Rob:
> The issue of cloning a person's cells to save them (eg embyronic stem
> cell research) is another issue entirely. It's sacrificing the life a
> biological person for the life of a biological, social, intellectual
> and spiritual person. It seems clear to me that it's falls under the
> doctors vs. germs agrument. By killing one single celled organsism, if
> you can save the living person and their ideas, it is the moral
> choice.
Bo:
These are - as you say Rob - tough issues. A "biological person"? If for
instance a clone is to be a spare part "bank" it has to be a grown-up
individual
and will naturally share our social and intellectual universe (might even be
a
Pirsig fan!!) unless brain-damaged on purpose and that will be impossible by
all means and levels.
Bo
If you take it to that extreme. Technically a single embryonic cell IS a
biological human organism. Within that cell is all the genetic information
of the whole human anatomy. So whether you kill that one cell or kill a
foetus or kill a full grown adult, you are killing a biological person. What
is in their heads is what makes all the other levels. As you said, a brain
dead person would be on the same level as a single cell, and I agree. And we
already make that moral decision allowing the donation of organs from brain
dead individuals (eg in a auto accident but the body is still alive, organ
donor cards), so single celled organisms should be on the same moral level.
Thus, it should be equally moral to save the living with live embryonic
cells as to save the living with live cells from brain dead individuals. In
either case there is no loss of social or intellectual quality.
Purposely damaging a live clone's brain once it has reached that level,
however would be sacrificing the social and intellectual levels of the clone
to save the social and intellectual levels of the "original" which would be
unacceptable.
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