Societal Issues Concerning Biotechnology

Societal Issues Concerning Biotechnology

Since the creation of abortion there have been societal issues involving biotechnology and a rise in moral dilemmas. Like all issues concerning life, there is always a conflict between the scientific and societal aspect of it all. The scientific basis of abortion is for the safety of the mother and the advancement of modern science through biotechnology and research. In the societal aspect there is a disagreement between the liberals and the religious.

From a scientific point of view, if a woman has an unwanted pregnancy, the fetus is nothing more than an alien growth of tissue in her body and it should be removed as doctors would remove a wart, a cyst or a tumor. If, on the other hand, the woman wants to carry her baby to the point in which the fetus takes on the significance of any other non-vital part of her body, for example, a finger, her tongue, her breast, or for any other reason it would have to be removed in order to save her life then from a scientific view it should be removed. Scientists use abortion because they say that the embryo is not "alive" like human cells, but just a human life in the first stage of human development. To disagree with this, in order to prove the point that they are destroying human life, is to stop the advancement of science. Scientists also use aborted embryos to perform stem cell research for the betterment or advancement of modern medicine. They believe that by continuing in stem cell research that it will greatly benefit us in the future. Scientists say that the knowledge gained, can help in the creation of cures and preventions for disease's. With stem cell research we could also be more knowledgeable about the human body in general. It is not scientific to deny a medical service which would save thousands of women each year simply because some women abuse it. Nobody is suggesting that we ban prescription drugs simply because some people abuse them. The scientific way is to provide the service and try to solve abuse of the service through regulation, education and counseling.

From the societal view there is a clash between the liberal and religious aspects of abortion. The clash is that the liberals are for abortion, where as, the religious, like conservatives, are against it. While the argument is on wheter the fetus has the right as a human or if its the mothers choice. The