Posted on 10/05/2006 3:49:28 PM PDT by wagglebee
MELBOURNE, Australia, October 5, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Patients designated as in a “persistent vegetative state (PVS)” should be used for medical experiments, according to several top bioethicists, regardless of whether or not prior consent was obtained.
Several articles published in the recent issue of the Journal of Medical debated the potential use of patients with non-responsive brain function for such medical experiments as animal organ transplants—to bypass ethic prohibitions against using a living human being for medical experimentation, some even suggested designating such patients as “dead,” saying their cognitive impairments justified treating them as cadavers.
Dr. John Shea, medical advisor to Campaign Life Coalition, told LifeSiteNews.com it would never be ethically or morally acceptable to use a living human being for medical research without their permission, regardless of their level of cognitive function.
“A person who has PVS is not dead! If you claim to respect the sacredness of human life, you can’t use a human person for medical experimentation—that would be grossly immoral.”
In fact, little is understood about the capacity for awareness and understanding of people suffering from severe cognitive impairment, Dr. Shea said. Documented cases of patients who have unexpectedly “woken up” from a supposedly permanent PVS state have refuted the argument that their condition is irreversible. (See: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jul/06070409.html)
Dr. Steven Curry of the University of Melbourne, who supports experiments using PVS patients, said it would be too difficult to convince the public that PVS patients were “dead”, according to commentary by the bioethics news watch BioEdge on Oct. 3.
Regardless, he said, their bodies should be used for medical research. Repeating a common fallacy of the bioethics debate on PVS, Curry stated that such patients will not recover. “Those who are in a PVS will not ever wake up, they feel no pain or discomfort and have no continuing interest in their own survival…”
While making the argument that PVS patients have no right to mental autonomy since they have no apparent functioning mental capacity, Dr. Curry excused the medical “use” of their bodies by suggesting such patients should be allowed to choose to donate their bodies for the good of science, saying, “…these patients must also have a right to risk that life for the common good.”
As a further basis for his argument, Dr. Curry stated that PVS patients’ inability to bear children and their lack of any capacity for movement justified the “possible confinement” caused by experimentation.
“Also,” he said, “no risk of withdrawal of consent exists.” While stating that obtaining prior agreement to experimentation would be preferable, he pointed out that such agreements would be unlikely, since few people would anticipate living in a “comatose” state for several years.
Dr. Curry would support permitting family members to give permission for a comatose relative to be used for medical experimentation, “with reference to the person’s values and stated preferences.”
Read commentary from the Australasian bioethics newsletter:
http://www.australasianbioethics.org/Newsletters/currentbioe...
See related LifeSiteNews coverage:
Man Wakes from Two-Year Coma – was Aware and Remembers Everything
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/oct/05100604.html
New study questions “brain-death” criterion for organ donation
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/sep/06091502.html
The poster the other FReeper referred to is not the one I had in mind. I merely cleared up it up. If you don't like your childish game, you're always free to stop playing it.
Please provide me with a link to the site so I can assess whether your assessment is correct or if you fell of your tricycle.
"Liar."
Already did. She had it pulled.
Bioethicist should be used for medical experiments. The first experiment should be a little exploratory surgery to see if they have a soul.
It's a lie.
"If you don't like your childish game, you're always free to stop playing it."
I'm playing no game at all. I saw the imbedded references, and pinged those being attacked. That's what I did, and it's not a game.
I didn't contact the moderators or any such thing. I just pinged those who were affected.
BykrBayb...you are in total control of what you post here on Free Republic. Each time you post, you make a decision what to write. I have nothing to do with that.
And you ping other FReepers when you see your fellow game players bolding the letters of their names? No, I didn't think so. Have fun with your little game.
Sometimes I am just speechless at the depths of depravity to which mankind can sink.
Why don't you demand I post the proof, again? Did you learn your lesson the first time? I might post it again anyway, when I get a round tuit. Next time, I'll make the modifications recommended by the moderator, so it complies with FR rules.
I have no idea what you are talking about. I pinged the person you did that to. I don't know that I've ever seen that done before. I came to this thread because of its title, which interested me, and saw your post (along with the other one from another poster) and pinged.
I, along with half the people at FR, learned once and for all that you are a documented liar.
MineralMan and I have had our run-ins, but you should be aware - it is standard practice to ping someone when their name has been used in a post. It has nothing to do with 'game playing'. . .it is common courtesy.
You can always send it via mail.
She's a documented liar, we've all seen that.
And now she's banned for what, the 5th time this year?
She wouldn't know the truth if it bit her in the, ahem.
Of course.
Because she's HOT.
Just so you all know - every single one of the comments in that suspended/banned freeper's post is a lie. She says this constantly about howlin and when challenged to prove it, she once put up a bunch of crap that didn't prove her point at all.
In fact, a bunch of us pinged the mods to bykr bayb's posts about this matter and they basically laughed and then deleted some of her posts because she was using real names which is in violation of posting rules.
The next thing she'll do is get her little biker buddies involved to defend her. LOL
bbl
Your vile accusations are out right Lies and I have personally been on the receiving end of them, while you never let up..even tho your lies weren't true...Enough is enough.
sw
Modern day Mengeles. It's just not safe to be imperfect these days. Anyone who is perfect, please post now to avoid being singled out.
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