Moral Positions
If your 15 year-old daughter found out she were pregnant, as a parent, would you support an abortion? What if your father had to be keep alive with tubes and machines? Do you want a ?designer baby?? If a criminal took the life of a family member, would you want him to die? All these life issues of abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, and capital punishment are very complex and controversial. Before researching, discussing, and debating these life issues in class, I never really took a stance or formed an opinion. I remained neutral because I recognized the pros and cons of the two sides of the argument. After reading chapter 13 (Reverence for Human Life), and the completing the all the life issue activities, I support the virtue of reverence for human life and agree with the ?consistent ethic of life.? We should hold human life as a sacred gift to be cared for by us until physical life reaches its natural end. I also agree with the church, who believes that all human life, from womb to tomb, is scared and therefore deserves protection and care. Lastly, God, not humankind, is responsible for life and death. With the complex issue of abortion, I am pro-life. I also feel that life begins with the first signs of
With the controversial issue of euthanasia, I personally feel that we have to treat life with respect. I am strictly against active euthanasia, but support passive euthanasia. I also feel that if patients need to be kept alive by extraordinary means, we should let nature take its course. However, dying people should not be denied ordinary means to save them. For example, each patient is entitled to food and water. However, if we do try to prolong the life of patient by extraordinary means, we are not killing, but letting go. After reading the euthanasia review from Michelle, I found out that the Netherlands became one of the first countries to legalize euthanasia. In this country, euthanasia is only legal if it adheres to all three conditions: patients request must be voluntary and persistent while lucid, the physician must be convinced that a patient is suffering from interminable and unbearable suffering, and physicians must seek a second opinion. If we were to legalize euthanasia, I feel that we should add another clause to these conditions: if medical treatment that is disproportionate to the good that can be done. With all four conditions, we would legalize passive, not active euthanasia. I support genetic engineering in general with the utilitarian argument; the advantages of this technology are much greater than the risks. With the 6 billion and growing population in the world, genetically-engineered crops, that can resist droughts and pests, will increase food production and definitely reduce world hunger. Especially in third-world countries, we can produce cheap edible vaccines or add extra vitamins to their diets. However, these genetically engineered crops must be extensively tested and approved by the FDA before they are sold to the masses. Currently, scientists have almost completed the Human Genome Project, which maps the 23 pairs of human chromosomes and may reveal the roots and causes of many diseases. Many biologists predict that parents will be able to assess thousands of embryos and decide which one will be their child. They will also be able to profile and rule out serious diseases, select physical attributes, special abilities, and personality traits. Currently, the two main types of gene therapy are somatic gene therapy and germ line interventions. Somatic gene therapy, though still in the experimental stages, inserts DNA fragments into body cells in an ef
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Approximate Word count = 1633
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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