Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Yakk
Where, exactly, is the "collateral damage" in taking discarded human cells, and using it?
The cells are going to be killed. You may object to the process that led to cells going to be killed, but once you have some being who has no ability to think, is doomed to die, and has useful organs or cells -- where is the ethical problem with harvesting it?
You do know that what I described is the source of almost all human organ transplants.
|
There may be a very good point here. Two caveats:
1. The cells that "are going to be killed" - are they to be killed because they can no longer be implanted successfully, or killed by request or for storage issues? If it's one of the latter two, then I don't see the inevitability that you do. I would argue that destruction of cells with a potential future should not be allowed. And that just goes back to my problem with in vitro in general. If it's the former, though, then I'm close to agreeing with you.
2. The only remaining problem I'd have - and I'm undecided on this - is that I might still oppose the use of the embryos because it could encourage/increase the creation of nonviable embryos. Tossing that around in my head right now.