Stanford Making “Brain-Dead Human Bodies” To Harvest Organs

Academics at Stanford University have proposed the creation of ‘brain-dead humans’ in order to harvest their organs for transplant and research.

Carsten T. Charlesworth, Henry T. Greely, and Hiromitsu Nakauchi claim that making “bodyoids” is now scientifically plausible, stating that it could be done “without crossing most people’s ethical lines”.

The “need” for this technology has been presented as a solution to end waiting lists for organ donation, reduce the need for animal testing and help produce more effective drugs and treatments.

Writing in the MIT Technology Review, the trio stated: “It may be disturbing to characterize human bodies in such commodifying terms, but the unavoidable reality is that human biological materials are an essential commodity in medicine”.

They went on to say that many “will find the concept grotesque or appalling”, but that it “is now plausible enough to justify discussing both the technical feasibility and the ethical implications”.

Dr Peter J. Colosi, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Salve Regina University, responded to the trio saying: “You, as the person who you are, exist even when you are not conscious, and this means that other human beings who are not conscious could also do that.”

Adding to the developing chorus against the unethical proposal was Heidi Klessig, author of The Brain Death Fallacy, who called for an end to such “morally abhorrent attempts to purposely bioengineer neurologically impaired human clones as a source of ‘spare parts’”.

Christian Perspective

The proposal to create “bodyoids” for the purpose of harvesting organs stands in contradiction to the highest view, God’s view, of human dignity.

Scripture teaches us that every human being is made in the image of God: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27

This divine image is not contingent on one’s cognitive ability or physical functionality. Even in a state of unconsciousness, a human being retains intrinsic worth and should never be reduced to a mere commodity.

To manufacture life for the express purpose of destruction and utility is not innovation—it is exploitation, and it violates the sacredness of life that God has endowed to all humanity.

Furthermore, Scripture repeatedly warns against justifying evil for the sake of perceived good. “Shall we do evil that good may come? Their condemnation is just.” Romans 3:8

While the alleviation of suffering through medical advancement is a noble goal, it must never come at the cost of violating the moral law of God.

The argument that such beings could alleviate organ shortages or reduce animal testing does not absolve the ethical breach of creating life with the intent to destroy it.

As Christians, we are called to uphold the sanctity of life from conception to natural death and to resist the normalization of practices that devalue personhood for the sake of progress. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.” Isaiah 5:20

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