The Value of Human Life
The life of a human person has a lot of worth that cannot be quantified with numbers. Their worth is not displayed by their performance or endowment. As opposed to people’s understanding, no performance rate or gift possessed is more important than the other in human beings. We cannot classify one job as more important or as adding worth to a human being than another. Human life is sanctified and inviolable and all human beings are of equal value.
Recognizing the value of human life informs people’s decisions on bioethical issues such as abortions, designer babies, and stem cell research. On abortions, women should be left to make the decisions they see fit for their bodies and their children. For example, a woman’s body might not be ready for pregnancy and may undergo physical and emotional harm in the process. The baby, on the other hand, may experience developmental issues if a woman’s body is not ready for pregnancy. To preserve the value of human life in such a case, the woman may proceed with an abortion if she makes such a decision. Preserving the value of human life also means respecting their autonomy to make personal decisions such as abortion. As for designer babies, there is no denying that it would give birth to a generation that is superior in terms of performance and endowment. Although this is not a measure of human value, I think getting rid of unnecessary traits such as disease-inheriting genes or possible disability would be beneficial to the human population. Lastly, stem cell research could also be beneficial to human beings by offering treatment options to sick or disable d human beings thus preserving their lives.