01-11-2006, 11:38 PM
Re: Stem Cells:
The research is very important, as it may allow one to regenrate organs that fail. Currently, translplants are the only solution which requires a donor, and associated problems of scarcity as well as risks of rejection etc. If succesful, this will allow people to live longer and healthier. Not a bad bargain.
Currently stem-cells are derived from foetuses. But it doesn't have to be so. Currently we don't know enough about the stem-cells, so a primary source in foetuses is needed. But when the research matures it may become possible to bypass that stage. For example a recent Harvard Med School study showed that stem cells can possibly be grown and multiplied.
Re: Cloning:
A cloned baby will share the same genotype as the orignator. But the baby's phenotype will still be shaped by his environment. There are a lot of things that happen in physical bodies during development that are determined by the type of life led, nutrition, environment, emotional nurturing, intellectual stimulation, education etc. When grown up, a cloned baby is likely to be very different from the originator in personality,. Even though physical traits may have a lot of similaroties but they areare also affected by how a child was nurtured, food, habits etc.
Regarding "souls", a soul has nothing to do with bodies. Two bodies may have identical genetic make-up, but why should that impact souls. I can easily see different souls occupying genetically identical bodies. There is nothing in hinduism that brings any concerns regarding that aspect. A cloned baby will have a separate soul and will be his/her own person, not a carbon copy of the originator.
People forget that cloning is not much different from sexual-reproduction. In cloning no admixture of new genes happens. While in sexual-reproduction, genes of mother & father mix together. A new baby in either case doesn't have brand new genes completely different from the existing genetic pool. It has the same old genes that existed in the genetic pool, although in sexual reproduction, the genes get swapped around a bit. If concerns for "souls" can arise regarding clones, then they should also arise with respect to sexually-reproduced babies. Does a sexually reproduced baby carry half the father's soul and half the mother's?
A cloned baby will still take as many years to grow as a sexually reproduced baby. Looking into future I can imagine families with some sexually-reproduced children and maybe one or two cloned one. <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--> It doesn't shock me. Perhaps similar to the idea of Moon being used as a trash-can for dumping toxic wastes for an overpopulated and overdeveloped earth, which shocks many, but not me.
The research is very important, as it may allow one to regenrate organs that fail. Currently, translplants are the only solution which requires a donor, and associated problems of scarcity as well as risks of rejection etc. If succesful, this will allow people to live longer and healthier. Not a bad bargain.
Currently stem-cells are derived from foetuses. But it doesn't have to be so. Currently we don't know enough about the stem-cells, so a primary source in foetuses is needed. But when the research matures it may become possible to bypass that stage. For example a recent Harvard Med School study showed that stem cells can possibly be grown and multiplied.
Re: Cloning:
A cloned baby will share the same genotype as the orignator. But the baby's phenotype will still be shaped by his environment. There are a lot of things that happen in physical bodies during development that are determined by the type of life led, nutrition, environment, emotional nurturing, intellectual stimulation, education etc. When grown up, a cloned baby is likely to be very different from the originator in personality,. Even though physical traits may have a lot of similaroties but they areare also affected by how a child was nurtured, food, habits etc.
Regarding "souls", a soul has nothing to do with bodies. Two bodies may have identical genetic make-up, but why should that impact souls. I can easily see different souls occupying genetically identical bodies. There is nothing in hinduism that brings any concerns regarding that aspect. A cloned baby will have a separate soul and will be his/her own person, not a carbon copy of the originator.
People forget that cloning is not much different from sexual-reproduction. In cloning no admixture of new genes happens. While in sexual-reproduction, genes of mother & father mix together. A new baby in either case doesn't have brand new genes completely different from the existing genetic pool. It has the same old genes that existed in the genetic pool, although in sexual reproduction, the genes get swapped around a bit. If concerns for "souls" can arise regarding clones, then they should also arise with respect to sexually-reproduced babies. Does a sexually reproduced baby carry half the father's soul and half the mother's?
A cloned baby will still take as many years to grow as a sexually reproduced baby. Looking into future I can imagine families with some sexually-reproduced children and maybe one or two cloned one. <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--> It doesn't shock me. Perhaps similar to the idea of Moon being used as a trash-can for dumping toxic wastes for an overpopulated and overdeveloped earth, which shocks many, but not me.