For me, as the author of several articles and books on bioethics, the Alabama Supreme Court's decision regarding the personhood of human eggs from in vitro fertilization (IVF), which classifies these frozen embryos as “extrauterine children,” stands out to me. It is clearly a moral decision: Bioethically violated. I see this as part of a politically and emotionally complex pro-life sentiment that may do more harm than good and requires a revision of bioethics.
One example is releasing unadopted cats from “no-kill” shelters to protect themselves in the community. These cats suffer and do not live as long as properly cared for domestic cats. It should be a federal crime to release any exotic species, from cats to pet pythons. Euthanasia of such animals is humane, bioethically and environmentally sound.
Is it ethical to fabricate legislation that denies women's reproductive rights and restricts access to contraception? Closing abortion clinics is an unethical practice in many communities where women's reproductive rights have been stripped away by the courts. caused a crisis. Incorporating bioethics into our judicial and educational systems may prevent us from falling deeper into the abyss of moral determinism and xenophobia. We have a population problem and we must recognize that abortion is an ethical decision, not an immoral one.
Since 2017, the prevalence of undernourishment has increased. The number of undernourished people has increased from 572 million at the time to around 735 million today. (concernusa.org/news/world-hunger-facts/)
The demand for infertility and IVF may be due, in part, to endocrine-disrupting pesticides and other chemicals that have increased in the environment and in our food and water over the past half-century. Their effects on wildlife, especially crocodiles, are well documented. (Louis J. Guillette et al. Alligators and Endocrine Disrupting Contaminants: A Current Perspective, American Zoologist, Volume 40, Issue 3, June 2000, Pages 438-452; doi.org/10.1093/icb/40.3.438 )
These and other chemicals can also cause infertility, birth defects, and cancer. Cognitive impairment and non-genetic susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease are associated with air pollution from diesel and gasoline fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) from vehicular traffic. (See Christensen GM. et al. Association of PM 2.5 Exposure and Alzheimer Diet Pathology in Brain Bank Donors — Effect Modification by APOE Genotype. Neurology, February 21, 2024; doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209162.)
The growing population of more than 8 billion people has caused many other species to become extinct, and some species, such as the great white whale, condor, chimpanzee, and elephant, are now at risk of extinction. Protection under the Declaration of Personhood and the international rule of law for these and other endangered species may be more relevant than under Alabama law. I believe that in vitro fertilization is a bioethically questionable biotechnology applied to correct the dysbiosis of the gut flora that we have caused to ourselves and life forms on Earth in order to make money. thinking about. Being pro-life is not a selfish, anthropocentric moral sentimentalism, but rather must serve as an ethical foundation for civil society to incorporate respect and protection for all living things, great and small.
In New Zealand, legal entities have been signed for the Whanganui and Te Urewera rivers. Aaron Smale says Māori and Pacific leaders are now proposing similar measures for whales as a further step to protect the environment. (For more information, see newsroom.co.nz/2023/09/18/maori-and-pacific-leaders-propose-legal-personhood-for-whales-at-un/.)
Efforts to have courts recognize the legal personhood of wild and captive elephants, chimpanzees, and other self-identifying animals have been going on for decades. It was sparked, in part, by attorney Christopher D. Stone's 1972 book “Should Trees Stand?” We have been slow to realize that the whales that contribute to the health of our oceans are worth far more than their meat and oil, and that our own well-being depends on the health of our oceans. . Therefore, out of enlightened self-interest, all countries should recognize the personhood of whales and protect them from further harm.
Chlorpyrifos, a previously banned neurotoxic insecticide, is back in use.
Posted by Earthjustice on December 19, 2023:
“The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it will not challenge the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals’ November ruling that overturned the EPA’s rule banning the use of the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos in food. This is because a small number of chemical companies, including Garda Chemicals, which challenged the EPA's ban, have banned this toxic pesticide even though it has been linked to learning and behavioral disorders in children. This means it can be sold again.
Alfalfa, apples, asparagus, cherries, citrus, cotton, peaches, soybeans, strawberries, sugar beets and wheat, which account for more than half of chlorpyrifos use, will once again be allowed to use chlorpyrifos, according to the EPA. Studies conducted by Columbia University and others have linked chlorpyrifos exposure to negative neurodevelopmental effects in children. (bit.ly/3wNIRmd)
Erin Fitzgerald of Earthjustice said, “Very small exposures to chlorpyrifos can cause irreversible harm to children's developing brains, resulting in disorders such as lower IQ, autism, and hyperactivity.” “It could cause this,” he said.
We should all wonder why farmers are still allowed to put poisons into the crops we consume that kill beneficial insects and soil microorganisms. It is no exaggeration to say that such loss of biodiversity is environmental destruction and the use of such chemicals is murder.
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