links...

 

[rtwngAvngr]

Originally posted by jon_forward
an army...just like anything else is only as strong as its weakest link...in this case the army would be missing some links...

Or do you mean "will be comprised of missing links"?

 

[jon_forward]

works both ways for me..

 

[Moi]

One more reason for me to be glad that I don't live in NJ. I can at least respect that people have different beliefs than I. However, I cannot understand or condone a government using tax dollars for this type of activity.

I just don't understand how the same people who don't think that a government has the right to spend money on "morality" based issues can force those of us who are opposed to this type of research to spend our money on it.

The amount of hypocrisy in this country is startling. Unfortunately, the scale continues to lean on the liberal side.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/21/nyregion/21jersey.html