January 19, 2005
Proponents of Embryonic Stem Cell Harvesting
Prothesis links to an insightful article related to the ethics of embryonic stem cell research. The author separates the ESC research proponents into two groups. The first believes that the embryo becomes a "person" at some undefined point in the continuum of development.
They appeal to our moral sentiments in claiming that 8-cell embryos should be available for research while 8-pound babies should not be. And they assert that somewhere along the way usable embryos become inviolable infants, even if we cannot say exactly when. But this sensibility—which may be true—is not very rational. It is surely not a scientific argument grounded in biology, but a moral feeling about who is equal and who is not. The scientists are often the mystics, even if they would never admit it.
It was the mystic who I targeted in the poll at the right side of this blog by asking the question, "A human life worth protecting begins when ...?" Since my readership tends to be conservative, 60% of respondents said the point of personhood is at conception. However, a number of individuals differed, selecting the point of viability outside the womb or at the first heart beat. What worries me is that 20 out of 330 said they believed the point of personhood is birth. The point, though, is that once the embryo is not considered human, the point at which personhood is believed to occur is ill-defined and arbitrary.
The second category of ESC research supporters reject the proposition that humans have equal worth.
This view does not abandon reason to follow sentiment; rather, it attacks the very premise that dignity is intrinsic rather than conditional. It attacks the first principle of equality upon which modern democracy is based. It dissents from the idea that “all men are created equal.”
The author of this statement rightfully expresses his distress at this point. Imagine a world in which the majority determine the valuation of the minority. ESC research is an easy entry for this philosophy because the minority do not have a voice.
More on this topic here and here.
Posted January 19, 2005 1:40 AM
