Ch 7: Choices to make

There are always the usual topics in which people take a stand on: homosexuality, stem cell research, evolution, terrorism, religion, and politics. All seem to jar people into emotional response those who are opposed to each of these will either be angry, hateful, and perhaps even fearful. The best way in a hostile environment, for instance, stem cell research, is to start with an enargeia. For instance,


Lying in her bed is your wife. She has a collapsing lung and will not last more than another day. She is in ICU with machines attached to every square inch of her torso. She pleaded that she wants to stay alive because she wants to grow old with you and have children. She wants to be able to watch them play there football games, or listen to their newly found piano composition, or see them become a state champion in track. Her doctor walks in and suggests that, with one embryo, he will be able to create a new lung for her. It is up to you to decide of you respect your wives wishes or decide to pull the plug on her.

The main factor that will probably make people feel the way about stem cell research is religion. God has a path for that embryo that is being used. It is a human being in the making. Or perhaps people will see it as unjust. To the issue at hand, stem cell research takes only one embryo. If for instance, someone that you love was on their death bed and you decided to not try for stem cell research based on the probability that the embryo that might be used will be a child. The one you loved the most perishes. There pejorative language might be useful. Talking about how single-minded (note, I probably would not use such a strong adjective as this one) it is to base a decision on someone’s life because of religious beliefs. I would talk about how sad it is to lose someone because of a single ideology. Then I would say it is unfortunate that people who deny saving a loved one can take such a large decision in their own hands without the consent of the one suffering.