An Ethical Evaluation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research in Immanuel Kant’s Categoracal Imperative Formula Ii

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CHAPTER I

PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS

1. Introduction

One of the rights of man is the right to life. This right is fundamental, for there can be no further rights or duties to both God and other rational beings unless there is someone there to have them. This right to life is evident. The only way that a rational agent can fulfill their function as a man, reach their ends or goals of their existence, and achieve the highest good, is by performing a morally good acts. In order to perform such acts, they must live. The very nature of human person, therefore, demands that they have the right to life.

            Because of the existence of such right to life, it is proper and obligatory also for the rational agents to preserve his or her life. Health is one of the means towards the preservation of life. Health requires reasonable care by using an ordinary means of keeping oneself and others healthy. Ordinary means refers to proper food, clothing, and shelter, moderation in work and exercise, the avoidance of foolish risks and dangers, taking the usual remedies in sickness, seeking and following medical advice if necessary.

            However, there are some problems that endanger human life that even ordinary health care is not effective to deal with them. These are diseases, which make the rational agent suffer or even face a life and death situation if they experience such terrible diseases. Because of the existence of such terrible diseases that threaten not only man’s health but also their right to life, medical technology came out to provide solutions of overwhelming health problems. The medical researchers then, with the aid of science and technology, made some investigations and experimentations to provide some cure of such diseases; they came to discover some medicines that enable them to cure terrible diseases like leprosy, common colds, and many more. Health care professionals invented vaccines to immunize millions of children. These vaccines stopped the spread of terrible diseases such as smallpox. Neuroscience came into existence to cure paralysis due to spinal cord injury; the prevention of cognitive decline of the elderly; the replacement of a diseased brain tissue and many other diseases and injury in the brain and the nervous system. These are some of the medical breakthroughs that benefit the human race from the attacks of such terrible diseases.