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Old 11-14-2008, 11:37 AM
gambit
magic city writer
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: not where I want to be
Posts: 807
Re: stem cell research
Quote:
Originally Posted by cacophony View Post
i think those with that position would respond similarly to how i responded. there's a fundamental difference between death by nature and death by intent.
I think you're right.

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I particularly like this statement, "IVF clinics don't fertilize just one egg... they take several, and the leftovers are usually frozen for a few years and then discarded. Those embryos are fated to die anyway, so why not do some research good with them?" This has been my practical opinion. We can certainly argue the merits of IVF, but the fact is that no one (as far as I know) is proposing it should be outlawed. It happens, and several embryos are left over.

If we agree that every embryo is meaningful and special in its own way, then creating these embryos with the knowledge that the majority of them are going to be destroyed takes away their meaning. These embryos' "lives" become meaningless, and, I would argue, stem cell research gives their "lives" meaning.
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