“To boldly go where no man has gone before!” – forging space bioethics
by Michael Cook | 19 Sep 2020 | 2 comments
Space colonisation is no longer just a dream of science fiction novelists. It is seriously being considered by governments and corporations. Space entrepreneur Elon Musk apparently believes that there will be a million people on Mars by the year 2050.
With all that activity the colonists will almost certainly be in need of a bioethicist. Polish philosopher Konrad Szocik is one candidate. In an article in the journal Bioethics, he outlines some of the issues that people will face in space. He says that “the new space bioethics should be a feminist new bioethics that is free from many of the historical biases associated with a male-centred perspective in philosophy and bioethics.”
What are some of the issues that space colonists will have to deal with?
The first thing to be noted is that “we should be open and ready for all kinds of ethical rules in a space colony—including those that go against our current moral intuitions.” It may be that space will be a new frontier ethically as well as technologically, giving the Star Trek motto, “To boldly go where no man has gone before!”, a new twist.
Human reproduction. On earth, the right to reproduce is fundamental. But in space, children might be genetically impaired or might strain the slender resources of a colony.
Sterilisation. This might have to be mandatory in space to prevent births.
Human enhancement. Assuming that it is possible, earth-bound scruples might have to be discarded if the survival of the human species were at risk.
Pre-birth screening. Should space settlers have the right to select embryos for intelligence or capacity to survive?
Szocik believes that feminist bioethics offers the best framework for space bioethics because it is more attentive to reproductive and environmental issues.
Michael Cook is editor of BioEdge
Judge Amy Coney Barrett gave a gracious acceptance speech after being nominated by President Trump to the US Supreme Court. “The flag of the United States is still flying at half staff in memory of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to mark the end of a great American life,” she said. “She not only broke glass ceilings, but she smashed them. She was a woman of enormous talent and consequences and her life of public service serves as an example to us all.”
It was a moving tribute to RBG, but ACB is expected to help shift SCOTUS in a very different direction – more conservative, and above all, more sceptical of abortion. As I wrote before, bioethics is “at the very centre of this strange election”.
Michael Cook
Editor
It was a moving tribute to RBG, but ACB is expected to help shift SCOTUS in a very different direction – more conservative, and above all, more sceptical of abortion. As I wrote before, bioethics is “at the very centre of this strange election”.
Michael Cook
Editor
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