Human-Cow Embryos: Yea or Nay?

A couple of UK scientists are now planning to create embryos made from the fusion of human DNA and cow eggs. They have requested the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to allow them to conduct their research for a span of three years.

What the scientists are going to do is to use the hybrid embryos, which are to live for a few days, for further research on stem cells. For a refresher, stem cells are the origins of the different tissues and organs in the body. With this research, the scientists aim to treat degenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

You would think, shouldn’t they just use human eggs instead? It is an option but these are very low in count and females will have to undergo surgery to take out their eggs. Cows, on the other hand, are in great abundance. There is plenty of supply of their eggs. It is also more immoral if they should use humans in their research. For experimental research such as this, animals are the usual guinea pigs.

The question for all of us on this one is morality. We all know that it is immoral to do any kind of cloning and much more would it be when it comes to fusing human DNA and cow eggs. Typically, they would create a chimera – mixing two different species into one. Though the scientists claim that the embryos will be 99.9% human, since the genetic material of the cow eggs is going to be removed upon inserting the human DNA, there is still that part that would be distinctly bovine.

There are certain advantages in this research but does the end justify the means? Would you opt to continue this research that could possibly save the lives of a thousand and maybe even your own?

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