The future of life.Leon Kass's anti-cloning slogan, "Shallow are the souls that have forgotten how to shudder" ("Bioethics bioethics, in philosophy, a branch of ethics concerned with issues surrounding health care and the biological sciences. These issues include the morality of abortion, euthanasia, in vitro fertilization, and organ transplants (see transplantation, medical). , Bush Style," by Nina Siegal, May issue), invites this reply: Narrow are the souls that cannot comprehend that different souls shudder at different things. I shudder at the thought of being denied life-saving technology because it violates Kass's particular conception of dignity. Felicia Nimue Ackerman Providence, Rhode Island  “Providence” redirects here. For other uses, see Providence (disambiguation). Providence is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. Rather than debate whether the ideas of Leon Kass Leon Kass (born February 12 1939) is an American bioethicist, best known as a leader in the effort to stop human embryonic stem cell and cloning research as former chair of the President's Council on Bioethics from 2002–2005.[1] He obtained S.B. and M.D. on embryo cloning support the progressive agenda or not, Nina Siegal resorts to a McCarthyist form of guilt by association Noun 1. guilt by association - the attribution of guilt (without proof) to individuals because the people they associate with are guilty guilt, guiltiness - the state of having committed an offense . She assumes that Kass's ideas must be opposed because some right-wing groups like them or because he talks to conservatives. Well, some of us progressives support some of what he does, too. Today's biotech barons are attempting to enclose the global commons Global commons is that which no one person or state may own or control and which is central to life. A Global Common contains an infinite potential with regard to the understanding and advancement of the biology and society of all life. e.g. of life. They want exclusive control of plants, animals, and now even human genes and human embryos and their stem cells stem cells, unspecialized human or animal cells that can produce mature specialized body cells and at the same time replicate themselves. Embryonic stem cells are derived from a blastocyst (the blastula typical of placental mammals; see embryo), which is very young . Like railroad barons, they lobby their friends in government to get them to turn over our common resources. They seek patents and government funding to help them in this new enclosure of the commons. They even argue that their theft is progress. Progressives should not move into the "technological change=growth= progress" camp, and The Progressive should not endorse technologies without examining their effects on justice for all groups and the future of life itself. When biotechnologists with an economic stake in these technologies make exaggerated health claims, progressives must question their claims as much as we question those of plant and animal genetic engineers. Robert Lanza, of Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., should be viewed with the same suspicion as the CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Monsanto or Wal-Mart. He has a strong economic interest in his claims. His company needs investors and holds patents that would control this research. We should not dismiss these claims outright, but we should examine the claims and see if they hold up, see if they support a more progressive position, not swallow them whole and fund them with public funds. Siegal accepts Lanza's assertion that embryo cloning will cure a variety of diseases, including Alzheimer's--when no animal data suggests that a cure for Alzheimer's will be found through embryo cloning. Human embryonic stem cells only were isolated in 1998. Siegal also quotes bioethicist Arthur Caplan's excitement, but not his warning that in this research we should avoid past mistakes related to genetic research. And Siegal declares that Massachusetts Governor Romney is opposed to embryonic stem cell research when he actually opposed not embryonic stem cell research, but the cloning of embryos. In effect, her article is a sideways defense of embryonic cloning, not stem cell stem cell In living organisms, an undifferentiated cell that can produce other cells that eventually make up specialized tissues and organs. There are two major types of stem cells, embryonic and adult. research per se. As progressives, we should not debate in code, but with the whole truth. Jaydee Hanson Director for Human Genetics Human genetics A discipline concerned with genetically determined resemblances and differences among human beings. Technological advances in the visualization of human chromosomes have shown that abnormalities of chromosome number or structure are surprisingly Policy International Center for Technology Assessment Washington, D. C. |
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