The Myth of a World without Disease

Jarosław Merecki

doi:10.18290/rkult20113-6

Jarosław Merecki John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences, Rome, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8457-2935

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rkult20113-6

Keywords: contingency, ethics, medical science, death

Abstract

Progress in contemporary medicine seems to be unveiling amazing prospects for the future of humanity. Reasearch on human stem cells, which due to their characteristics of totipotentiality (embrionic stem cells) and pluripotentiality (adult stem cells) may raise the possibility of recreating entire humann organs, inspires a whole new vision of the world in which human organism could be recreated almost endlessly. This research, however, calls for some ethical reflection. While taking stem cells from adult human persons does not provoke moral reservations, the use of stem cells taken from embrionic human persons raises the question: can such procedures be morally justified? According to the principle of justice one may never sacrifice a single human life for the sake of an advantage for many others. On the other hand we must not forget that contingency is the immutable dimension of human life on earth.

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