Cloned Souls

First, let's be clear that I'm against cloning at this time because the technology cannot guarantee a healthy embryo. However, the technological impediments will be overcome someday--probably within most of our lifetimes. So you need to think about the consequences, preferably ahead of time!

Next, I want to be clear that this discussion isn't about whether a cloned person has a soul, or if the soul is different in any way to a non-cloned person's soul. This question is just as absurd as any question about the soul of an IVF-conceived soul. To me, if it has the same genetic structure, then it can have a soul, personality, same rights, or whatever as any other human. In fact, what if someday it will be possible to program any genes you want, press a button, and out comes the embryo you ordered?! Whether this would be ethical or not, I'll still say that whatever human being is produced by this method will still have all features and rights that a normally-conceived being would have.

You can debate the above preface, if you like. But my main question of interest follows. It has to do with the question of exactly when does a zygote or embryo or fetus accrue rights and protection. Is there an instant in time in every case where you can say NOW it is a human being with rights? I say no, there is no fine line, and there never was. Furthermore, you cannot enact legislation that makes me follow your opinion about this, whether or not your opinion has a religious basis.

Some of you have no hesitation in putting someone to death when you're sure they are guilty of a terrible crime. Even if there is the tiniest chance that the person is innocent, some of you would rather err against the perpetrator who you are so sure is guilty. On the other hand, I believe in gray lines, and it is not necessary or even possible to be absolutely sure we're perfectly correct in our judgements, every single time. We make mistakes! And we also have differences of opinion.

So I'm especially interested in hearing opinions from you right-to-life people, who want to tell me how I should determine when one of my own embryos incurs protection from the state. But I'm not interested here in the same old opinions about our current state of reproductive technology. I'm interested in your reasoning behind how you will decide these things in a future state of technology.

For example, specifically:

A machine is invented that will take most any cell from anyone and make a copy of all the genes. This machine can then produce any set of genes a set of surrogate parents might want, and insert them into a human cell, producing a viable, healthy cell with the chosen genes. With new cloning technology, we will be able to turn any cell, including a cell with "custom" genes into a viable, healthy embryo.

With this information alone, you should be able to tell me exactly when in this process the cell or embryo or whatever suddenly incurs complete protection by the state, in your opinion. The actual, technical steps in the process aren't important, because YOU know how to explain "right-to-life" in non-technical terms, or personal or religious terms, or whatever. Please, tell me exactly when or where in this process right-to-life is incurred, and why. (Actually, to be fair--because I believe in gray lines, I won't even require your answer to be exact. I just want to hear some good reasons.)

Stumble It!

Right to Life vs Right to Abortion; IVF

Is there really a fine line that defines exactly when egg and sperm or the product of their union gains protected status? No matter what point in the timeline you pick, I say the decision is arbitrary. Do you just extrapolate a definition from scripture? Take the pope's word for it? Does any scripture on earth enlighten us, other than in widely interpretable terms?

Even if you choose "the moment of fertilization" as the moment, there are moments within that moment... Which moment do you pick? As soon as we know which sperm will get to join with the egg? As soon as it touches the surface of the egg? As soon as the sperm's DNA is inside? When the sperm and egg sets of DNA join? Uterus implantation? If it's truly important to define the exact moment, tell us, what exactly is your decision, and how will you decide when the exact moment is if/when we can break that one moment down into even smaller moments? Can any human really claim to know what god's choice would be, or does the choice depend on one's religion, or... what right does society have to make this choice for you?

What if a clinician artificially imposes preference to one sperm or egg over another during fertilization... Is the clinician playing god? Does the clinician's IVF (in-vitro fertilized) zygote have more or less of a right to protection than sperm and egg left strictly to nature or god's unimpeded will? Since nature/god often 'aborts' a fertilized egg before it's implanted, if we don't try to save a fertilized egg that we think won't implant into the uterus without our help, would that be tantamount to negligent homicide? Finally, is the disposal of IVF eggs tantamount to murder?

I don't believe that a fine line defining the exact moment of right-to-life exists, and therefore I believe that the moment should largely be left up to the mother. The only 'humane' criterion I can believe in at this time is the moment that brain activity begins, and this moment too will be a gray line. States legally define 'death', and--albeit certain cases are controversial at times--it is still codified into law, furthermore usually specifying exactly who is responsible for making the determination. Why should our definition of life or death in a fetus be much different from our definition of life or death at the end of life?

In cases of a diseased fetus, I'm even willing to extend the option further. That is, I believe it can be more humane to terminate a badly diseased fetus--especially if we know that the fetus or baby would have died a natural death without human intervention. Give another healthy human being a chance to be happy and productive in this world.

Stumble It!