Longer Life at What Cost? |
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by Maggie Griffin Heeger
Fifty years ago, if you told someone cells from a pig would save your life, you would have been laughed out of the room. But biotechnology changed all that. Now, advances in genetic engineering and medical research have resulted in amazing breakthroughs -- such as using pig tissues to mend ailing human organs and cloning replacement body parts.
In the health field, biotechnology is in the headlines, but in our private lives, it's in our consciousness in a very different way.
When you read the story of a young mother with everything to live for: a growing family and decades of living left to enjoy, the decision to try a radical new cancer approach is a no brainer. The benefits clearly outweigh any risks. When you hear that her insurance company won't pay for the unproven procedure, you may grieve with her or grow angry as she begs the insurer to reconsider.
Yet there is a time or place where the advantages of these incredible new procedures have to be weighed against other human factors. At what cost is life-extending intervention made available? Is the decision the same when the 46-year-old with two teenagers and an 89-year-old in a nursing home need similar procedures? Are issues such as quality and quantity of life factored into the decision?
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