Assignment Instructions
How does your worldview of human value affect your beliefs about bioethical issues, such as abortion, designer babies, and stem cell research?
Sample Answer
I am a Christian who believes that all human beings are valuable. I do not believe in bioethical issues such as designer babies, abortion, and stem cell research. I am against abortion and I believe that it should only be done when the life of the mother and the infant is in danger or when the pregnancy is as a result of incest and rape. I believe in advocating for the life of the unborn baby who cannot speak for themselves. Though there have been always campaigns to advocate for abortion, I have chosen not to succumb to the pressure but to take a Biblical stance. However, I respect the beliefs of other people regarding abortion, and thus, I do not impose my personal beliefs on others regarding abortion.
Designer babies are created by genetically modifying the embryo for the purposes of removing or enhancing specific traits such as adding traits that enhance intelligence and strength and removing undesirable traits (Rose & Brown, 2019). I believe that all human beings are born with different traits for a reason and with the designing of these babies God's original plan is violated. God made it available to different races and languages for a reason and He values diversity and love. Jesus Christ came to earth to redeem all people regardless of their race and ethnicity.
Up to now, I do not have knowledge of the different advantages and disadvantages of stem cell research. I am against the use of stem cell research to destroy life but I support the use of stem cell research to develop and apply new treatments that are essential in restoring the health of organs and tissues that occur due to diseases, aging, or any defects (Zakrzewski et al., 2019). The use of stem cell research is essential in generating new and effective treatments for diseases that have been unable to be treated using traditional remedies.
References
Rose, B. I., & Brown, S. (2019). Genetically modified babies and a first application of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR-Cas9). Obstetrics & Gynecology, 134(1), 157-162. https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/fulltext/2019/07000/genetically_modified_babies_and_a_first.23.aspx
Zakrzewski, W., Dobrzyński, M., Szymonowicz, M., & Rybak, Z. (2019). Stem cells: past, present, and future. Stem cell research & therapy, 10(1), 1-22. https://stemcellres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13287-019-1165-5