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Prime Human Cloning Researcher Humiliated
Starker_Kull writes "Today, the first scientist to clone human egg cells, Dr. Hwang Woo-suk, was forced to resign from his post for 'breaches of ethics'. It appears that the ethical breaches consisted of overzealous assistants who volunteered their own eggs for use. After Dr. Hwang declined the offer, the assistants secretly donated their eggs under false names. After Dr. Hwang discovered the deception, he tried to cover it up to protect his researchers - but the news eventually leaked out."
All your eggs are belong to Hwang!
I know a guy working at a semen collection station, at a horse stud. He has a thing for stallions... and he never lets the sperm samples to go waste. I once asked him to estimate the market value of the horse semen he drank in his life. A while of pondering brought up pretty shocked expression. About $250000. So what's the comparison to a few human eggs? (thing is, he didn't let anyone catch him... :)
Well, eggsactly...
I had a dream, bright and carefree, but now there's doubt and gravity
I don't think the world needs more Starcraft players anytime soon!
What is unethical is to NOT pursue stem cell research.
I have a friend in his early 40's who is now a parpalegic because of a skiing accident. To leave him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life because some people want to argue hypotheticals about the sanctity of life of a germ cell which we all know has no future because it was never destined to be fertilized has got to be one of the most callous deflections of intelligence that I have ever come across. This is especially so when we consider that if the germ cell in question were accidently fertilized than it would be the subject of a quick abortion!
It is not those who wish to pursue stem cell research who are being unethical - it is those who oppose the research!
Of course I suppose this same negative attitude has been prevalent in the past. Would the ludites qualify? How is this different?
One thing that has always amased me is the anti-technology people. They come in many guises. The thing is that mankind has had an ever increasing level of technological sophistication ever since we left the stone ages.
To suggest for instance that in the 1800 - the population was quite unsophisticated from a technological standpoint is a total falicy. Much of our modren world was well understood back then and indeed the Special theory of relativity was published in 1905.
Even the 30's appear primative to many people - yet it was during the 30's that the neutron was discovered and nuclear fission. Are these achievements of an ignorant population? Absolutley not! People at the turn of the last century were very technologically competant. Their science was very well developed.
Given this perspective it has always amased me that those who yearn for the good old days and a simpler life typically just want to turn the clock back about one (1) generation. It isn't that they are against technology. They just associate the technology of their grandparents with some romantic notion that the past was somehow better than what the future will be.
The truth is that past was a lot harder life to live than the present and in all likelihood the future will be considerably better yet. This is in spite of the uncertainties our fear mongers like to spew in the name of whatever cause or whatever worry happens to be the fashion of the day.