Discussion about hybridization between humans and animals

The debate

We believe, too, that we are God's partners in the work of creation, both as innovators and as protectors, and that this partnership obliges us to be guided by ethical principles.

Office of the Chief Rabbi, Memorandum to Select Committee on Science and Technology November 2004

There are strong arguments on both sides of the ethics of creating human/animal embryos. We've listed some of the arguments put forward below.

In some cases the arguments seem to be similar but expressed in a different way.

In some cases arguments on the same side of the case seem to conflict with each other.

Arguments against creating human/animal embryos

...the creation of an animal-human being represents a natural border that has been violated, the most grave of violations.

Bishop Elio Sgreccia, president of Pontifical Academy for Life, May 2007

·         It blurs the distinction between human beings and other animals

·         It's a repulsive thing to do

·         It's unnatural

·         It's playing God

·         It violates human dignity

·         Human embryos have a special (moral) status from the moment of fertilisation that should be respected and this makes any research using human embryos wrong and a violation of their human rights

·         It's wrong to create beings (embryos) that are solely at the disposal of scientists; it says that it is acceptable to create motherless beings and could open the way to the creation of beings that are effectively owned by whoever controls the medium in which the embryo develops

·         Even if using human embryos for research is sometimes acceptable, creating animal/human hybrid embryos is a step too far

·         It's the start of a slippery slope that could lead to creating hybrid human/animal creatures capable of independent life

·         It's wrong to use animals in this sort of research

·         The research will be of little scientific value - no new treatments have been produced by embryonic stem cell research

·         Mixing human and animal genetic material risks creating new diseases

Arguments in favour of creating human/animal embryos

We think there is nothing illegal, immoral or unethical about this.

While we understand the concerns, we think they are largely founded on misinformation. People think we are generating some sort of hybrid animal. This is just cells, just for science. No animal is ever going to be created. Professor Chris Shaw, Kings College London, 2008

·         It may produce enormous benefits for human beings

·         It is a strictly limited procedure - creatures capable of independent life will not be created. These are 'just cells', not actual beings

·         It avoids the use of human eggs in research

·         The genetic contribution of the animal to the embryo is so small that it is essentially a human embryo

·         Since the embryo was not produced by human fertilisation, it can't be regarded as a human embryo

·         It's very similar to cell nuclear replacement research, and if we accept research on human embryos up to 14 days, there is no reason to oppose research on an embryo that is less than wholly human

·         Neither human nor animal rights are violated since the embryo will never be allowed to become a human or an animal

In this canl of youtube, you can see different opinion about hybridization

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTeuOuwVdZkR0s3dDIwW-rw

Group 11: Carmen Maria Jimenez Navas, Genoveva Carmen Martos de la Fuente, Beatriz Lopez Lopez