Heart of the Matter… I think the transplant process has already begun and the incorporation of entire hearts is just an expansion of existing heart valve transplants. Modern medicine has already dictated that using pig valves are ethically correct if it can extend someone life thus why should people be allowed to use the heart of a chimpanzee to also extend someones life. So from an ethical view i think this procedure would be justified.

As controversial it may be, if this keeps developing i believe that we will be able to create human animal hybrids. If we can use the heart of a chimp whats to say we cant other organs of animals to our benefit. At the rate of scientific development i would not be surprised if in a couple of years we start implanting livers and lungs from other animals into humans.

http://rt.com/news/animal-donor-save-human-lives/

When is enough enough? I cannot even believe that they would even think to kill an individual that was part of an endangered species to salvage a human life. There are 7,038,044,500 people in the world. The IUNC believes there to be between 170,000 and 300,300 chimpanzees still existing on this planet. It looks as though maybe we should be sharing our organs with them? But chimpanzees have yet to start wearing white lab coats or attempt to overthrow the human population. So this makes their lives mean less? It is just mind boggling that since the year 1500, 800 known species have gone extinct and we would think to expedite yet another. It’s just not okay!

I think the part that bothers me the most about all the crazy tactics we come up with to extend our lives, is the fact that eventually we’re ALL going to have to die. I mean honestly, when somebody’s time comes, that should be that. I understand that that’s a very morbid way to think about it but it’s the truth. Everything that is living, will one day day. We have no right to decide to prematurely end some other beings life to temporarily cheat death. I’m all for using science and medicine to do this, because that is not a trade of a life for a life.

It’s incredible that we have fallen under such a dominant mindset that just because we have the ability to use whatever we’d like, that we’re entitled to. It almost makes me sick to my stomach that we could be so cruel. I think there are many moral lines that have been crossed and we need to come up with some sort of checks and balances system to keep each other under control so we don’t go too far. This has got to stop.

Below I have attached a link to an article that relates to a process that I believe crosses moral lines as far as how we are using animals to further science. Check it out!

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2006/06/02/1644154.htm

Is Human life worth more than that of any other creature on the earth? To be honest before reading this commentary I would say no, that killing one species to save us was completely wrong. But in the second commentary by Willard Gaylin I find myself questioning what i once believed. When he says “Would you sacrifice a chimpanzee for a child’s life?” It made me think. I definitely would sacrifice one chimpanzee for another child’s life. But when does that ratio get out of hand? Would it be ok to sacrifice a hundred chimpanzee’s for a hundred children lives? What about a hundred chimpanzee’s for 50 children lives. After reading and thinking about it, I have no idea. On paper it seems horrible to sacrifice another species for humans, but practically speaking if it were my child I would make the sacrifice.

In this specific case I think there is a couple of more factors that come into play when making the decision of whats right and wrong. I think the fact that the chimps are on the verge of being extinct plays a huge role in that humans should look to perserve the species. Another important point of information is how well this procedure has been perfected, has it been modified enough to work properly or is it still in the testing stage. In order for this to be in affect it must be perfected or close to it. When it comes down to it I dont think this procedure should be allowed unless they find a way to use a species thats not endangered and they perfect the procedure.

This reading had my mind all over the place. I thought about “if a humans life is more important than an animals?” then I thought about animal cruelty. Then I thought about cruetly free products. Then I thought about vegans and vegetarians. Then I thought about vegan shoes. What makes them vegan? Why make vegan shoes? What are they made out of?

Vegans not only avoid meat but they also avoid animal by products(products made by or from animals). Vegan shoes are footwear made without using leather or animal by products, for example, glue. Some of my favorite shoe companies like Sauk and Toms make vegan shoes. They’re like regular sanuks or toms buy made vegan friendly. I’m not a vegan but if I was a hardcore vegan I would be buying these shoes.

What is the worth of a human life? Would saving a human life be worth ending another? What about an animal, such as a chimpanzee? Are we worth more then them? If we are then who is it that determines that worth? There are about 100,000 chimpanzee’s left in the world and they are considered an endangered species, there are slightly over 7 billion humans, thats 7,000,000,000 and 7000 humans for every chimpanzee left alive. Ethics tries to improve and protect the human lifestyle but what about animals such as chimpanzee’s that are so similar to us? Humans are the cause of the worlds 6th’ mass extinction because ethics does not encourage us to protect anything except ourselves. Would sacrificing the life of a chimpanzee just to enhance the odds of survival of a person be ethical? I believe it wouldn’t. I believe that protecting other species, especially endangered ones such as chimpanzee’s is not only ethically correct but also necessary for the survival of the human race.

Throughout history people have used animals as a means for their survival. We as a species have run horses into the ground to get from place to place, we’ve slaughtered countless cows, pigs and chickens for food, and we’ve hunted animals such as beavers for their pelts, and those are only the most basic examples of humans using animals for their own basic needs. I don’t believe that this situation involving chimpanzee hearts is any different; it is using an animal to benefit a human being. I don’t really believe that there is an ethical issue here but I don’t believe that the use of chimpanzee hearts is the best way to do things because they are an endangered species and it would only be a temporary solution at best.

I don’t believe that taking the chimps heart is wrong when it is absolutely necessary, I don’t believe that this procedure should be used in order to make someone more comfortable while waiting for a transplant, I believe it should be used when the person will not survive otherwise. This is simply due to the lack of hearts available, both human and chimp. I’ll go even further than that to say that I believe it is wrong to put an animal’s life over a human’s. Now don’t get me wrong I love animals as much as the next person and animals dying is sad, but letting a human being die because you don’t want to harm an animal is not an idea I am comfortable with.

Wow. Transplanting the hearts of endangered chimpanzees for the benefits of humans is crazy. I was very confused by this last passage. Are the animals already deceased or are they killing the chimps in the name of the well being of humans. Im kind of torn with this subject of organ transplants and the protection of animals. I love all animals and I’m a very strong believer of not using animals for science and other things that will harm them. But I strongly believe in transplants and promoting organ donations. My dad received a kidney transplant this past April and has been getting better ever since, we have been waiting for about six years for him to get a kidney.

When it comes to this, I like to think of who is going to benefit more. The chimpanzee (who it is not discussed if they are dying or going to be killed) or the human who has a family to take care of. If people are purposely killing the chimps to take their organs for humans, then 1: that is the most disgusting thing i have ever heard of and 2: you better have a plan B. Besides, doesn’t the heart have to be immediately removed from the body after death? So that might mean they are murdering chimps for the well-being of humans. Humans are apart of the animal kingdom and I do believe in the Theory of Social Darwinism by Charles Darwin but this passage needs to be more clear. How are they collecting the organs???

The definition of Bioethics in a straight and more commonly manner would be the study and research of biology and medicine through human morals and ethics. However, what is the significance of bioethics to our society? The levels and standards of technology continue to rise and advance, therefore its influence and  effect towards the human society cannot be ignored. The whole purpose of establishing the field of bioethics in my eyes is of course to benefit the human race, but the question is: is it really benefiting us?

The UNESCO had the same concern when they adopted the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. I agree on the points on “reflecting on the rapid developments in science Continue reading →

Hello Fellow Bioethics Students,

As we progress through the semester, Bioethics is a term that we will hear numerous times, as that is the main topic of the class. What does that mean? Well we can break down the word for simplicity. Bio- as in Biology, and the studies of the human body, ethics-as in human morals and understanding of how to treat each other, simply deals with  how should we deal with morals in terms of biological experimentation on humans. Things like stem-cell research and abortion to using people as experiments for highly-dangerous clinical trials, and even down to psychological experimentations. These things become hot topic for controversial debate, and flare up the hottest arguments of todays time. With this we discuss humanity,its ability to experiment and its limitations towards experimentation. Should there be moral boundaries infringing on the our research? Or are human rights not to be impeded on? Only we can decide this ourselves.