Conceiving Again to Save a Child
Q&A Radio: 26 May 2013, Question 3
I answered a question on conceiving again to save a child on 26 May 2013. You can listen to or download the podcast of just this question below – or check out the whole episode of Philosophy in Action Radio.
Is it wrong for parents to have another baby to save the life of their sick child? In 1990, Marissa Ayala was born in the hope that she might be able to save her 16-year-old sister Anissa from a rare form of leukemia. (The parents went to extraordinary lengths to conceive.) Happily, Marissa was a suitable bone marrow donor, and Anissa's life was saved. At the time, many people criticized the decision as "baby farming" and treating the new baby as a "biological resupply vehicle." Yet today, the Ayalas are a close family, Anissa is alive and well, and Marissa is happy to have been born. Were the Ayalas wrong to attempt to save the life of one child by having another? What moral premises would lead a person to condemn this act?
My Answer, In Brief: Other things being equal, for parents to save the life of one child by conceiving another, in the hopes of that new child being a bone marrow match, is perfectly moral and proper.
Tags: Abortion, Children, Ethics, Health, Medicine, Parenting
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- Duration: 10:54
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Relevant Links
- Born to save sister's life, she's 'glad I am in this family'
- Philosophy in Action: The Morality of Cloning
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About Philosophy in Action
I'm Dr. Diana Brickell. I'm a philosopher specializing in the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. I received my Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. My book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame, is available for purchase in paperback and Kindle. The book defends the justice of moral praise and blame of persons using an Aristotelian theory of moral responsibility, thereby refuting Thomas Nagel's "problem of moral luck."
My radio show, Philosophy in Action Radio, broadcasts live over the internet on most Sunday mornings and some Thursday evenings. On Sunday mornings, I answer questions applying rational principles to the challenges of real life in a live hour-long show. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers co-hosts the show. On Thursday evenings, I interview an expert guest or discuss a topic of interest.
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