related_results_labels({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813489507942316135"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-12-10T14:24:12.335-06:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Leave the lights on"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"Science and Catholic faith"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://ginkgo100.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5813489507942316135/posts/default/-/ethics?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d3"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://ginkgo100.blogspot.com/search/label/ethics"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5813489507942316135/posts/default/-/ethics/-/ethics?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026start-index\u003d4\u0026max-results\u003d3"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Ginkgo100"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/01871889955884253147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"30"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"3"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813489507942316135.post-1817271211030770141"},"published":{"$t":"2009-05-31T10:57:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-05-31T12:52:13.841-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"opinions"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"culture"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"clarifying the record"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"explanations"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"blogs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"ethics"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"catholic life"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"family"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"faith"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Are parents selfish if they have a big family?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ch3\u003eWhy do people think it's selfish to have lots of kids?\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eRecently there was a bit of a dust-up in the combox at my sister's blog, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.milehimama.com/\"\u003eMama Says\u003c/a\u003e*, in which one commenter in particular charged that only selfish parents have big families. Having lots of kids (eight, in this case) allegedly is harmful to the older children in the family.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis is a mainstream attitude in modern American culture. Big families are viewed with scorn and derision, the parents accused of being selfish because either (a) they are dividing their love and attention among too many kids, (b) they are contributing to overpopulation, (c) they are using more than their share of natural resources, or (d) all of the above.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAs a cradle Catholic, I have known a lot of big families.  I even grew up in one, as the oldest of a brood of eight. But I have yet to meet a big family with selfish parents who are focused on fulfilling their own desires at the expense of either their family or our larger society.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI think this attitude stems from the discomfort people feel when they see large families.  They cannot imagine themselves having a baseball team's worth of children, so they feel subconsciously threatened when they see one. That statement is not intended to be judgmental; it's human nature, and everyone experiences feelings like that when confronted with behavior that falls outside of social norms.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhy it is not selfish to have a big family\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLet me present a picture of a typical big family.  This fictional family has two parents and a startling number of kids.  They have a strong religious faith, perhaps Catholic or Mormon or Evangelical.  The parents at times feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of people underfoot.  They know they could easily take steps to prevent themselves from having so many children, but they don't, because they have decided to trust God.  They see each kid as a gift and have faith that God will provide for the kids he gave them.   This is not a decision made lightly.  This is radical, and they know it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAll the members of the family make a lot of sacrifices in order to follow this path.  Maybe the kids aren't in as many organized activities, sports, and lessons as most of their peers.  Maybe they go to restaurants less often, take fewer vacations, and share bedrooms.  Maybe the younger kids rarely see a new article of clothing, being clad instead in hand-me-downs.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBut they also have a lot of privileges that their peers will never know.  They are never lonely.  Their house is the neighborhood social hub for the 18-and-under set.  They probably have a groupie or two, lonely children with no siblings whose parents work all day.  They have a precocious understanding of the important things in life, like love and sharing.  The older ones help their parents and learn child-care skills.  They all learn practical life skills by doing chores, such as how to do laundry.  They see what it is like to really live according to one's ideals and values.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThey never have to hear their parents say that children are burdens, or that they are \"so glad\" they're done having kids.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnd above all, they never, ever feel unloved.  Big families like to repeat the saying that \"love doesn't divide, it multiplies.\"  It's more than a cute saying, it's \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eliterally\u003c/span\u003e true: the kids all love each other.  Each new baby has a live-in fan club.  Each older child has a crowd of younger devotees who think he is \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003ethe \u003c/span\u003ecoolest person on the planet.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe truth is, every parent of a crowd has no choice but to give of the deepest part of themselves, every single day.  They are practically \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eforced\u003c/span\u003e to be unselfish. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSelfish parents could not do this job.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e* (cough cough) Which I helped design, by the way (ahem) not that I'm boasting or anything, but I have mad skillz don't I? Nevermind that I didn't do most of the work.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5813489507942316135-1817271211030770141?l\u003dginkgo100.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://ginkgo100.blogspot.com/feeds/1817271211030770141/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d5813489507942316135\u0026postID\u003d1817271211030770141\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5813489507942316135/posts/default/1817271211030770141"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5813489507942316135/posts/default/1817271211030770141"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://ginkgo100.blogspot.com/2009/05/are-parents-selfish-if-they-have-big.html","title":"Are parents selfish if they have a big family?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Ginkgo100"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/01871889955884253147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"10586589345248242200"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813489507942316135.post-1469420314751373183"},"published":{"$t":"2009-04-29T07:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-04-29T08:42:28.188-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"stem cells"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"videos"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"news stories"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"blogs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"ethics"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"human rights"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Embryonic stem cells declared probably defunct — on Oprah"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Rebecca Taylor of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.marymeetsdolly.com/blog/index.php?/archives/785-Dr.-Oz-tells-Michael-J.-Fox-stem-cell-debate-over.html\"\u003eMary Meets Dolly\u003c/a\u003e seems to have posted the story first.  (I fell behind on my blog reading, so I am just coming across it now.)  Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is both an eminent heart surgeon and Columbia Medical School professor \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eand\u003c/span\u003e a pop health celebrity and Oprah darling, told Michael J. Fox to forget about embryonic stem cells.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject width\u003d\"425\" height\u003d\"344\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/lDFJOzu9SyM\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowscriptaccess\" value\u003d\"always\"\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/lDFJOzu9SyM\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" width\u003d\"425\" height\u003d\"344\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDr. Oz said, \"I think the stem cell debate is dead.... The problem with embryonic stem cells is that ... it's very hard to control them, and they can become cancer.... In the last year we've made ten years of advancement\" on induced pluripotent stem cells.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEmbryonic stem cells have turned out to be wild horses.  They are \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003etoo\u003c/span\u003e flexible.  Induced pluripotent stem cells are recently developed technology that uses a patient's \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eown body cells\u003c/span\u003e. They do not cause an immune response in the patient and they do not require the killing of anyone, embryo or adult.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIt turns out, in the stem cell debate, that you can have your cake and eat it too: you can have pluripotent stem cells, and you can have them ethically.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: rgb(102, 51, 0);\"\u003eAnimals and Catholics series will continue soon, I promise.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5813489507942316135-1469420314751373183?l\u003dginkgo100.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://ginkgo100.blogspot.com/feeds/1469420314751373183/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d5813489507942316135\u0026postID\u003d1469420314751373183\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5813489507942316135/posts/default/1469420314751373183"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5813489507942316135/posts/default/1469420314751373183"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://ginkgo100.blogspot.com/2009/04/embryonic-stem-cells-declared-probably.html","title":"Embryonic stem cells declared probably defunct — on Oprah"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Ginkgo100"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/01871889955884253147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"10586589345248242200"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5813489507942316135.post-948994925955138537"},"published":{"$t":"2009-04-14T07:00:00.002-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-04-14T07:00:01.439-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"ethics"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"human rights"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The human dignity of anencephalic babies"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Anencephaly is a birth defect in which the brain fails to form properly.  An anencephalic  baby is commonly described as having \"no brain,\" although in fact the more primitive parts of the brain are generally present. Of those who are not killed before birth, many anencephalic infants are stillborn, but others live for a short time after birth, and a very few can survive a matter of months.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSome in the medical community view anencephalic babies with a sort of vampirish greed. As early as 1988, a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid\u003dJjPL1nLCvfZyft7JHMhC5L7twRQMdh3VnQhHF5tZt2GZnxHGLvqR%21-1911411410%217063501?docId\u003d5002140994\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003ejournal article on anencephaly and organ donation\u003c/a\u003e noted that \"as neonatal transplant science advances, the already acute shortage of small organs will likely grow worse \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eunless new sources of organs are identified\u003c/span\u003e\" (emphasis added).  It being the case that small organs do not grow on trees, the new sources that need to be \"identified\" can be nothing other than live babies less \"valuable\" than the ones needing transplants.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOne of these potential \"sources\" is named \u003ca href\u003d\"http://babyfaithhope.blogspot.com/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eFaith Hope\u003c/a\u003e.  Today she is 53 days old and breathes without any intervention.  Her single mother Myah, blogging about her baby, reports being encouraged by doctors to kill Faith before she was born and being told that her baby would die shortly after birth.  To be fair, most anencephalic live births \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003edo\u003c/span\u003e die shortly after, but Faith is not unique in her survival, either.  Though she does not discuss it much on the blog, apparently Myah is feeling some pressure to offer her baby up for organ harvesting.  In her post \"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://babyfaithhope.blogspot.com/2009/01/spare-parts.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eSpare Parts\u003c/a\u003e,\" she writes with heart-wrenching irony,\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003eIt would be such a noble thing for me to do... after all, what other purpose could my baby's life possibly serve? She is harboring valuable baby organs, and let's face it... she's as good as dead anyway. Her organs could be used to save a baby who actually has a brain.\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMyah might be encouraged by the opinion published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ewtn.com/library/prolife/bcdanen1.htm\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003edignity of anencephalic infants\u003c/a\u003e.  The Church explicitly rejects the opinion \"that anencephalic children, 'because of their apparent lack of cognitive function, and in view of the probable brevity of their lives', lack human rights 'or at least have lives of less meaning or purpose than others'.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMeanwhile, a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://bioethics.georgetown.edu/publications/scopenotes/sn12.pdf\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003esecular ethical report on anencephalic babies as organ donors\u003c/a\u003e (PDF) asked, \"Are anencephalic infants being considered as potential organ sources because they are dead, because they will die imminently and inevitably, or because their brains have not yet developed, and never will develop, to a stage at which they can be considered 'human persons'?\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe question really comes down to who has the best claim to the right of having the anencephalic child's organs: the child herself, or the potential transplantee? As with all organ transplants, clearly the answer is that the person born with the organs has first rights to them. A life cannot be ended, regardless of any external valuations of the quality of that life, in order to claim organs. Just as killing an embryo for its stem cells is wrong, so is killing a baby with a brain defect for its organs.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eFurther reading:\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.leavethelightson.info/2008/08/science-and-question-of-when-life.html\"\u003eScience and the question of when life begins\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.leavethelightson.info/2008/02/ethics-of-organ-donation.html\"\u003eThe ethics of organ donation\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5813489507942316135-948994925955138537?l\u003dginkgo100.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://ginkgo100.blogspot.com/feeds/948994925955138537/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d5813489507942316135\u0026postID\u003d948994925955138537\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5813489507942316135/posts/default/948994925955138537"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5813489507942316135/posts/default/948994925955138537"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://ginkgo100.blogspot.com/2009/04/human-dignity-of-anencephalic-babies.html","title":"The human dignity of anencephalic babies"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Ginkgo100"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/01871889955884253147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"10586589345248242200"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"0"}}]}});