TONY ON EMBRYOS AND OTHER NEWS
Posted by anthonynorth on September 11, 2007
THOUGHTS FROM A COMMON MAN
News and comment LATEST: Is new embryo creation a ruse to begin the slippery slope? … PLUS … New ‘national service’ idea is a joke; Church fears new equality bill.
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GENETICS AND THE SLIPPERY SLOPE
Okay, it seems like they’ve done it. Stem cells will be produced, in the UK, by extracting genetic material from a human, and placing it in an animal egg stripped of it own genetic material.
The resultant embryo will not be human, so will not require the moral debate that has raged over production of stem cells from human embryos. With such stem cells – which can be grown into whatever cell is required – research can begin on a number of illnesses.
I’m always torn two ways in this subject.
Yes, I want cures for illnesses, but I am also aware of the dangers of going too deeply into tampering with our genetic make-up. I won’t resurrect the debate here, but point out a disturbing process in this latest move.
Was it really done to produce stem cells alone – as I’m aware, there are easier ways? No. I suspect the real reason was to move into embryonic research in a way acceptable to people, so that next time, when the research becomes more fundamental, they can say:
‘Well, you allowed this?’
Welcome to the slippery slope, Dr Frankenstein.
© Anthony North, September 2007
MAMBY PAMBY NATIONAL SERVICE
David Cameron has called for a new form of national service, with 16 year olds volunteering for a six week course in charity work, physical exercise and citizenship, etc. I sometimes despair of modern politics …
… read more …
THE CHURCH STRIKES BACK
The Church of England is at last beginning a fight back against the Single Equality Bill, which deprives the Church the right to speak out against homosexuality and could force Church charities to remove blessings and the crucifix …
… read more …
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BEYOND THE BLOG 
renaissanceguy said
I’m with you about genetic research.
The truth is that stem cells from bone marrow, including the patients own bone marrow, and from umbilical cord blood is being used successfully to treat and cure many diseases. Why not expand on successful, noncontroversial research instead of looking into unproven and highly questionable research.
What, in the history of science and technology, gives us any confidence that weird scientists won’t delve into all kinds of eerie things–simply because they can? Let’s at least slow down the descent, if we can.
anthonynorth said
Hi renaissanceguy,
It isn’t so much the science that is the problem. I think if there is something to find out, we must find out. The problem comes in what, from science, we continue as technology.
Science is, at its base, a discipline that asks ‘can we’, and ignores ‘should we.’ But in transferring to technology, the latter question must be asked, and the moral implications analysed.
At the moment, the question asked is, ‘what is the profit?’ And I worry that that question is also becoming predominant in deciding what science is done in the first place.
And that’s when it gets scary.