MODERN BIOTECHNOLOGY AND DIGINITY OF HUMAN LIFE; AN ETHICAL ANALYSIS

MODERN
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND DIGINITY OF HUMAN LIFE; AN ETHICAL ANALYSIS

CHAPTER ONE

1.1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION

With the Becconian dictum ‘knowledge is
power”, scientist have gone the extra mile on how to improve the environmental
condition and then revamp the quality of human life. Now, we witness a great
and extraordinary progress in Bio-technological sciences and medicine. This
great advancement in medicine and biotechnological sciences has given human
beings new pattern of life. However, these efforts of the scientists and biotechnologists
have paved ways for extension of scientific researches on the human person.
Thus, the great question is: Are these scientific and biotechnological
discoveries a blessing or a curse to humanity?

Now, we can talk of
manipulations on human genetic constitution. Modern biotechnologists and
scientists have changed the status quo inbiology and
medicine.  Presently in Biotechnological
sciences, we hear of microsurgery on a two weeks embryo. A stem cell from a
human embryo can now be made to turn into a heart, kidney or any major organ
cells and replace any damaged cell of the human body, thereby, providing
opportunity for manufacturing human spare parts. Scientists claim to produce
human embryo through various means like natural reproduction, asexual
reproduction, and parthenogenesis. Through these means, they have thrown the
entire humanity and the scientific community into confusion as when human life
begins.

However, among all these,
the most prominent discoveries include the prodigious changes in genetic
engineering, like human foetal experimentations, eugenics, sterilization, in
vitro fertilization, abortion, surrogate motherhood, and cloning. In addition,
human modifications, such as plastic surgery, sex change, and the preservation
and commercialization of human organs and embryos are all strange scientific
possibilities. All these are topics in bioethical debates and controversies in
biotechnological sciences and medicine. Such issues like the foregoing raised
ethical and moral questions. When does human life begin? What is the status of
the human embryo? Is human embryo a human person? Does human embryo have legal
and moral right? All these are basic ethical question raised by the activities
of these scientists and biotechnologists on the human person. Sequel to this,
many groups developed positions to defend the human life and thereby restore
the human dignity.

 In this work, I specifically choose to explore
the issue of human cloning.  In fact, the
central question is: “Should humans be cloned?” Moreover, scientists and
biotechnologist have deviced artificial methods of creating human beings. This
touches the beginnings of human life, together with the quality of life and end
of the human life. The point is that human cloning involves intentional
creation and destruction of human being in the name of saving the life of
others. Is killing a person’s life to save another’s morally good? That is a
basic ethical issue. According to Pope John Paul 11 “what is technically
possible is not always morally admissible” Hence, in his address to the
International Congress on the Transplants on 2000-AUS-29, he comments,
“Medical…methods that fail to respect the dignity and value of the person must
always be avoided.”[1]

 As part of the introduction, this chapter
includes the setting of the whole work in its methodological framework. Let us
consider these frameworks.

1.2. THE STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Since the birth of the
sheep named Dolly in 1997, the possibility of human cloning has left very
little to be doubted. Thus, many debates have been going on about the issue.
Should humans be cloned? If humans are cloned, what would be their social
status? Who is responsible for cloned humans? Do clones have rights and legal
protection? Should the deformed cloned individual be accepted?

 In actual sense, human cloning techniques
involve intentional creation and destruction of human embryos either for
transplantation or experiments. The American Association for the Advancement of
sciences summarized the problem in these words:

…. not only do
most attempts to clone mammals fail, about 30 percent of clones born alive are
affected with large offspring syndrome and other debilitating conditions.
Several cloned animals have died prematurely from infections and other
complications… the attempt to clone humans at this time is considered
potentially dangerous and ethically irresponsible[2].

However, there is
diversity of opinions on human cloning. Its morality has been argued. Although,
each argument has some interest to protect, the fundamental question is: Should
humans be cloned? This is a problem that needed an urgent attention in
biotechnological sciences. Here, we need to redefine the status of the human
embryo. Human embryo is not just an object for experimentation but rather a
unique and distinctive being, and should be accorded a profound respect and
dignity. His uniqueness and distinctiveness differentiate him from every other
creature. This is the dilemma of the modern science and technology especially
genetic engineering.

1.3. THE PURPOSE OF STUDY

The real question is what has this work
to contribute to the global debates on the issue of human cloning?  That is towards resolving the problem of
human cloning. Naturally, it is not ethical or moral to kill. It is against the
moral law to destroy another person’s life. But embryos are deprived the right
to live by denying them “personhood” by some biologists. This is the basis for
their exposure as objects of research and experimentation.

 The purpose of this work as a matter of fact,
is to look at the scientific practices or researches on human life and their
ethical implications. This consideration will necessarily lead to a
redefinition of the status of human embryo in the face of biotechnological
sciences. We hope to find out the proper place for the fertilization of the
human embryo, whether in the womb or in the Petri dish outside the womb.

1.4. THE SCOPE OF STUDY

As we observed above, the
discoveries in the modern biotechnologies are too broad. An attempt was made to
restrict the topic to human cloning and its ethical implications. Recognizing
the fact that humans are not the objects for scientific and biotechnological
research(s).

Hence, this work shall not
only explore the arguments on human cloning but shall also look at its ethical
implications. Since no researcher can boost of thorough exhaustive of its
topic, this work does not also claim any exhaustive study of human cloning. It
is just a contribution to the contemporary problems in bioethics. Every effort
is made to explicitly state the ethical implications of human cloning.

1.5. METHODOLOGY

The methods employed in
this investigation are exposition and critical analysis. The expository method
is used to lay bare the dangers of human cloning, recognize the dangers in the
exercise and also draw some implications. On the other hand, the analytic
method is employed to explain certain terms in the study. Some of the human
cloning arguments are analytically discussed. The relevant information and
statistical data for effective discussion of our topic are collected from the
library and the Internet.

1.6. THE DIVISON OF WORK

The work is divided into
chapters, and subsections for easy explication. In all, there are five
chapters. Chapter one deals with the general introduction; setting the work
forth in a methodological framework. In chapter two, the explication of the
terms was made. I tried to explain the meaning and the purpose of ethics as the
guide to scientific and biotechnological practices in any experimentation that
involve human being. Still, the biological and philosophical conceptions of
personhood and humanhood are explored so as to furnish us with the true status
of the human embryo.

Chapter three is the
backbone of the work. It deals with the meaning and historical background of
cloning. Also, the reasons, methods and the dangers of human cloning are
equally highlighted in this chapter. The focus of chapter four is on the
uniqueness of the human person, which trying to x-ray the legal and moral
status of unborn member of human family. This aim is realizable through an
examination of the diverse debates on human cloning. The whole endeavour is
brought to a close in chapter five through a critical evaluation.