Sacrificing an embryo?

Question

Lets say that i have just invented a cure for cancer but it needs to be voted on before it can be used, what would your vote be?

In order for this cure to work an embryo must be scarificed, not a foetus, an embryo that is still just a ball of 8 cells and has never experienced anything close to life, it doesnt even have the beginnings of a nervous system at this point so has no thoughts, any changes occuring are by chemical gradients out of its control

If you would vote no to this how about if each sacrifice saved a thousand people? How many people would you need to save before its acceptable, if its acceptable, give me your opinions people

best answer for best argument, someone who has clearly explained their thoughts, not for the person who agrees with my opinion

sorry i forgot the name of who this was directed at but to the best of my knowledge scientists arnt usiong embryos to cure cancer, im doing a biology degree in cancer research labs and were looking at using viruses

to Craiq B, I believe there is no life in a sperm and an egg, just because you can fuse the nucleus of these cells to create an organism that has concious thought does not mean that there is life inside them, and yes if i was told my death would save a thousand people i would consider sacrificing myself, not for one person though, im selfish like that

to Allan B i appreciate some stem cell research has failed in the past but there have been significant developments

this question is purely hypothetical however, if there was a cure that involved embryos would you allow it

Answer 1

This is a tough one, but a very good question.

I have never favored abortion, but think that everyone should have the right to choose. It's a personal choice. If something good could come from this, it would be that others are healed through an act that is considered by many to be murder. Of course, it is always possible to grow embryos within a lab, but this would be more costly. Why not recycle what others contribute and see as waste? I see it like I view organ donation. Most people, if their religion allows, will accept an organ from someone who is technically brain dead. In this acceptance, their life is saved. The same should be true for a cancer cure.

Answer 2

Some are maintained some are destroyed, some are adopted, and I believe that some are donated to research but I'm not sure. its an ethical dilemma that is faced by the people who use IVF. I don't envy them they cost and pain of the procedures or the difficult decisions they have to make when they have the number of children they are going to have. Many have a hard time making the decision as to what to do with the ones that are left. As a single woman over 40 with no children I would hope that the families would allow the embryos to be adopted or donated just as a person would do if a person was on life support and not going to recover. Allow that life to make a difference.

Answer 3

Why are thousands of lives worth more than one life?
If you truly believe that, then sacrifice YOUR life to save thousands.
That is your choice, but you have no right to force someone else to do so.

So, you "believe" that an embryo isn't a life. You can't make decisions based on what you believe. They must be based on what IS. One single cell is alive according to science.

Answer 4

In today's day and age we can create a human being from just about any cells, not just embryos. This means that the embryo's special status is no more and if you are squeamish about sacrificing an embryo, you would writhe in horror if you were to consider the holocaust of potential human beings you kill each time you scratch your belly button and bring those cells showering down.

This makes the dilemma a moot one and the choice is obvious.

Answer 5

I would vote no because embryonic stem cell research has not cured even the smallest of sickness. There is two alternatives that have already cured diseases:
Umbilical cord transplants and Adult stem cells.
Why vote for something that has only padded people's pockets with money and cured no one?

Answer 6

First of all an embryo is part of the real GOD,this is how the real GOD lives through the human body,our soul and spirits comes at around 3 years old and shares this with GOD. GOD wants us to learn with our freedom of choice,to use an embryo it is to use GOD,but to sacrifice one entity for others is part of our learning,if we want to try this then let's see what happens.How many abortions,African kids and others die just by the flick of freedom of choice? Personnelly i would do things different but as a society, 6 billion people has to speak,so what do they say? they would say yes to embryo,i would not.

Answer 7

We are proclaimed dead if we have no heartbeat and no brain activity. That tells me that the definition of "life" has already been decided upon: presence of a heartbeat and brain activity. Without these, the object is not life, but just a bunch of chemicals with the potential for life, like mold spores on bread. In this case, it would definitely be okay to use these embryos.

Answer 8

Killing embryonic humans has produced no cures or even experimental advancements

Stem cells,etc can be produced from all sorts of sources(cord blood and even ordinary cells) without killing anyone.

Killing embryonic and fetal and neonatal or comatose humans is morally evil and has only produced evil fruit.

I would not vote for the legality or funding of murderous experiments

Answer 9

If you could give up your life and it would save a thousand people - would you?
This is the essence of your question for it's all about the preciousness of life.
Is there life in a 100 y.o. seed? Plant it and see.
Is there life in a sperm and an egg. Bring them together and see.

Answer 10

I would vote no.

We cannot decide that one life is not valuable. If you sacrifice a life, other than your own, to save others, it is murder. If you give up you own life to save thousands that is sacrifice.

The embryo is the only one who can choose to give up it's life as a sacrifice. Since it is not in a position to do so, and you are making that decision, you are using it and murdering it.

Cancer is a horrible disease. I have lost many friends to it. But we all die eventually. Nothing can prevent death indefinitely.

How do you know that of the unborn you kill, one of them may have come up with a better cure than yours? One that does not involve killing babies?