Find space for new science, its ethical dilemmas

News: Several advances have been made in the field of ‘Xenotransplantation’.

Xenotransplantation involves the transplantation of nonhuman tissues or organs into human recipients.

What are the developments made in the field of Xenotransplantation?

In September 2021, at the NYU Langone hospital in New York, the medical team attached a kidney from a gene-edited animal to a person declared brain dead. It was to check if the animal kidney was able to do the job of processing waste and producing urine. The experiment was successful.

On January 14, 2022, in University of Maryland, doctors used a genetically modified heart, as a replacement heart for a patient who had run out of available options.

In a latest example, a doctor in Germany has been working in the area of xenotransplants. He is planning to develop a farm to cultivate genetically-modified organs for such transplants.

All the above developments have one source i.e., tissue or organs or Pigs. It is regarded by medical science as an animal whose organs are currently best suited for humans.

Need of Xenotransplantation

In the United States there are around 90,000 persons waiting for a kidney transplant. Success in Xenotransplantation will fulfill this requirement.

In Germany alone there are 8,500 patients waiting for organ transplants.

Wide adoption of xenotransplant procedures will diminish the illegal and immoral trade in human organs.

What are the ethical issues associated with Xenotransplantation?

The animal rights movement is against xenotransplantation, because it ignores the rights of animals. According to them, animals also have rights and it is our moral responsibility to support these rights. Thus, they are against animal farms with genetically modified animals.

Second, the philosophy of anthropocentrism places human beings at the center of nature. It regards all other living creatures as having value only if they can be of use to humans. Mahatama gandhi was also opposed to such thinking.

Third, Xenotransplantation places us in a classic utilitarian dilemma. The dilemma is whether it is better to kill an animal and save a human being or to save an animal and let the human die.

Lastly, pig is considered a dirty animal in many societies, including many Indian societies. Even the people who deal with pigs are given low social status. Thus, it would be difficult to make such a development, adopted globally.

Source: This post is created based on the article “Find space for new science, its ethical dilemmas” published in The Hindu on 4^th March 2022.