This Blog considers assisted suicide/euthanasia, bioethics, human cloning, biotechnology, radical environmentalism, and the dangers of animal rights/liberation. My views expressed here, as in my books and other writings, reflect my understanding that the philosophy of human exceptionalism is the bedrock of universal human rights. Or, to put it another way: human life matters. (The opinions expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of any organization with which I am affiliated.)
There is so much that could be written about this. But, I will just point out that the same dehumanizing, commodifying activity could be unleashed if there is ever widespread human cloning. The need for millions of eggs could result in a the exploitation of women for their eggs, or the selling of executed prisoner's ovaries for the follicles.
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 10:06 AM
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I am a Senior Fellow in Human Rights and Bioethics at the Discovery Institute and the author of 12 books, including A Rat Is A Pig Is A Dog Is A Boy, which is relevant to the issues considered by this blog.
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1 Comments:
Mr. Smith, complex medical procedures like organ transplant is not free in China, either.
I'm sure you are aware of the "wallet biopsy" problem in our own transplant industry - where the uninsured are left out of wait lists and the wealthy receivs organs in days. Does this prove we too are selling organs?
Are there cases of abuse, illegal harvesting in China? Of course there is, in light of the fact even in America where organ donation is more accepted, there exist cases of abuse, illegal harvesting (such as the case of Michael Mastromarino.)
Weither organs were obtained with consent, China's law is clear that sale of organ is prohibited, and consent must be given before a drop of blood can be taken, including death row inmantes who petition to donate organ (often as last act of redemption, following China's cultural and religious foundation.)
The opinion of various organ sharing organizations is that death row inmantes could donate organ, provided that "informed consent" exists by the doner, or next of kin.
As you know, there have been legislative proposals addressing this issue in US and beyond. Governments have debated over organ donation by the condemned in US(Arizona, Missouri), Canada, Australia, England.
In some EU states with "presumed consent" legislation enacted, even dead people can consent to organ donation! Loved ones are coerced into believing consent is possible at this point, thru "bereavement support" imposed by the state.
The reality is the issue of organ donation, especially when crossing the cultural divide, is not only debatable in China, it is debatable even in the western world.
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