34. “Objections to the Libertarian Stem Cell Compromise”
Abstract: In Block (2010) I offered a compromise between the pro choice position that fervently supports stem cell research, and the pro life philosophy which bitterly opposes it. The compromise was a contest: allow would be researchers to create as many fertilized eggs as they wished. But, also, these should be offered up to would be parents to adopt all of these “children” as they wanted. If and only if there were any unadopted fetuses remaining in the laboratories of the nation would it be licit, on libertarian grounds, for research on them to take place. In the present paper I respond to several objections to this “modest proposal.”
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“Libertarianism, Fleming notwithstanding, in contrast, is not at all “morally neutral.” Rather, it concerns what the law should be, certainly an ethically tinged question.” – Block
Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say Libertarianism is meta-normative? It doesn’t say what you ought or should do, only what you have a right to do? I think that helps distinguish between all the other run of the mill theories out there in normative land.
There is an issue with defining human rights as starting at conception. Both issues are with twins.
First issue is with identical twins. After fertilization of the egg, the zygote starts dividing, and in some cases it ends up splitting into two parts, each ending up developing. How are rights assigned then? If it’s a duplication of rights, then would that not indicate that each twin has property rights to the other’s body?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identical_twins
The second is the reverse, which can happen, although rarely. Two zygotes merge into what is called a chimera. How would this be handled? Is it two humans or one?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_%28genetics%29
That being said, that does not mean that mr. Block’s argument would not apply later in the pregnancy.