Posted by Darius Uible on May 19, 1999 at 12:20:17:
In Reply to: Re: Are there no supporters out there? posted by Anna on May 18, 1999 at 21:38:18:
: So you like to argue. Cool, same here. First I'd like to address the cloning of organs. The process you mentioned is one of two. Using the other method does not include embryos. I am not opposed to this method. I am, however, opposed to any technology which requires the abortion of embryos to offer organ donations to already existing humans. I don't know what your beliefs are, but I believe that embryos are people. Killing embryos to give patients organs is unacceptable. I do not condone this method under any circustances. Before you think me fanatically and mercilous, though, I would like you to know that there are alternatives. No, I'm not refering to xenotransplants. I'm refering to two other methods. They have not been formally named, but I'll refer to them as the biodegradable platform method and the growth factor method. Neither of these methods involve cloning, the DNA still matches that of the patient, and these methods are already in use. One use, the regrowth of blood vessels, is beyond the potential of cloning. If you want more information read Scientific American's April 1999 article titled: Growing New Organs. This is a website, but I don't know the address. I'm sorry.
: I should probably let you know that I'm a Catholic Christian. That will influence my ideas, but I believe that morality can be logically found in life. Therefore I'll leave doctrine out of this (unless you want to talk about it) and speak of universal moral truth.
: Now for the subject of cloning whole humans. We have no right to decide a single person's genetically determined characteristics. If you believe in God, how would you feel knowing that he had no part in deciding your genetically determined characteristics? How would you feel knowing that an imperfect being decided how you would look, how smart you would be, or whether or not you would be athletic. Humans can't understand or control themselves. Deciding other's genetically determined characteristics is outside our jurisdiction.
: The only weak link in this is using genetic engineering to eliminate genetic diseases. I will mention that this could be accomplished through changing genes, not copying them. It's still a question for me though.
: That's all for now. f you have any info, let me know.
Awesome. I've been dying for a respons. Thanks. First off, I don't believe in God. But that's not really what influences my opinion. When you mention feelings about God not having a part in your genetic makeup, you fail to realize that there is very little random chance in your genetic makeup. Any parent is only capable of making a certain number of different gametes. So you then have the chances of these different gametes meeting in conception. But here's the catch, once you have the two gametes, the resulting embryo is completely predictable. If you really wanted to, you could peer into these genes and tell exactly how they're going to act. So all you're really arguing is that you want that random chance of which two gametes will meet. That's quite a small argument to wager. And I am familiar with the organ regeneration studies which you are referring to. However, it's not always possible yet. Encouraging cells to suddenly start dividing when they're technically not supposed to is incredibly difficult. Yes, blood vessels are being encouraged to grow down preset tubes and join in the mdidle. It's exciting research. However, there is no cloning organ creation that inolves killing embryos. The process simply doesn't go that way. Once you get a single cell, you bombard it with the correct chemicals to convince it that it's in a grown body and that its job is to grow into a particular organ. On the topic of embryos being people, all I can say is that I disagree. That's a hard one to argue over the net. but I simply call an ambryo up to the first three or four divisions simply a ball of cells. It's so far from a human that I just don't make the connection. Ok, I've got to go, But keep it up.