In more coolio news, ZDNet reports that scientists have used advanced imaging to gain data from a mummy without unwrapping it. Included in the data are the names of the girl inside (believe to be about 4 years old) and her parents. However, the last line in the article, is a little too Shelley for me:
"We've brought her back to life," Schwappach-Shirriff said. "We're resurrected her. Her parents would be thrilled."
Either that, or they might be appalled that you robbed their daughter from her grave. Not that I have a problem with such research, but it seems to me that this statement is over the top.
Amanda, however, is not over the top with her direct criticism that Privacy is a Fundamental Right and should be protected in the Constitution. She's right and we need an amendment. Constructionists and their fair weather social conservative friends are not going to accept logical arguments that a right to privacy exists in the Constitution unless explicit wording is inserted. We should make it a broad right that governs what goes on in people's homes, what is discussed with their doctor/lawyer/priest/reporter, as well as what control people have over the distribution of their personal information by third parties. Get cracking lawmakers and wannabees!
I came across this article today in Reason online which asks the question, "Is Heaven Populated Chiefly by the Souls of Embryos?" In the article, Ronald Bailey takes on the concept often put forth by social conservatives that every embryo is already a human being and asks if this also applies to umimplanted embryos (what I call natural abortions). From the article:
Does that mean that if we could detect such unimplanted embryos as they leave the womb, we would have a duty to rescue them and try to implant them anyway?"If the embryo loss that accompanies natural procreation were the moral equivalent of infant death, then pregnancy would have to be regarded as a public health crisis of epidemic proportions: Alleviating natural embryo loss would be a more urgent moral cause than abortion, in vitro fertilization, and stem-cell research combined," declared Michael Sandel, a Harvard University government professor, also a member of the President's Council on Bioethics.
It's a good question and Bailey does a fine job of framing the issue. I've raised it several times myself, albeit with the more inflammatory argument that God/Nature/pick-your-spiritual-power-here, is the greatest abortionist in history.
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