Posted on 11/18/2011 4:16:38 PM PST by wagglebee
When one considers the ethics of manipulation, the question of whether we ought to, or whether we may manipulate an organism or entity depends on the answer to the first and most fundamental question:
In the fields of obstetrical medicine and reproductive medicine the ethical debates have raged for four decades. Enlightened discourse between opposing parties must assume good motives by all involved, and then go about asking the essential questions, following where the truth of science and reason lead.
Many claim that life begins at some point distant from fertilization, always beyond the point at which they propose some manipulation (abortion, embryonic stem cell culturing, etc…). There are always a list of biological functions that are given to define when human life begins: Cognitive capacity, etc.
The simple biological truth of the matter is that the Cell Theory states that all cells arise from pre-existing cells. There is no blackout period between sperm and egg uniting, and then the emergence of ‘life’ at some point distant.
The Carnegie stages of human development indicate that human development begins in the zygotic stage. Then there is the assertion of developmental biologist and leading textbook author in the field, Scott Gilbert. In his text, Gilbert takes us through the life cycle of a dog. His text, Developmental Biology, is arguably the leading text in the field. According to Gilbert:
“Traditional ways of classifying catalog animals according to their adult structure. But, as J. T. Bonner (1965) pointed out, this is a very artificial method, because what we consider an individual is usually just a brief slice of its life cycle. When we consider a dog, for instance, we usually picture an adult. But the dog is a “dog” from the moment of fertilization of a dog egg by a dog sperm. It remains a dog even as a senescent dying hound. Therefore, the dog is actually the entire life cycle of the animal, from fertilization through death.”
First, note how he sets the word dog off in quotes at one point, to communicate the very essence of the organism:
But the dog is a “dog” from the fertilization of a dog egg by a dog sperm…
The same may be said of all vertebrates, including cats, giraffes, chimpanzees, and humans. Substituting the word human for dog in Gilbert’s analysis gets to the heart of the matter. We are human for our entire life cycle. We are whole and complete in form and function at every stage of our development, for that given developmental stage. The prepubescent child is fully human, even though they lack the capacity to execute all human functions, such as abstract reasoning, or reproduction.
In the same way, the early embryo is alive and fully human, though it has not yet executed all human organismal functions.
Photo via: embryology.med.unsw.edu.au
How Clintonesque of you, Zotbait.
Your tagline fits.
Zot.
I have a friend who has MS, but she has refused to accept any of the treatments that are derived from fetal stem cells. Thus far, she remains in good health.
Research labs have actually found that the stem cells in umbilical cords are just as viable, so some medical companies are going that route.
It's just Darkwing104 and me. Old Sarge retired from list keeper.
I will keep that in mid for future reference.
Thanks.
*sigh*
keep it in MIND......
This is a time where I think you have made a mistake.
This poster is clearly on the fence, you should have pulled him to our side instead of insulting him and ultimately getting him zotted.
You win by pulling, not pushing....it's the first rule of pursuation ;)
JMHO.
Electric blue death! Yom!
Thanks TheOldLady.
Thanks for the bump.
My pleasure, Mr. Civilizations. [smiles]
There have been more documented deaths since abortion was legalized than in the back alley days.
They admitted the stats about back alley deaths were fabricated.
Every post that was made on this thread was MORE pro-abortion than the previous.
I went back through the poster’s history and there were other examples, here is one:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2795561/posts?page=31#31
Ultimately, it was Jim’s call.
Huh? Tell the fetus that you dolt. You've proven the accuracy of your tagline. Now, begone...
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