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No offense taken
I really do appreciate your input and comments. I used the word "peculiar" in its narrow meaning as a specific set of beliefs that are differentiated from other specific sets of beliefs.
As to the nature of Sparts, while my article is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I am also making a serious suggestion. My position depends upon how one views life and the nature of human life. If you personally believe that at conception (or at some specific other time) human life becomes differentiated from all other life (if you will, a soul is added into the equation), then my Sparts discussion becomes more especially a discussion of the specific flow of events. Obviously, you will want to halt the life progression before the insertion of a soul, so that the Spart really is just a bag of biologically active spare parts. If your belief set places the soul into the body at conception (or at some point before one can define the result as a Spart), then you are morally (and ethically) required to oppose the concept, since you would perforce be imprisoning human souls to the ignominous fate of a Spart. On the other hand, if your belief set is more flexible regarding the soul (or as if in my case the matter of a soul simply is not an issue), then my Spart discussion becomes a pertinent part of where we are headed in the field of human cloning.
I think some very good people have gotten bogged down on both sides of the abortion issue, which I regret. I don't intend on letting this issus suffer the same fate. Please see my post on Ethics and Morality for more discussion on the general nature of this subject.
posted by
arGee
on September 8, 2003 at 8:09 PM
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This is not an attack on you, just my take on the subject...
Very impressive writing and interesting topic, too. Here are my thoughts and questions. You stated, "This confusion is compounded by the mistaken belief of the choicers that their position is ethical. In actuality, their position is a moral consequence of their peculiar set of beliefs, which is, itself, functionally equivalent to the belief set of their most ardent opponents..." Is this your personal opinion? If so, why is being pro-choice a peculiar set of beliefs? Some may argue that the opposing opinion is just as peculiar. The reason I am confused about your personal opinion (if that is what it is) is that it it seems a bit contradicting in regard to your Sparts theory and all its glory for the future. Many pro-life opinion seem to mention that humans should not "play God". Wouldn't that be unethical to create clones of living humans for the purpose of just in case they may need a Spart during their lifetime? I must admit, I am not scientifically knowledged enough to comment respectively on the ethics of the Spart creation because I don't understand the concept of it not being alive or able to think or feel. So I'll humbly leave that alone. I can say that I don't have a problem with stem-cell research taken from aborted or miscarried fetuses. The termination of pregnancy has already occurred whether voluntary or involuntary, so if it was with consent of the woman, why not use it for medical purposes? If miscarried, some of that research may even aid the woman to prevent a future miscarriage.
Lastly, I believe that there are certain curcumstances in which voluntarily terminating a pregnancy in the first trimester (second only for specific medical reasons) is justified and I don't care what any organized religion says about it. I don't believe in using abortion as birth control by any means as unfortunately, some do and never learn the first time. However, in instances of rape, molestation, incest, HELL yes. Why should a girl or woman relive the nightmare for the rest of her life by not being given the choice...not to mention the great possibilites of deformities, birth defects, mental conditions of both mother and child, etc. How would a child feel when asked, "where's your dad?" and has to answser, "Oh, my father raped my mom in a parking lot one night and, well, here I am!" Or, "my dad is also my uncle or grandfather..." How about this: "Where's your mom?" Oh, she died from the result of getting pregnant with me due to health problems and the church (or i.e. the law) wouldn't allow her to terminate the pregnancy. Oh, and by the way, that's also why I have no hands or feet and only one working kidney."
I realize these are only scenerios, however true they are and can continue to be. Ethics and religion don't mix; hence the sepatation between church and state. I will believe in my own opinion if something isn't ethical and no religion will ever be able to tell me what to believe, what's right or wrong. As far as the law, well, I can't do much to change the law, but the laws must be made in the legal houses, not the "houses of God".
Again, I appreciate your knowledge and writing skills.
posted by
SpitFire70
on September 8, 2003 at 6:52 PM
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