|
I don't think many will be able to understand the subtleties of the argument. What is the difference between a blastocyst, a zygote, an embryo and a foetus, for example?
I think one of the conundrums here is differentiating between human life and potential for human life. I believe the Catholic church is one of the few organizations (or movements etc) that has, at least, a consistent approach to this. If we were to argue against unnaturally terminating or preventing the develoment of a human life, then we should also oppose artificial birth control. Bush and his supporters, and I presume the majority of anti-cloning advocates in the US, do not oppose birth control, but at least the Catholic church does.
Now, personally, I don't subscribe to the Bush position or the Catholic position (though I was raised a Catholic and generally follow its moral teachins, if not its dogma). I support stem cell research, and the cloning of blastocysts if necessary. It may seem harsh, but I honestly don't imbue equal value into a two to three cell collection of human tissue as I do to a fully formed conscious human being.
Mr Mephisto
|