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Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

nature.com

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Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#31

Post by brightball »

dekhn wrote: post #22
rc_kas wrote: post #6

Yeah America has all the moral debates about genetics and experiments with embryos. But the bottom line is other countries are going to move forward no matter what America does.

This isn't really a problem. America can just wait for somebody else to take the risk and show the benefit, and then popular opinion would change. And we have the back-bench to develop these technologies once somebody has shown it possible. note that many parts of the US enthusiastically adopted stem cell technology ( https://www.cirm.ca.gov/about-cirm/history ) but unfortunately federal-level policies set by conserv…

Nobody was concerned about using stem cell technology or stem cell research.

The opposition was/is entirely to the death of embryos in order to obtain some stem cells for research. It's not as if it's some anti-science policy.

It's simply a continuation of anti-abortion politics, which a lot of people feel very strongly about and invokes a ton of ethical questions. As long as there can be a perception that someone was killed in order to provide the stem cells to save someone else, that's not going to go away.

Find ways to research stem cells without doing that and all of those concerns vanish.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#32

Post by thebooktocome »

gridlockd wrote: post #16
kldaace wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Assuming the Japanese don't have debates on bioethics. Nice.

He didn't assume that. Also, you're making the internet a worse place by accusing him of doing that. You should feel bad.

It's a logical consequence of the statement that America has all the ethical debates on genetics.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#33

Post by curiousgal »

bcrosby95 wrote: post #12
rc_kas wrote: post #6

Yeah America has all the moral debates about genetics and experiments with embryos. But the bottom line is other countries are going to move forward no matter what America does.

While I disagree with the US's stance, ignoring your morals because other countries are doing something would be a race to the bottom.

I wouldn't call morals things that change the moment a big company with deep pockets and suave lobbyists has a stake in changing them.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#34

Post by colechristensen »

ETHisso2017 wrote: post #13

I worry about allowing Japan, a country that has refused to fully own up to the biomedical atrocities it committed with Unit 731, to lead the way on these kinds of experiments. I would feel much more comfortable if there was international ethical oversight.

It seems like every country is more or less guilty of the same.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#36

Post by vorpalhex »

ETHisso2017 wrote: post #24
vorpalhex wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1945 was a long time ago and a very different Japan... We don't still force Germany to have caps on its army.

>1945 was a long time ago and a very different Japan Japan is currently sanctioning Samsung because it wants to avoid responsibility for WW2 sexual slavery.

That's a horrendous mis-statement of a convoluted political issue. Japan has no sanctions against Samsung directly, they are upset that materials they export to South Korea keep showing up in North Korea, while SK denies being the cause.

There's a separate case which was decided in SK courts claiming in short that Japan should give SK more reparations, because of course a court is going to consistently find in favor of their own country versus a luke-warm neighbor over a historical tension.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#37

Post by toomuchtodo »

mytailorisrich wrote: post #30
nothrabannosir wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...and for something far less exalted than curing people of diabetes. :/

Well exactly. If we are fine breeding so many for meat, breeding a few more to cure serious illnesses or even to save lives should not raise problems in public opinion.

Perhaps even further than that! It may make humanity realize that, just as oil is too valuable to burn, pigs are too valuable to use for bacon instead of life saving medical treatments.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#38

Post by uses »

htor wrote: post #2

grow human organs inside rats and? how does that work? i don't understand. meanwhile we are entering the sixt mass extinction event caused by a massive climate change. what good is this technology when you have failing crops, extreme weather, no electricity and mass immigration at your doorstep?

This is a really basic appeal to worse problems fallacy. You also assume that the same resources used for this somehow take away from addressing climate change.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#39

Post by madez »

mytailorisrich wrote: post #19
htor wrote: post #2

grow human organs inside rats and? how does that work? i don't understand. meanwhile we are entering the sixt mass extinction event caused by a massive climate change. what good is this technology when you have failing crops, extreme weather, no electricity and mass immigration at your doorstep?

For human organs the most likely host species is pig. Pigs are big enough and apparently quite similar to us. And also the slaughter of hundreds of millions of them every year is already well accepted...

> And also the slaughter of hundreds of millions of them every year is already well accepted...

I hope this changes eventually. It is one of humans archaic traditions that is highly unethical.

Re: Japan approves first human-animal embryo experiments

#40

Post by jkahrs595 »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #37
mytailorisrich wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well exactly. If we are fine breeding so many for meat, breeding a few more to cure serious illnesses or even to save lives should not raise problems in public opinion.

Perhaps even further than that! It may make humanity realize that, just as oil is too valuable to burn, pigs are too valuable to use for bacon instead of life saving medical treatments.

I hope you're right.
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