More Thoughts on Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Just wanted to express some more thoughts and streams of consciousness on this whole embryonic stem cell debate. Technically speaking, there is no such thing as "the embryo" if one is talking about a separate type or kind of entity. It's not accurate to say there is this thing called an embryo that all of a sudden - POOF - and a human being (a human organism) comes out of nowhere. "The embryo" is a shorthand way of talking about a biological entity that is in an early stage of development (in this case, the embryonic stage). I am concerned that talk about embryos and the like will desensitize us to the fact that we are talking about very young human life in a stage of development that we have all gone through.

"Spare" embryos and IVF (invitro-fertilization) - I think one can have an ethical use of IVF, but I'm divided on this. Perhaps, if we do not create more embryos than we plan to implant this would satisfy ethical concerns. It's alarming to me that in IVF people fertilize several dozens of eggs to create several dozens of embryos and then store them because they are "spare" or "extra." But an embryo's “spareness” is not a feature of the embryo. It's not the case that in addition to an embryo's mass and genetic makeup, there is this other property called "spareness." "Spare" is a term we use that reflects our attitude towards the embryo that we are not going to implant. We are not going to "use" them. Maybe we say "spare" or "extra" to make ourselves feel better about what we are doing with them (freezing, research, etc.). It seems so calculated, so commodified, and farmed. Like exchanging cattle, corn, and wheat.

If you don't like embryonic stem cell research, then don't use the therapies that would come from it." I saw this line in an op-ed piece in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Dumb statement. Opponents of embryonic stem cell research are not making a claim about what we like or dislike; we are making a moral claim that this type of research is wrong and should not be allowed. Imagine someone pre-Civil war saying in response to an argument against slavery that if we don't like slavery, then don't own a slave." If that response is dumb, so is the one on embryonic stem cell research.