I wish her the best, and was so heartbroken to her story. If you were in this situation you may or may not feel differently.

I agree that it could get out of control. I am supportive of stem cell research. I also would not want to be on life support. I don’t agree with keeping someone alive, including myself, who is clinically brain dead. I was friends with a boy who was paralysed from the waist down and could not speak. He had been in an accident at 3 yrs of age. We were 10. I heard later in life that he went on to live a very fruitful life. Or the life of Stephen Hawking, is simply miraculous in what he has given humankind in the area of math.

When I say “quality of life” I am only speaking of someone who is a on life support and brain dead. I know, there are many many situations that people are on life support. I also know this is a deeper subject than I am capable of grasping, emotionally dealing with etc…

I guess I just was so moved by Connie Culp and her story. I also know that we could be farther with healing spinal injuries and other diseases wth stem cell research. I know that the ethical concerns are many, but we are also on an amazing frontier of medical advancements and it would be a shame if religion stops it. I suppose we can agree to disagree and I thank you for hearing my post. I think it would be a scary world though if we start harvesting organs of less fortunate people. I know the producer’s of Slumdog Millionaire touched on this and it does happen.

“I know you are Christian, and don’t believe in science doing this, then why are you okay with science extending the life of someone that is dead, or has NO quality of life. You can’t pick and choose.”

I hope I do not come across as anti-science. For the most part I love science, I appreciate that I can take allergy medication and that I am using a computer right now. I have numerous friends who are either doctors or are in med school and my wife has published papers in scientific journals. I am unsure; however, why this is an issue that I cannot pick and choose on. Why if I agree to extend the life of others via scientific and medical discovery must I also agree to use living individuals as sources of harvestable organs?

As for “quality of life” it is a myth, a fabrication of the American dream. By what standard are we to measure the quality of a life? If we use the average American household as the standard then the vast majority of peoples in the world would be considered lebensunwertes leben, “life unworthy of life.” Can we measure the quality of life based upon the quality of food one eats? How comfortable one’s bed is? Whether or not one has air-conditioning? The number of intestinal parasites a person has? Furthermore, what about those who do not meet this standard? Should we begin harvesting their organs?

Anne,
I agree.

Currently I do not have donor written on my license, but I am thinking about doing so in the future. I too have grappled with this question.

The real heinous issue is that life is taken for granted by people who murder or attempt murder on others.

I know you are Christian, and don’t believe in science doing this, then why are you okay with science extending the life of someone that is dead, or has NO quality of life. You can’t pick and choose.