Scientists create pig human mutant?

[EquALLity]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/26/health/human-pig-embryo/
Holy shit.

What kinds of ethical concerns do you think this poses?

[ModVegan]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/26/health/human-pig-embryo/
Holy shit.

What kinds of ethical concerns do you think this poses?

I just heard about this earlier today.

I'm all for cloning, etc., but raising an animal just to harvest its organs is wrong if you grant any moral value to animals. Besides, what we really need is universal organ donation. I think if you "opt out" of organ donation, you should have to sign a document stating that you will never request an organ and are ineligible to receive a donation.

[brimstoneSalad]

I'm all for cloning, etc., but raising an animal just to harvest its organs is wrong if you grant any moral value to animals.

In itself, it's wrong, but the harm has to be weighed against the good of saving people.

Besides, what we really need is universal organ donation. I think if you "opt out" of organ donation, you should have to sign a document stating that you will never request an organ and are ineligible to receive a donation.

Organ donation is a problem in itself; it's rare that completely healthy people with good organs die in a way that they can be salvaged.
Immune incompatibility also means you have to take serious drugs for the rest of your life, and organs can come with their own surprises from cancer to prion diseases (particularly if they come from anybody but children).

The bigger potential problem I see is removing the health consequences of a bad diet filled with animal products. If people can just get a fresh heart on demand, they may be slightly less inclined to take care of the one they have. However, people already largely ignore personal health despite currently severe consequences, so it's probably not much of a deterrent. That logic is like pro-lifers who are against abortion because pregnancy serves as a punishment deterrent for promiscuous sex; it doesn't, even death by flaying probably wouldn't be enough to deter teens with their crazy sex drives. So, I'd have to see numbers on this.

I wouldn't mind a law that prioritized people who took better care of themselves.

[ModVegan]

Organ donation is a problem in itself; it's rare that completely healthy people with good organs die in a way that they can be salvaged.
Immune incompatibility also means you have to take serious drugs for the rest of your life, and organs can come with their own surprises from cancer to prion diseases (particularly if they come from anybody but children).

Fair enough, although if everyone were an organ donor, this would still be less of a problem. Currently, only 45% of Americans are donors, and apparently in the UK it's less than 1/3. And the bigger problem is that in some places, like New York, only 12% of people are organ donors! http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/why-dont-people-want-to-donate-their-organs/382297/

The bigger potential problem I see is removing the health consequences of a bad diet filled with animal products. If people can just get a fresh heart on demand, they may be slightly less inclined to take care of the one they have.

This is always a challenge, although if we can print organs cheaply on demand I guess it won't matter as much?

I wouldn't mind a law that prioritized people who took better care of themselves.

I think this is already on its way. Thanks to the quantified self movement and wearable computing (even stuff like the health kit on the Apple watch), it would be very easy for insurance companies to offer discounts to people living healthy lifestyles (which will basically result in a tax on everyone else).

[brimstoneSalad]

Fair enough, although if everyone were an organ donor, this would still be less of a problem.

Maybe if we let people set their own conditions on organ donation, that would help.
Nobody wants to see alcholics get their livers for another go at a bottle, and vegans definitely don't want to see fast food addicts get their hearts for another round of big macs.
If there were restrictions, or at least conditions with penalties, that could be a lot more encouraging.

This is always a challenge, although if we can print organs cheaply on demand I guess it won't matter as much?

Yeah, that's around the corner too.

I think this is already on its way. Thanks to the quantified self movement and wearable computing (even stuff like the health kit on the Apple watch), it would be very easy for insurance companies to offer discounts to people living healthy lifestyles (which will basically result in a tax on everyone else).

Yes, this is all great news. I've seen stuff based on purchases too; like buying whole grains, fruits and veggies. Doesn't mean you're eating them, but just buying them gives you a discount on your insurance.
Ultimately, it may be the money you'll have to pay today rather than the distant threat of disease in the future that inspires people to eat better (and as a consequence, more ethically).

You should make a video on this, if you haven't.
It'd be a nice uplifting one. Too much bad news lately.

[Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

How is this new? You've had one as president!!