Charlie:
This reminds me of a question I had about animal research (1970's).
I was working in a heart research lab at the time and we had
accomplished some successful advances, and even more routine
work that wasn't productive. I was feeling heavy about all the dogs
(and other animals) we had sacrificed for medical research.
I had an opportunity to talk to a wise man--whose philosophy I trusted.
I asked him if it was "morally" ok to kill animals for research?
His response was an explanation and examples from the
perspective of "value" and "value creation".
Consider the "value" of life for:
1) a wild dog run over in the street
2) a pet
3) an animal eaten for food
4) a research animal
What he said next actually touched my real question--
Did I want to be the one who killed animals?
I continued on at the lab and treated all animals I was in charge of
humanely and with respect. I made sure none suffered (adequate
anesthesia ,etc...), or was wasted, and tried to set a good example.
Eventually things opened up elsewhere and I moved on with no
regrets. I had started out as a Senior Technician and was offered
Scientist to stay (I didn't).
Later, in a cytogenetics lab we studied (and provided genetic information
to parents) of POC's (Products of Conception)[ spontaneously aborted
fetuses]. So I know what it takes to make a cell line from "tissue".
At some point death occurs. Some of these POCs had been "dead"
for days, but, still there were viable cells that could start a culture.
Excuse me...I ramble.
I believe that discarding excess fetuses from In Vitro fertilization
is a waste and "anti-value".
I also think that there a lot of ways of obtaining stem cells.
Hopefully, stem cells found in adults will be a productive area of research
and will circumvent the fetal stem cell blockade.
Thanks for you listing of the alternatives below.
snipped
> In the case of stem cell research the embryos are taken from IVF couples.
> They are conceived outside of the womb and then implanted allowing childless
> couples to conceive.. Some of the embryos are left over and would be
> destroyed. Given this situation would you 1) Use the embryo's for research
> and the development of cell lines, 2) throw the embryos out (and therefore
> in your view kill a human being that already exists 3) See the embryos as
> people and demand that they have the full rights of every human being and
> that they be implanted in someone to carry them to term, 4) Ban IVF all
> together and do with the problem (and prevent the birth of many wanted
> children who would have been produced by that method.)
>
>
snipped
Charles T. Meyer, M.D.
> Middleton (Madison), Wisconsin
> [log in to unmask]
> ********************************************************
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Ray Strand
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...on the edge of the prairie abyss ......................
