SPEW: First club 'meeting'

[beatific.livejournal.com]

Hey, people! (:

This is the first ever post for SPEW [Society for the Protection of Elvish Welfare, though that's not all we'll be talking about XD], and I hope that I'll receive better feedback than Hermione did in the books! ;D

I'm opening this up with a general sort of discussion so that it's easier for people to jump in. No points for now--just a nice, easy way to get the hang of it and test the waters, to see if you like it.




SPEW is:

A forum/club in which the members may discuss controversial subjects of both Potterverse and related to current events. It's a club focused on circulating ideas and opinions--in a VERY polite manner. I guess you could say that the motto of SPEW is, uhm...well, I'm terrible with making up mottos, but it's probably something like "Have fun and be polite". Which is terrible, really. [Feel free to come up with a motto of your own XD]

But uhm, all in all, it's a place where people can talk about the things that are going on in both our world and Harry's, and where we can bounce ideas off of each other and learn from each other that way. Ignorance and indifference are truly the most dangerous things in the world--so lets work together to spread some knowledge about what's going on in the world. (:




OKAY! This week/halfofthemonth's topic is:


Recently, a group of scientists at Edinburgh University have created the first pure batch of nerve stem cells from human stem cells. Do you think stem cell research is ethical? Should it be considered a form of cloning, or is it an important scientific discovery that will enhance the medical field and help cure diseases? Remember to back up your opinion!


For more information, go here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4562235.stm


Unfortunately, I'm going to be up in NorCal looking at Unis, so I may not be able to participate in this discussion a lot. I apologize beforehand, but I PROMISE to check up on this as much as possible. If this turns out well, I might post another topic next week and turn it into a weekly thing (:.




Now, don't disappoint me like Hogwarts disappointed Hermione! Join in and spread the SPEW love (:

Comments

[firestar182.livejournal.com]

I just mean that no matter what I think about the ethics of stem cell research, it won't be controlled. Maybe in the US, but Europe is going all kinds of crazy with it. AND we will eventually be using the technologies developed by stem cell research in the medical world.

I don't necessarily think that all stem cell research is unethical, but I think that when they kill life or create life to be used it's not good. I think that anything that has the potential to be a life and is not given the right to live is unethical. So creating embryos in a petri dish...well, if they'd have been implanted they would have grown into something, but if they are past the time period for implantation...sure. If that makes any sense.

Abortion. Well I don't think that the government has the right to control some forms of abortion because we don't really know when life begins and there is no scientific evidence to completely prove when life begins. If the government controls it, then it's going completely on a moral and religious basis and that is a violation of many people's rights. While I, personally, do not like abortion and I think that it's wrong, I do think that it would also be wrong for the government to control it. As a nursing student, I would refuse to assist with an abortion but I would not try to force my opinion on abortion about anyone and I would not turn my back on anyone who had an abortion. I personally believe if you don't want to be pregnant, don't have sex. I mean, pregnancy is a direct consequence of sex, right?

[hxcpunkchick.livejournal.com]

I just mean that no matter what I think about the ethics of stem cell research, it won't be controlled. Maybe in the US, but Europe is going all kinds of crazy with it. AND we will eventually be using the technologies developed by stem cell research in the medical world.

I don't necessarily think that all stem cell research is unethical, but I think that when they kill life or create life to be used it's not good. I think that anything that has the potential to be a life and is not given the right to live is unethical.

For some reason, this statement made me think of the movie The Island. I don't know if you've seen the movie or plan to, but I don't think what I'll mention will spoil you. In this future, cloning is regulated. It is allowed to occur as long as it doesn't fully develop and stays in a vegetative state. Obviously, the complany does not adhere to these laws. They realise that there's a better chance of survival if it's allowed to gain a conscience. But then there's nothing wrong with giving the clones a false hope of going somewhere, when their intenet is to harvest the clone for certain organs, or a baby in some cases.
I realise this is a movie, but for some reason think that it's very possible that something like that would happen. Government would attempt to control these things, trying to keep things ethical, and companies would seek to find loopholes.

tif.Slytherin.

[zillah-mahala.livejournal.com]

I've seen the film, and I agree - people will always try and find loopholes to exploit in order to garner dollars for supplying a product. If they can't sell the product, they can't profit.. so if the product won't function without being concious, then they'll make it so.

Cloning opens up a whole other kettle of fish with respect to stem cell research though - whether it would be ethical to essentially begin the cloning process in order to harvest stem cells for a person with their own DNA - thus avoiding any of the immune complications? It could be argued that you could use immature cell lines within adult tissue which have some degree of pluripotencey - like cells in your bone marrow can develop into different blood and immune cells etc. But depending on the problem, this may not possible. Brain and muscle cells don't have immature precursors, for example, and those with a genetic anomally since birth obviously wouldn't be able to use their own faulty cells.

It's probably best I stop rambling now, though. XD Sorry for straying from your post a little!

Sara//Ravenclaw

[beatific.livejournal.com]

[Noo, you're opening up the discussion, it's good (:]

[firestar182.livejournal.com]

Companies will always try to do whatever they can to get the biggest buck for their bang. haha.

I haven't seen that movie though I'd like to.

Megan/ Claw

[zillah-mahala.livejournal.com]

I agree with your statement of stem cell research not being controlled, regardless of the ethics of the situation. It is the nature of science to progress, and for people to progress with it - we've started down this path, and controversial or not, it has piqued a lot of interest. People will follow it regardless. It does have a lot of potential in medicine though, and indeed if further break throughs are made, I'm sure we'll see it applied worldwide over a period - regardless of whether the countries have been directly involved in that calibre of research or not. If it saves lives people often turn the other cheek. But we have a ways to go yet, so who knows when these things will actually be upon us?

So creating embryos in a petri dish...well, if they'd have been implanted they would have grown into something, but if they are past the time period for implantation...sure. If that makes any sense.

That does make sense, but just for clarification - you're saying that you have less of a problem with harvesting stem cells from laboratory created embryos /beyond/ the point where they should have been implanted, and thus been able to develop? As long as it's beyond that point? For some reason I find that an interesting stance - not a bad one.. it just seems to contrast a little with what you stated above that.

I think that when they kill life or create life to be used it's not good. I think that anything that has the potential to be a life and is not given the right to live is unethical.

Personally, I would have seen creating an embryo as creating a life - we consider single cells 'living things' as opposed to viruses, which are seen as ambiguous. But I understand your point as well, being multicellular organisms - we need a lot more than a cell or two to survive. But even so, an embryo does still have the potential to develop into that 'more', and we are denying it that by not implanting it and using its cells elsewhere. Humm.. I personally don't have an issue with this process, but I can certainly see why one would. I'm just a little confused by your stance, I suppose. Don't feel you have to clarify it though, it does make sense. My thinking is just a little different and as such, I don't see it in quite the same way. XD

[firestar182.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess I mean that sometimes they create the embryos and then the people decide not to have them implanted or they become unused for one reason or another and those embryos are going to sit there unused and go to waste or be trashed, but they've already been created and they weren't created for the specific purpose of being used for research, so why not use them.

Like if people are going to abort babies then maybe they shouldn't go to waste, but the problem is that people are being paid for their fetuses and that bodes of an even further issue of are people getting pregnant and having abortions for the money...because that would be a travesty (personally) and completely unethical. I don't know too much about this particular practice(the selling of fetuses) but my sister has done quite a bit of research on this and it's kind of frightening.

Like you said above people will often turn the other cheek with things that are life saving and have the potential to cure the uncurable diseases. I see this most in people who are adamant about animal rights. All the drugs that we have, were tested on animals. There is not other alternative out there according to the FDA right now, but people will often ignore that fact to save lives. A little off subject, sorry.

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. It's been a busy day.

[zillah-mahala.livejournal.com]

Not a problem - thanks for the insight. :) For some reason the thought didn't occur to me about there being embryos 'left over' from potential implantations and the like, and thus having a different purpose from the beginning. I agree that it's worth not wasting them.

Personally I don't have much of a problem with the use of aborted fetuses - I believe you said earlier some people were of the opinion that 'at least they don't go to waste' ..which admittedly does sound a bit awful - I can see why you wouldn't agree with it. But I'm all for not wasting things and seeing their potential. But people being paid for their fetuses is just abhorrent - that certainly is going to cause problems. I'm not against abortion, but I think some people are starting to treat it as a form of birth control, which it most certainly is not. It should be left as a last resort.. and giving a monetary incentive for it to occur is just stupid. I imagine the results of the research would be frightening. Dear me..