I read an article this afternoon about Britian's "cloning watchdog" authority evaluating an application to clone embryos for therapeutic purposes, such as treating an incurable disease like diabetes. Evidently, Britian has strict anti-cloning laws to prevent the quest to create "designer-babies", but flexibility allows the use of cloning for some therapeutic purposes. Some people think that it is unethical to create a clone of a human embryo for the sole purpose of research and/or therapy. I don't have a clear opinion on the ethical issues surrounding cloning at this point. But, I lean towards the view that cloning of embryos is acceptable for the creation of stem-cells that could be used to treat disease. On the other hand, I dislike the gruesome idea of a "baby" being frozen for years, and used to assist in the health of a "sibling". I'm just not sure I consider a cloned embryo a "baby", or "a human life" for that matter. There has to be a distinction made between what constitutes a human life, and what is not a human life. This is the question that I would like to obtain a clearer answer for myself.
The agony of victory....a.k.a. picking my jaw up off the floor
Allright. I've now had nearly 24 hours (although its taken me a couple of days to complete this post) to calm down, reflect upon and digest the improbable gut wrenching game yesterday in which the heavily favored Colts lost to the Steelers 21-18. I wrote last year of not being as emotionally attached to the Steelers as I have been in the past. I wrote last week of how I thought that I might be spending too much valuable time following the Steelers, especially since I have absolutely no control over the outcome of their games. Let me just say this: yesterday's game was probably in the top five emotionally draining, and ultimately gratifying, experiences of my life. Ouside of my wedding and the birth of my two sons, I can't remember being as nervous, deflated, joyful, stunned and exhilirated as I was yesterday----all withing about a ten minute stretch of seemingly neverending time! What could have been a devestating loss to live with in the offseason (and, forever, for Jerome...
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