This week was Dr.Faosiy turn to give lecture. The topic of this week was “Contemporary Ethical Issues.” In this week I have learnt some of ethical issues that happen nowadays such as cloning, surrogate motherhood, euthanasia, suicide and abortion.
Firstly, based on my understanding, cloning is an advanced technology in developing science which creates a copy of organism. In term, cloning is the creation of a genetic copy of a sequence of DNA or of entire genome of an organism. Is it ethical to do cloning? It is a conditional question. It has consequences and advantages with the valid reason. Cloning is good when it comes to provide genetically identical cells for regenerative medicine, tissues, transplantation and also to help infertile couple. In the other hand cloning is bad when it comes to terminate human aging, homosexual couples, genetic damage to the clone, and risks to the mother. The second issue is surrogacy. Surrogacy is when another woman carries and gives birth to a baby for infertile couple. Surrogacy not only has advantage which fulfilling dream of having baby by infertile but also bad image such as prostitution view. The third issue is euthanasia or mercy killing. It is actually a death free of any anxiety and pain of through the use of medication. It becomes the act of killing someone painlessly especially someone suffering from an incurable illness but it is categorized as deliberate murdering. The fourth issue is suicide. Suicide is an act of intentionally causing one’s own death. It can be caused by despair, mental disorder, alcoholism or drug abuse. It is self injury with the desire to end one’s life whereas God does not allow us to do so. Last issue is abortion. It is termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of embryo prior to viability. In other word, it is the act of killing a baby when it has not been given birth yet. The causes of abortion can be difficulties to take care of the baby, free sex and so on. But when it comes to one condition whether we should choose mother life or abortion, is it ethical to do abortion?
In the tutorial session, our lecturer managed us to interchange our opinion about the contemporary ethical issues. He picked up two students to sit in front and other students were free to ask questions regarding cloning, mercy killing, euthanasia, suicide and abortion. In that discussion I have found some different views of my friends. Some of my friends said it is ethical to do those issues when we find the valid reasons and some of them disagreed in any case. For example, when the question was about choosing mother life with abortion or saving the baby and let the mother die. Some of them persisted to save the baby rather than abortion.
In conclusion, I have gained much knowledge this week. It is not only from lecture but also from my friends who assessed different perspectives in facing contemporary ethical issues such as cloning, surrogacy, euthanasia, suicide and abortion. All of them have their own advantages and consequences but it depends on us how we picture to decide whether it is allowed or not. I am sure this lesson will help me to view these issues and to be a better person.
コメント