To: AM-GLOBAL
From: Purusottama Deva
Subject: Re: Ananda Marga & Embryonic Stem Cell
Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2011 15:25:38 -0400
Baba
As we know when a man and a woman cannot produce a baby naturally, then they may turn towards in-vitro fertilisation. In that process which occurs in a laboratory, the male sperm is used to fertilise the female's egg, thus forming a human embryo. In fact, those doctors generally collect 3 embryos - sometimes more - and artificially inseminate the mother so she may carry the pregnancy.
EMBRYONIC STEM CELL:
There often remains unused, left-over human embryos. Certain scientists and theorists subscribe to the utility value of those embryos. They reason: "Those embryos are going to die anyway, so we might as well use them for research." This is their justification - all based on the utility value of those left-over embryos.
But Baba says, "No."
Each and every living being has both utility value and existential value. And everyone's existential value must be honoured. Those undeveloped human embryos are living beings and no one has the right to destroy them purely for their utility value, i.e. scientific research. The life form of those embryos should be respected. In Ananda Marga, we believe in the existential value of every being.
For all these reasons and more, we cannot support embryonic stem cell research wherein the embryo (living being) is destroyed for its so-called utility value.
Please read Baba's below teaching:
Baba says, "Each and every living entity, whether plant or animal, has two types of value: one, its utility value, and the other, its existential value."
"Human beings usually preserve those creatures which have an immediate utility value for them: for example, cows. Human beings protect them for their own benefit, because cows have some utility. Nowadays horses have lost their utility value, thus horses are rarely found in large numbers in the streets these days; you don’t see many horses around at all. After some time people will have to go to the zoo to catch a glimpse of a horse – they will not be found anywhere else. Since horses no longer serve human needs and their utility value is nil, human beings are not eager to preserve them."
"Similarly, when people are able to prepare synthetic milk by chemical process, they will also stop breeding cattle. That day people will either kill the cows by starving them, or they will themselves eat the cows. This is the situation."
"Who says that those creatures who have lost their immediate utility value have no right to exist? No one has the moral right to say this. No one can dare to say that only human beings have the right to live, and not non-humans. All are the children of Mother Earth; all are the offspring of the Supreme Consciousness. Most creatures have existential value, although they may not be valuable to human beings, or we may not be aware that their existence has some significance. This existential value is sometimes individual and sometimes collective, sometimes both. Oftentimes we cannot know the utility value, or the collective existential value, of a creature; we wrongly think that it has no existential value. This is the height of foolishness. Because human beings have not advanced very far in the field of knowledge, they are prone to this sort of error."
"Even those creatures which have no utility value for human beings, or whose utility value has ceased; which have no existential value for human beings, or whose existential value has ceased; still have the right to live. Even those animals which have negative utility value, instead of positive, and negative entitative [existential] value, instead of positive – human beings will have to try to preserve even those animals by creating a congenial environment for them instead of destroying them. And they will also have to provide adequate safeguards so that those creatures may not prove injurious. If, in the absence of proper safeguards, those undeveloped creatures do harm to humans, the fault does not lie with those creatures but with the human beings. Human beings are endowed with developed intellect – why do they not make adequate arrangements to protect themselves?"
"One more thing must be said – that non-human creatures have the same existential value to themselves as human beings have to themselves. Perhaps human beings can understand the value of their existence, while other living beings cannot: this is the only difference. Even so, no one has conferred any authority on human beings to kill those unfortunate creatures...human beings have completely forgotten the utility value and entitative value of other creatures." (Neo-Humanism: Liberation of Intellect. Discourse: Pseudo-Humanism)
In this above quote Baba is not just talking about humans, but animals and plants as well. Everything has it own existential value.
Namaskar,
Purusottama
From: Purusottama Deva
Subject: Re: Ananda Marga & Embryonic Stem Cell
Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2011 15:25:38 -0400
Baba
== ANANDA MARGA & EMBRYONIC STEM CELL ==
~ Part 2 ~
~ Part 2 ~
Namaskar,
Agreed - this is an important topic. As Ananda Margiis, we are to honor human life, not destroy it. Just as we do not believe in abortion, similarly with good conscience we cannot support embryonic stem cell research whereby that human embryo is wantonly destroyed.
In this letter are more of Baba's critical teachings that are highly relevant to embryonic stem cell research. Baba has specifically differentiated between utility value and existential value. And that sheds tremendous light on this issue.
Agreed - this is an important topic. As Ananda Margiis, we are to honor human life, not destroy it. Just as we do not believe in abortion, similarly with good conscience we cannot support embryonic stem cell research whereby that human embryo is wantonly destroyed.
In this letter are more of Baba's critical teachings that are highly relevant to embryonic stem cell research. Baba has specifically differentiated between utility value and existential value. And that sheds tremendous light on this issue.
OVERVIEW OF IN-VITRO FERTILISATION
As we know when a man and a woman cannot produce a baby naturally, then they may turn towards in-vitro fertilisation. In that process which occurs in a laboratory, the male sperm is used to fertilise the female's egg, thus forming a human embryo. In fact, those doctors generally collect 3 embryos - sometimes more - and artificially inseminate the mother so she may carry the pregnancy.
EMBRYONIC STEM CELL:
UTILITY VALUE VS EXISTENTIAL VALUE
There often remains unused, left-over human embryos. Certain scientists and theorists subscribe to the utility value of those embryos. They reason: "Those embryos are going to die anyway, so we might as well use them for research." This is their justification - all based on the utility value of those left-over embryos.
But Baba says, "No."
Each and every living being has both utility value and existential value. And everyone's existential value must be honoured. Those undeveloped human embryos are living beings and no one has the right to destroy them purely for their utility value, i.e. scientific research. The life form of those embryos should be respected. In Ananda Marga, we believe in the existential value of every being.
For all these reasons and more, we cannot support embryonic stem cell research wherein the embryo (living being) is destroyed for its so-called utility value.
BABA'S DIRECT TEACHING
Please read Baba's below teaching:
Baba says, "Each and every living entity, whether plant or animal, has two types of value: one, its utility value, and the other, its existential value."
"Human beings usually preserve those creatures which have an immediate utility value for them: for example, cows. Human beings protect them for their own benefit, because cows have some utility. Nowadays horses have lost their utility value, thus horses are rarely found in large numbers in the streets these days; you don’t see many horses around at all. After some time people will have to go to the zoo to catch a glimpse of a horse – they will not be found anywhere else. Since horses no longer serve human needs and their utility value is nil, human beings are not eager to preserve them."
"Similarly, when people are able to prepare synthetic milk by chemical process, they will also stop breeding cattle. That day people will either kill the cows by starving them, or they will themselves eat the cows. This is the situation."
"Who says that those creatures who have lost their immediate utility value have no right to exist? No one has the moral right to say this. No one can dare to say that only human beings have the right to live, and not non-humans. All are the children of Mother Earth; all are the offspring of the Supreme Consciousness. Most creatures have existential value, although they may not be valuable to human beings, or we may not be aware that their existence has some significance. This existential value is sometimes individual and sometimes collective, sometimes both. Oftentimes we cannot know the utility value, or the collective existential value, of a creature; we wrongly think that it has no existential value. This is the height of foolishness. Because human beings have not advanced very far in the field of knowledge, they are prone to this sort of error."
"Even those creatures which have no utility value for human beings, or whose utility value has ceased; which have no existential value for human beings, or whose existential value has ceased; still have the right to live. Even those animals which have negative utility value, instead of positive, and negative entitative [existential] value, instead of positive – human beings will have to try to preserve even those animals by creating a congenial environment for them instead of destroying them. And they will also have to provide adequate safeguards so that those creatures may not prove injurious. If, in the absence of proper safeguards, those undeveloped creatures do harm to humans, the fault does not lie with those creatures but with the human beings. Human beings are endowed with developed intellect – why do they not make adequate arrangements to protect themselves?"
"One more thing must be said – that non-human creatures have the same existential value to themselves as human beings have to themselves. Perhaps human beings can understand the value of their existence, while other living beings cannot: this is the only difference. Even so, no one has conferred any authority on human beings to kill those unfortunate creatures...human beings have completely forgotten the utility value and entitative value of other creatures." (Neo-Humanism: Liberation of Intellect. Discourse: Pseudo-Humanism)
In this above quote Baba is not just talking about humans, but animals and plants as well. Everything has it own existential value.
Namaskar,
Purusottama
Note: LINK TO FIRST LETTER OF THIS SERIES
http://am-global-01.blogspot.com/2011/07/ananda-marga-stem-cell.html
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