PART THREE: Treating People Like Things
The biggest political issue of the opening years of the twenty-first century has been “therapeutic cloning.” That’s the term some scientists have made up for cloning human embryos in huge numbers so they can be used for research and to produce medications. The practice has horrified even pro-choice advocates.
Meanwhile, genetic discrimination is on the march — the idea that how you are treated in society should depend on the kind of genes you have. Already insurance companies and employers have discovered genetic information and used it to undermine your rights and your dignity.
Did you know that the biotech industry wants to be able to own human beings? Already it has patented genes; now it wants to be able to patent embryos and fetuses.
Side by side with advances in biology, other technologies are starting to threaten human dignity. This still seems like science fiction, but some people are getting very serious about it — using computers to “enhance” human beings and finally, perhaps, to replace us.
All these topics have one thing in common: they break down the barrier between people and things.