'Spare Part' Babies for Betterment and For the Future - Essay Example

Morality and Ethics: “Spare Part” Babies for Betterment and for the Future [FULL Morality and Ethics: “Spare Part” Babies for Betterment and for the Future Being the head of the research department of this hospital, it is my sole duty to ensure medical progress and advancements that will avail our patients the best comforts and remedies for their medical problems. As such, and in the same light, I endorse that our hospital should hire the doctor with ground-breaking research on cloning and “spare parts” children.

The board of directions might be prejudiced about this issue and justly so, what with the legal and moral and ethical issues being such of high controversy, but allow me to widen your perspective as to how this research will be good not only for the hospital but also for future of medicine and of mankind. Medicine is not an exact science but rather it is inherently experimental (Medical Ethics Manual, 2009). Physicians know this for a fact, and it is with such manner of reason that this kind of research derives its most essence.

The initial and main rationale for this alternative would be to save the life of a child and to avail him of a normal and healthy life ridding him of the disease or abnormality. Naturally, no parent in their right mind would wish upon their child to be afflicted of such suffering and would always seek to better the condition of their offspring. Under the Hippocratic Oath, it is also the sworn duty of doctors, to the best of their capacity, to honor and preserve life where it can be preserved (Edelstein, 1943).

Morality and Ethics Pozaic (2007), Archdiocese of Zagreb, emphasizes that “in the world of culture of death, and the anti-culture of life, the physician as guardian and servant of human life is called upon to promote the culture of life”. The driving force to advance researches in “spare parts” children and cloning have not been because of some twisted ideology to “play god”, but rather it is from a physicians’ desire to preserve life and help give everyone a normal life. Traditional definition on what constitutes a human being would say that the moment the sperm and egg unite it can be called human (Condic 2008).

But it should be noted that abortion is legal, morally and ethically accepted and practiced in several countries. And let it be highlighted that abortion is about terminating life, yet it is accepted, how much more a much nobler pursuit such as developing a method of aiding and preserving and bettering the life. Researches on creating “spare parts” children might sound upright offensive, but all it does is to remedy and relieve the suffering human in order for him to have a normal life. To put it so plainly, it is the act of developing life in order to save another life.

Legal Issues In 2003, the Hashmi family was granted permission by the Appeal Court to use “preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to select an embryo that would be both unaffected by the genetic disease beta-thalassaemia, and a tissue match for an existing sibling who is affected by the disease” (“Appeal Court”, 2003). If legalities are to be considered, then yes, it is an allowed practice, evident on the ruling of the Hashmi case. But it should be made clear that such ruling only favors the cases where it is really in dire need and there are no other alternatives.

Such is also the case, that although we might venture into this kind of research, For the Future In PGD, the embryo that is unaffected by the genetic disease and/or has the best characteristics is chosen. This favors significantly on the evolution of man: by choosing the superior genes, we manage to minimize, or even eliminate, future problems in the gene line of the family. This is a positive approach of eugenics wherein the next generation is helped by increasing the fertility of the advantaged genes (Glad, 2008).

Yes, the “spare parts” baby will be primarily created for the benefit of the previous offspring, but in the longer run he shall be helping the human race in paving way to the next generation free of such innate genetic anomalies, if that is the case. By supporting researches in medical fields, we increase the chances in solving medical mysteries and anomalies. Cloning, also another very controversial medical research should not be viewed in bad light. Further research in this aspect would vastly be advantageous to humans.

Tissues and organs can be developed and be made more readily available for patients who might need such, unlike in the present world wherein availability is a fatal issue (Di Berardino, 1999). Raison D’etre It can be argued that the Hashmi family wanted another child all for the wrong reasons, and so will the future families that will opt for “spare parts” children. Parents only want what is best for their children and would most especially take drastic measures in order to relieve and alleviate their ailing offspring.

This cannot and should not be taken against them. Other people want children even for less nobler reasons, and others even have no reasons at all, and yet these are not even counted against these families. The “spare” child will grow up bearing the fact that he was created for the welfare of his sibling and not for his sole welfare. This shouldn’t even be necessarily bad. What is importantly is how the family handles the situation and how the parents convey it to their children that all these were done for the love of the family.

And as long as the children are loved and made to feel wanted, why should there be reason for unhappiness. Conclusion Yes, it cannot be denied that such research is and will continue to be highly controversial, but controversies should not overshadow our drive to continually strive for breakthroughs that will aid the human kind for the future. As with other controversial breakthroughs, they also had their fair share of rejection and road blocks, but as time and evolution take over the course of life, mankind will soon to come to accept that this too is what is needed.

References Appeal Court decides to allow Hashmi family to use PGD with tissue typing. (2003, April 10). Retrieved April 17, 2012, from Public Health Genetics Unit website, http://www.phgfoundation.org Condic, M.L. (2008). When Does Human Life Begin? Westchester Institute White Paper Series Volume 1, Number 1, 13. Di Berardino, M. A. (1999) Cloning: Past, Present, and the Exciting Future. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Office of Public Affairs. Edelstein, L. (1943).

The Hippocratic Oath: Text, Translation, and Interpretations. Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore. Glad, J. (2008) Future Human Evolution: Eugenics in the Twenty-First Century. Heritage Publishers. Medical Ethics Manual (2nd ed.). (2009). World Medical Association, UK. Pozaic, V. (2007) Ethical Issues In Medicine. Acta Clin Croat; 46 Suppl 1: 127-131.