this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2023
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Growing genetically modified pigs with human-like hearts to save human lives? The ethics of that are a bit complicated, but from a STEM perspective it's a really fascinating idea. What a time to be alive.
There's nothing ethically wrong with this until we consider eating meat unethical. As a society, we're nowhere near that.
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You're breeding and killing an animal for its organs, and some would find that unethical. But you are doing it to save a human life, so it's a bit of a trolley problem I suppose.
It's not less ethical than doing it for meat, is my point.
Especially since a pig raised for organ transplant probably has way better living conditions than a pig raised for meat in an industrial farm.
I'd argue it's more ethical than meat. You can live a healthy life without meat (provided you're still getting your protein and B12). You're kinda dead without a heart.
I agree, while we're eating meat, feels strange to call the ethics of pig heart harvesting into question.
Except eating meat doesn't save lives
That's literally what the meat industry is though. I guess in americanized cultures more of the animal is seen as waste parts rather than food, but those probably become hot dogs anyways.
Anyways, the way I see it meat for eating, and even pig organ transplants are both raising a pig to put parts of its body into a human's body.
Is it different from breeding and killing an animal to eat it?
I would argue it's more ethically defendable. There are lots of meatless alternatives to eat. A viable hearts for transplant are scarce and if you need one then you NEED one.