Half human, half sheep?
The UK Government has given the go-ahead on scientists creating part human, part animal embryo’s.
I find the concept chilling.
I get why they’re doing it. It’s to take stem cells, which can be transformed into any other kind of cell, an ability which is unique to stem cells, and use them to study diseases. I just find the idea of a part human part animal embryo terrifying.
I have to ask, why is it necessary in the first instance to create an embryo that contains animal and human DNA? What is the benefit to adding animal DNA? Surely it’s better to use pure human DNA to treat human diseases? “There is a shortage of human cells”? I find this very difficult to believe. The average menstruating woman loses at least one every month. Getting hold of them might be a little awkward, but if you can extract DNA from a cell, surely you can physically remove an ovum from a human ovary.
Should this embryo have human rights? Should it be allowed to grow, and form, and take human shape? Should it be fed, clothed, taught, and given to a loving family who will raise it as their own, because it’s human? Or should it be killed and eaten for meat, because it’s an animal? Is the right to live sacred any longer?
“It’s just an embryo”. Yes, right now it is. However, what happens in 6 months time, when scientists decide they need to do further tests? A year’s time? Five years time? Will there come a point where human beings are bred simply for testing?
Where will the line be drawn? When will it be said “We will not do this, because it’s wrong“? Is there no act that will not be done by a scientist somewhere?
I really fear for the human race when the people in power start doing stuff like this, especially when they use emotional blackmail. Yes, they may be using the stem cells to treat Alzheimer’s. I don’t think, though, that the research will stop there. I think that the envelope will be pushed further and further and further, until we really fuck the species up. The human species seems to constantly look for ways to improve itself. And as long as someone somewhere thinks that it’s necessary to do something, they’ll do it. No matter how abominable it is.
I’m all for medical advancement. I think that in the past 100 years some amazing discoveries have been made. I just think we’re running faster and faster, and more and more blindly into the wilderness. We simply don’t know what we’re going to find there.
I don’t think the research will stop here either. I find it incredibly frightening as well.
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May 24th, 2008 at 2:48 am QuoteSandy (Momisodes) said…
I’m sure there must be some other way to help combat diseases like this. Some other less invasive, more natural way.
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May 24th, 2008 at 9:58 am QuoteI am a great sci fi fan, I love science and certainly appreciate my computer - the result of the space race.
I also live in Hawaii. Here in the islands they have tried experiments like bringing in mongoose to control the rat population. The results was the mongoose don’t eat rats and they do eat the native ground nesting bird’s eggs. So, now we have lost our native birds, still have rats and in addition have LOTS of mongoose.
Animal and human DNA mixing seems like it could have similar results.
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May 24th, 2008 at 10:42 pm QuoteSusan said…
It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. Scientists seem to get so excited by a new idea that they don’t stop to consider the repercussions. As long as it works, that’s all they care about. They said Thalidomide was safe…
I reckon it’s a case of softly softly catch-ee monkey. “They” bring in all these new changes a bit at a time to get people used to them.
May 24th, 2008 at 10:58 pm QuoteThank you, thank you and thank you for posting this. You’ve written down things that I’ve been thinking about for a long time.
I’ve seen many journalists (at least in my country) supporting such experiments enthusiastically. In their articles they always take advantage of that type of emotional blackmailing you’ve mentioned. Therefore, the press coverage hasn’t been impartial as it is supposed to be. I guess many people over here think that the only right way to view these subjects is agreeing with everything scientists want to do. If you ask people to consider the possibility that the outcome of such researches may not be so positive, you’re labeled as “narrow-minded,” “selfish,” “insensitive” or something worse.
Your post — and the comments above — made me sigh in relief because now I realise I’m not alone in my concerns.
And I’ve just stumbled this page.
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May 25th, 2008 at 4:58 am QuoteThis is similar to a conversation I had with Moo the other night. She is doing an assignment at school about IVF and when society should say no. Then it evolved into this. Seems we have a similar stance, while research is wonderful, where do we draw the line?
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May 25th, 2008 at 8:49 am QuoteKaren @ The WebMaster Blog said…
No problem. I find the whole thing horrific. I find it encouraging to know I’m not alone, too.
Karen @ The WebMaster Blog said…
Thank you very much!
Kelley said…
I hate to say it, but I don’t think they ever will draw a line.
What confuses me most is that they don’t experiment on people with the condition they’re trying to treat. Surely you’re going to get more accurate results if you work directly with the problem, that with something that has little relation to the problem?
May 25th, 2008 at 10:29 am QuoteI’m not too keen on the human/sheep mixture, but imagine a half human half fish, mermaids would finally become real!
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May 26th, 2008 at 7:26 am QuoteMatt said…
If they’re going to do it, I hope they do it right. A woman’s legs with a fishes head? Not liking that so much…
May 26th, 2008 at 8:45 am Quote