xenotransplantation

Question 1

what is xenotransplantation

Answer 1

• transplantation of an organ tissue/cells between two different species
• solid organ transplant, cellular/tissue transplants on external therapies (filtering blood cells)
• human animal hybrid (human and non human cell grow)

Question 2

how does xenotransplantation work

Answer 2

• pig heart valves instead of heart valve
• need to genetically modify pigs to use them as donors

Question 3

ethical issues around xenotransplantation

Answer 3

• is it right to GM nature?
• animal rights/abuse?
• is pig life<animal life, peter singer speciesism
• not theologically compliant, halal/kosher (ok if saving life? fundamentally wrong?)
• playing God, religion –> humans are lords over earth and all medication is animal tested anyways
• consent
• disease transmission
• benefits to society
• morsl animal status
• costs

Question 4

Natural Moral Law and xenotransplantation (synd and tel)

Answer 4

• synderesis: good to preserve life through medicine, gods creation BUT perversion of nature, against God’s law
• teleol: people can live, can reach fellowship with God BUT scientists cannot be playing God as it is against religion

Question 5

NML and Xeno (precepts and deon)

Answer 5

• primary precepts: W: changing gods creation, using his creation adams dominion; O: divide, in society between in people who can afford it and cant, inequality; D: preserves innocent life, people with illness need to be supported
• deontology: changing gods creation, your duty to pp, preserving innocent life, good actions
• secondary: xeno can be accepted as it preserves innocent human life

Question 6

NML and Xeno (real and apparent, interior and exterior, double effect)

Answer 6

• real and apparent good: apparent to save life and person suffering, real: not modifying God’s creation and letting them die of natural causes BUT apparent good can also be worrying about animal life, which is really not important
• interior and exterior acts: intention to help but GM distorts nature, depends on the moral status of the animal (if you can eat you can transplant it)
• double effect: intent to save a life and justified as saving a life good, and bad action doesnt actually oppose primary P as animals are not on human level, but only W as it is a perversion of nature

Question 7

NML and xeno (god and reason)

Answer 7

• god: sanctity of life, preservations of humans, adams dominion over earth BUT playing God, human interpretation of stewardship and human responsibility
• reason: be used to decide; disease transmission costs etc, benefits in the LR: which worships God more? preserving life vs changing creation, is it the only way to save someone’s life (halal/kosher with exceptions); little guidance in holy books must use intelligence

Question 8

SE and xeno (tel, situationist, agape)

Answer 8

• tel: greater good of humans can survive and reach their purpose by using animals to stay alive
• situationist: legal = strict allocation and antinomian: no regulation, no scientific limits but situationsim: circumstance, considering consumption limits
• agape: love, saving life defends humanity, respects gods creation as if its being used in a good way

Question 9

SE and xeno (4 working principles)

Answer 9

• legal in the UK, practical about some parts (valves, not organ donation)
• relativism: depends on the situation, are there any alternatives that can be used
• positivism: gods love, use every living thing if its benefits human life (sanctity of life), biblically ‘every living thing will be food for you’
• personalism: people are at the centre and animals should be used to save them

Question 10

SE and xeno (6 fundamental principles)

Answer 10

• love only is always good: helps them live, if a person doesnt want GM in them to live this should be respected
• love is the only norm: disregards rules/regulation about xeno, only what shows love
• love=justice: justice, deserve to have the option to have xeno transplantation to survive, fairness more organs
• love is not liking: personal beliefs do not matter only what is best for the patient
• love justifies the means: human life is saved and shows love, means GM is justified
• love decides there and then: depends on situation and factors

Question 11

VE and xeno (tel, eud, pleasure etc)

Answer 11

• tel: good as it saves life, animal design/purpose is to donate organs
• eudiamonia: allows for staying alive on an extended life and they can achieve eudaimonia
• pleasure, honour, contemp: pleasure means taking animals parts for your own benefit, honour is using it to live for your family and contemplation means considering philo and engaging with xeno

Question 12

VE and xeno (virtues)

Answer 12

• mean: no mean as there is a deficiency of organs, shortage
• not numerical: generosity at the right time, if the person is in a critical condition
• moral virtues: courage, putting animal parts in humans by scientists; patience = waiting for human/but storage
• intellectual virtues: phronesis: is it practical to use organs, episteme; development of scientific knowledge, resourcefulness: alternative solutions?

Question 13

VE and Xeno (reason and community)

Answer 13

• reason: already consume animals, is this viable and reasonabel ways to use animals – Hursthouse, modern is it virtuous to carry on even though development in the field is very slow
• community: can be apart of the community if living