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.)
I thought it would be interesting and fun to take the pulse of the readers of Secondhand Smoke. So, I devised a poll to see what y'all think about some of the most important and contentious bioethical issues of the day.
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 8:36 PM
15 Comments
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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15 Comments:
I should have included an "All of the Above" and a "None of the Above." Next time.
I picked human cloning as that seems both likely and not nebulous. Despite the technological problems, I bet that will happen sooner than you think. Too many rogue scientists want the popularity that would come with it, despite the many ethical concerns.
Suicide clinics "on demand" are probably likely, but what is "on demand." Some might argue that it is currently happening.
The others I don't think are likely.
Anyone wishing to explain their votes are encouraged to do so.
For clarification, what do you mean by "fetal farming?"
Do you mean in vitro style growing fetuses outside of a womb and using that as an organ bank? Or, do you mean abortions and using the fetal tissue for tranplant?
If the former, I doubt that'll happen ever, based on the technological hindrances.
If the latter, then I think it will occur very soon, if not already happening, in the like of China or North Korea.
By fetal farming I mean intentionally creating embryos, not for birth, but for gestation to the fetal stage (whether in natural or artificial enviroments) and use in research, organ procurement, etc.
I was balanced between the chimp's being declared a person and the suicide clinic but went for the latter. I assumed you meant more than just some one wacko court's declaring the chimp a person. I suppose that might happen in California any day now, but it would be overturned pretty fast. And as for the suicide clinic, don't they already have those in one European country or more? Switzerland, I seem to recall? The question didn't specify the U.S., but even if it had, the fact that something's already being done in Europe is a pretty good bellwether when we're talking about 20 full years of U.S. time.
Lydia: There is a private suicide clining called Dignitas in Switzerland. It isn't explicitly legalized but we are well on that path. Plus, the Netherlands now permits the depressed to be euthanized.
Re the Chimps: Spain may pass a law declaring them to be persons in the near future.
A guardian ad litum for animals or nature in general? That won't happen in the fed system, but maybe a state. I'd support it for the general environment, but probably not individual animals, for after all, we give "personhood" to corporations. The voice of Nature and environment is surely outvoiced and far more important, than corporations.
Actually, my Naderite leanings would remove artificial personhood from corporations. Why should an organization have freedom of speech, for example. Individuals should have freedom of speech. But that is beyond the scope of this Weblog.
gwenhwyfar: It is already happening. They are screening out and destroying embryos because they might have a propensity to adult onset cancer.
Better chimps than rats!
They're next!
After that it will probably be the cockroaches and all pesticides will be outlawed.
DDT was and millions of African children paid the price by dying from malaria.
You are more pessimistic than I am. I think we will see fetal farming, unless we can convince people to outlaw all cloning, when there is an artificial womb, say in ten years or so. The same arguments being made today, will be made then. And the hope will be to cure Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's because I doubt ES cells will--unless adult stem cells have already done the job.
I think suicide clinics may not happen here. I think they will overseas.
I think a few countries will begin declaring chimps to be persons within 5 years, probably starting with Spain.
I don't think ES cells will provide most of the cures being touted today. I think they will be valued more for basic research.
If human cloning can be done--if we are lucky, it can't be--the first cloned baby will be born within ten years.
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