Unit 9 Ethics vs. Medical Wonders

By Yan Yongyi

Nov. 5, 2008

Learning Objectives Section One—Medical Wonders and Humanity To learn the basic idea of stem cell research and IVF.

Section Two—Magic Stem Cells To learn the magic effect of stem cells from umbilical cord

blood.

Section Three—Is the Test Tube Baby Technology Ethical?

To think about whether it is ethical to have test tube baby.

At the stem cell bar:A: Hey, man, where is Cindy?B: She went off to rid the world of all its horrible diseases.

Warm-up

What’s your first reaction to the following statements?

1. Two females can give birth to a biological child without a male involved.

2. Human beings can live an average life span of 200 years.

3. A male can give birth to a child. 4. Victims of cancer and Aids can be cured. 5. Seriously mentally-challenged children can be

treated and rehabilitated to be healthy and normal. 6. Humans can be cloned in the same way that

people make copies of a document.

Section One Medical Wonders and HumanityTask 1 Listening in

Dialogue 1—Why is Stem Cell Research Controversial?

Study the following words and finish the exercises on P135.

Controversial adj. causing disagreement or discussion a. 引起争论的，有争议的

Embryo 胚胎 Embryonic stem cell 胚胎干细胞 Fertilized egg 受精卵 Multiple sclerosis 多发性硬化症 Spianl cord 脊髓 Umbilical cord blood 脐带血 Bone marraw 骨髓 Leukemia 白血病

Dialogue 2—Last Hope for Infertile Couples (P136)

in vitro   (Latin 拉 ) (biology 生 ) (of the fertilization of an e

gg) by artificial means outside the body of the mother （指卵子受精）在母体外（人工授精）

Sperm 精子 Womb=uterus 子宫 Petri dish    n. 有盖培养皿 , 皮氏培养皿 surrogate mother 代母

Dialogue 3—Dispute over Stem Cell from Hybrid Embryos(P136)

Parliament 议会，国会

to little/no avail; without avail with little/no success 没有什么成果[ 没有成果 ]

Pandora ----if someone or something opens Pandora's box or opens a Pandora's box, they do something that causes a lot of problems to appear that did not exist or were not known about before.

apocalyptic a. 预示灾祸的，启示的

insurmountable   adj (fml 文 ) (of obstacles, difficulties, etc) that cannot be overcome （指障碍﹑ 困难等）无法超越的 , 不能克服的

Section OneTask 2 Speaking out

Directions: Make up short conversations based on the following roles and situations. Try to use the expressions in your textbook.(P136)

Words: Surplus a. 过剩的，

多余的

Situation 1Background: In one IVF cycle, over 20 eggs may be extracted and fertilized. The physician usually has to decide the three best embryos and plant them into the womb. There can be surplus embryos after an IVF cycle. Role A: You are the wife. You and your husband have

fertility problems. So you choose IVF to get pregnant. After your pregnancy, the fertility clinic has 16 surplus embryos. You are not sure how to deal with these extra embryos. But you know you do not have money to preserve them for possible future use.

Role B: You are the husband. Role C: You are a scientist. You try to persuade the c

ouple to donate surplus frozen embryos for embryonic stem cell research.

Situation 2

Role A: You are from a family with a long history of the Parkinson’s disease. You are afraid that in the future you and your child may run the risk of having Parkinson’s disease. Recently, when you heard aobut the developments in the stem cell research you became very excited.

Role B: You are firmly against embryonic stem cell research. You think that the destruction of healthy embryos in the process of research is a crime of killing.

Background:Muhammad Ali is a former three-time World Heavyweight Champion. He is a well-known victim of Parkinson's. Michael J. Fox, a widely-loved actor in the States, is also a victim of Parkinson's disease. They are both strong advocates of embryonic stem cell research.Ronald Reagan was a victim of Alzheimer's disease and passed way. His wife, Nancy Reagan, is an advocate of embryonic stem cell research.

Parkinson's disease n [U]) chronic disease of the nervous system causing tremors and weakness of the muscles 帕金森（氏）病 ; 震颤性麻痹 .

Alzheimer's disease  ['æltshaiməz] n. Origin: Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915), German medical scientista disease that affects the brain, especially of old people, and that gradually makes it difficult to move, talk, or remember things= dementia 阿耳茨海默氏病 , 早老性痴呆病

Section Two Magic Stem Cells Task 1 Listening in News Report 1—Magic Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood(P

138) Study the news words and expressions. Finish the exercises. Language Tips umbilical cord ： the flexible, often spirally twisted tube that co

nnects the abdomen of a fetus to the mother's placenta in the womb, and through which nutrients are delivered and waste expelled 脐带

a case in point: a relevant example 一个很能说明问题的例子 cerebral palsy: a disease caused by damage to the brain befor

e or during birth which results in difficulties of movement and speech 脑瘫

Task 2 Speaking out

Directions: Make up short conversations based on the following roles and situations.

(P140)

Situation One: It seems like a good idea to bank stem cells from a child's umbilical cord blood as an insurance for his/her future health. You are going to hold

a family meeting to discuss this matter. The Cost: Most private umbilical cord blood banks charge t

wo kinds of fees, the initial payment and upkeep payment. The initial payment ranges from $1,500 to $1,800 making up the amount needed for enrolling in the cord blood banking program and the cost incurred by extracting the blood from the umbilical cord, and the first year's upkeep payment. The upkeep payment is the second kind of fee that cord blood banks charge. The typical upkeep payment for a unit of blood is $75 every year. For this amount, the blood bank will make sure that your baby's blood is well-preserved and healthy.

Role A: You and your wife. Role B: Your parents. Role C: Your parents-in-law.

Situation Two: You and your wife are very excited to expect your first child. Your doctor informed you of the option to bank the umblical cord blood for possible future use. You wife favors the option. But you are somewhat relunctant as it can pose a financial burden to an already overstretched budget. Today, a salesperson from a umbilical blood registry comes to your apartment and try to get you into a contract to bank the umblical cord blood.

Role A: You Role B: Your wife Role C: A salesperson from a umblical cord blo

od bank

Section Three Is the Test Tube Baby Technology Ethical?

Task 1 Listening in (News Report 2—Soaring Surrogate Births)

Please refer to P142

Language Tips

on the line: (informal) if your job, position, life, etc. is on the line, there is a possibility you might lose it ( 非正式 ) 有失去 ( 工作，职位，生命等 ) 的可能

Task 2 Speaking out Discussion

A: Look at the following cartoons with your partner to understand their messages.

B: Make up short conversations based on the following roles and situations.

Situation: It's 2050. Genetic engineering technology has made great breakthroughs. Would-be parents can choose the genetic features of their babies such as IQ, gender, height, color of their hair, eyes, skin, and so on. You and your wife were asked whether you want a designer baby or not.

Role A: Wife. You ask your husband to let the nature to take its course.

Role B: Husband. You want your baby to be the best you can make him or her to be. You want a smart baby girl with fair skin and a exceptionally high IQ. So you try to persuade your wife to design your baby.

The End

Thank you for your attention!