Feelings Determine Our Value?
School Truth & Transformation / Speaker Clem Persaud / Topic: "Bioethics"
When does life begin? How much value does an embryo have? Are there valuable reasons to kill a baby in development? Is it OK to choose one of the various types of new reproductive technologies, like in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to egg freezing, or designing babies, based on sex selection? What about removing and replacing a gene in a tissue or the germline? These and many other ethical issues related to life and death, pornography, nutrition, we saw this week with Dr. Clem Persaud.
In vitro fertilization
During this week, we saw all this life and death issues from a biblical and humanistic worldview. One is absolute, objective, privileges the common good, and the other one is relative, utilitarian, technology-driven based on pure autonomy. The true matter in Science and Biotechnology is whether we will improve upon the work of God, or we will ruin the main purposes that creation has.
Biotechnology is morally neutral, it may be used for good or evil purposes.
For example, the ethical discussions related to genome editing center around human germline editing. Editing DNA can lead to changes in physical traits, like eye color, athletic ability or height, and also to eradicate devastating diseases like cystic fibrosis and diabetes cutting the DNA at a specific spot to remove, add, or replace the DNA where it was cut. The fundamental ethical issue in crossing the boundary to modifying the human germline is that would be passed down to future generations… How are we going to face different motivations and challenges that people have? Can we put moral rules to modify the DNA? But who defines those rules? Based on what?
Genetic engineering
What worries me in matters of life and death related to the value of embryos, the consequences of abortion, the fact of putting a person in the practice of euthanasia and a baby in eugenics, editing DNA, almost all the answers they depend directly on the feelings of the people instead of pointing to the viability or human dignity of that being.
The problem is that many of our policymakers are based sweeping laws on those feelings.
We could say that in the 21st century, many laws on life and death are based on feelings avoiding suffering as a principle, aspiring perfectionism, instead of been rooted on reasonable moral values pointing to the well-being of common good. Today we are far from the original purpose, which is to face the challenges of life with respect and dignity for living beings, with boldness and courage, instead of putting an end to what was destined to show us the true meaning of life.
My conclusion is that each human being is a unique masterpiece. No matter how damaged or imperfect the fetus can be in the conception stage. Technology should be used to draw us back to our original design, and not to accomplish shallow desires of humanistic standards. Our dignity is intrinsic. The narrative of a human life is invaded by God from its intrauterine origins. We discern person value only by love.
"We humans" can access to a higher principle that never fails. When nothing makes sense, if we do what is morally right, according to the Holy Scriptures, God is able to expand our limits in a deeper understanding of love and purpose of existence. What was meant to destroy us, if we face the giant with boldness and courage, it blesses us, because we were destined for Glory. And that includes the capacity to face any challenge and inconvenience of life.
The problem is that many of our policymakers are based sweeping laws on those feelings.
We could say that in the 21st century, many laws on life and death are based on feelings avoiding suffering as a principle, aspiring perfectionism, instead of been rooted on reasonable moral values pointing to the well-being of common good. Today we are far from the original purpose, which is to face the challenges of life with respect and dignity for living beings, with boldness and courage, instead of putting an end to what was destined to show us the true meaning of life.
My conclusion is that each human being is a unique masterpiece. No matter how damaged or imperfect the fetus can be in the conception stage. Technology should be used to draw us back to our original design, and not to accomplish shallow desires of humanistic standards. Our dignity is intrinsic. The narrative of a human life is invaded by God from its intrauterine origins. We discern person value only by love.
"We humans" can access to a higher principle that never fails. When nothing makes sense, if we do what is morally right, according to the Holy Scriptures, God is able to expand our limits in a deeper understanding of love and purpose of existence. What was meant to destroy us, if we face the giant with boldness and courage, it blesses us, because we were destined for Glory. And that includes the capacity to face any challenge and inconvenience of life.
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