Arce 1

Griselda Arce
Professor Holly Batty
English 114 B
25 March 2014
Bioethics of the 21
st
Century
Never Let Me Go by a!uo "shiguro is a no#el that $ortrays a dysto$ian society in the 1%%0s& "n
Never Let Me Go' the narrator' athy' sho(s the reader her (orld (hen she begins to describe ho( her
life is in Hailsha)& athy' along (ith other boys and girls are beings that (ere cloned for one $ur$ose'
that $ur$ose is to har#est organs for the *original+ $erson& "n Hailsha)' carers (ere res$onsible for
(atching after the boys and girls of Hailsha)& Creati#ity and a healthy lifestyle (ere strongly enforced
so that they (ere not easily influenced to do bad choices li,e s)o,ing& -his no#el gi#es out a strong
)essage to the reader about our conte)$orary society and ho( it can be co)$ro)ised in the future if
no actions are ta,en to $re#ent un(anted results& .ur society has had great acco)$lish)ents and
ad#ances in the )edical field& -reat)ents and cures ha#e been found for hundreds of diseases (ith the
constant atte)$ts to create the best )edications and $roducts for $eo$le& Ho(e#er' the high
e/$ectations that are held for our )edical field can lead our conte)$orary society to 0eo$ardi!e the
bioethics and therefore can $ut the life of ani)als and hu)ans at ris,&
*1es$ite their dissi)ilarities' the 2ibrary of Congress classifies both My Sister's Keeper and
Never Let Me Go as its only (or,s of fiction ha#ing to do (ith hu)an organ donors& -his is significant'
for it is the donors3 $ers$ecti#es in these no#els that raise i)$ortant 4uestions about the lengths to
(hich fa)ilies and society should go to heal those stric,en by disease+ 56torro( 2578& 6torro( $oints
out that society should not go through the e/tre)ity of $utting other beings in danger in order to cure
those (ho are sic,& Peo$le should not be e/$osed to the $otential dangers of creating ne( cures for
diseases that )ay ne#er ha#e a definite solution& * 2aura laughed' and for a second a loo, ca)e into her
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eyes that )ade )e thin, she (as finally going to co)e out (ith a crac,& But then the light died' and
she 0ust (ent on sitting there loo,ing tired&+ 5"shiguro 2118& -his sho(s the ,ind of effect that the
situation of ha#ing to use the clone3s organs has on other $eo$le& 2aura (as described as a bubbly
$erson that had a *)ischie#ous grin+ 5"shiguro 20%8 and *ine#itable (isecrac,+ 5"shiguro 20%8& 9o(
2aura is described as a gloo)y and de$ressed $erson because of all the bad things that she has
(itnessed (ith the donors that she has ta,en care of&
Never Let Me Go by a!uo "shiguro' in )y o$inion' uses the e/a)$le of cloning hu)ans as a
(ay to e)$hasi!e the $eril of co)$ro)ising the bioethics of our conte)$orary society& Although the
scientists of our ti)e do not deal (ith hu)an cloning' they ha#e used ani)als as a (ay to e/$eri)ent
their scientific )ethods& 1olly the 6hee$ is an ideal e/a)$le of ho( ani)als are being used for
e/$eri)ents& 6he (as the first ani)al that (as cloned fro) an adult cell at the :oslin "nstitute& 1olly
(as born in 1%%; but (as euthani!ed in 200< because she suffered fro) arthritis and shee$ $ul)onary
adeno)atosis (hich is a tu)or in the lung 5Cloning 1olly8& 1olly (as $art of a research in (hich the
scientists of :oslin "nstitute (ere trying to incor$orate )edicines in the )il, of far) ani)als 5 Cloning
1olly8& .ne e/a)$le that (as gi#en (as the integration of the * blood clotting agent factor "= to treat
hae)o$hilia+5Cloning 1olly8' (hich is the a genetic disorder that $re#ents the hu)an body fro)
ha#ing the ability to create coagulation& Another e/a)$le that (as gi#en (as al$ha>1>antitry$sin (hich
treats cystic fibrosis' a disease that affects the lungs 5Cloning 1olly8&
-o )ost $eo$le' ani)als )ay see) li,e the ideal thing for the testing of )edications' genetic
alterations' and ne( $roducts& Ho(e#er a$$lying these sort of testing to ani)als can i)$ly )any
co)$lications such as high rates of e)bryonic and neonatal lethality& A neonatal )ortality is a death
that occurs (ithin the first 27 days of life& ?or e/a)$le' during the creation of 1olly the 6hee$' other
atte)$ts ha#e been )ade to clone )ulti$le shee$' ho(e#er' they did not sur#i#e )a,ing 1olly the only
full ter) $regnancy 5Cloning 1olly8&-hings such as genetic alterations in ani)als also $uts the) at ris,
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of death and )utation 6cientists should be )ore considerate of ani)als and should sto$ using the) for
scientific $ur$oses that only benefit hu)ans& Aside fro) e)bryonic and neonatal lethality' ani)als can
also suffer fro) genetic )utation (hich can lea#e the) inca$acitated and (ould re4uire for so)eone
one to (atch after it and tend to its needs& Ani)als should not be used as testing ite)s because they are
not al(ays reliable& .ne e/a)$le of (hy ani)al testing should sto$ is because they )ay not al(ays
gi#e the results that (e see, for& 6o)e )a,e u$ co)$anies use ani)als to test their $roducts for any
allergic reaction that can be caused on a hu)an& An ani)al and a hu)an do not contain the sa)e ty$e
of s,in' therefore an ani)al )ay not get a reaction but a hu)an being can&
?or this reason' hu)ans should not be cloned for scientific $ur$oses& 2i,e the cloned ani)als'
hu)ans can run the ris, of ha#ing a genetic )utation that can affect the) $hysically and )entally& 9ot
only do cloned hu)ans run the ris, of ha#ing health issues but * it #iolates a $erson3s right to genetic
indi#iduality+ 56a#ulescu 7@8& Aside fro) being denied their indi#iduality' *Clones (ill be har)ed by
the fearful or $re0udicial attitudes $eo$le )ay ha#e about or to(ards the)+ 5Burley 1078& Clones can
also be tor)ented by their *o(n a(areness of their origins+ 5Burley 1078& Peo$le (ould see clones as
si)$le ob0ects that (ere created for one $ur$ose (hich is to aid the science co))unity in finding cures
for society&
-he setting in Never Let Me Go by a!uo "shiguro is significant because of (hat it stands for&
-he (ay Hailsha) is described it can be seen as a science lab' but in the no#el it is referred to as an
institute (here they encourage a healthy lifestyle and e)$hasi!e creati#ity to the clones& Carers can be
seen as scientists (ho are in charge of )aintaining the children healthy and (ith a $ositi#e attitude so
that nothing can derail their )ental and $hysical state of health& -he children of Hailsha) can be seen
as the the cell that needs to be highly ta,en care of& -his $aints a $icture of ho( our current society can
be seen as& a!uo "shiguro is trying to $ortray an i)age to the reader on ho( our society can turn out if
(e ,ee$ ignoring (hat can ha$$en in the near future&
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* " (on3t be a carer any )ore co)e the end of the year' and though "3#e got a lot out of it' " thin,
" ha#e to ad)it "3ll (elco)e the chance to rest AAA to sto$ and thin, and re)e)ber+ 5"shiguro <@8&
athy sho(s a $assi#e attitude to(ards her destiny& 6he tal,s about ho( she is ready to donate her
organs and die&?ro) the beginning of the no#el' athy sho(s a $assi#e attitude to(ards her situation&
6he see)s confor)ed (ith the ti)e she has been gi#en and tal,s as if she has nearly e/$erienced
e#erything that she (anted to go through& As one of the )ain characters in the no#el' " thin, "shiguro
uses athy as a sy)bol to e)$hasi!e the $assi#e attitude and lac, of interest that $eo$le in out
conte)$orary society sho( to(ards the issue of cloning& "shiguro uses athy3s character to send a
)essage to the reader about ho( $eo$le need to ta,e action and sho( interest on (hat is going on (ith
)edical research and e/$eri)ents&
-here are )any (ays in (hich a $erson can ta,e $art in finding solutions and $re#enting future
cloning& Petitions and $eaceful $rotests can be a si)$le start to(ards ending ani)al testing and the
genetic alterations that are being a$$lied to innocent ani)als& Another (ay a $erson can hel$ is by
0oining organi!ations that $rotect the rights of ani)als and sa#e the) fro) beco)ing e/$eri)ents&
-here are )any )ethods in (hich (e can raise a(areness&
-he bioethics of our conte)$orary society should not be co)$ro)ised in any (ay& Ani)als
should be treated (ith res$ect& 9o ani)al deser#es to beco)e an e/$eri)ent in (hich their li#es can be
0eo$ardi!ed& Never Let Me Go by a!uo "shiguro uses hu)an cloning as a (ay to con#ey a )essage to
his readers that our society3s bioethics can be at sta,e if (e continue to use scientific )ethods that can
be seen as ina$$ro$riate& .ur society has had )any great ad#ance)ents in the )edical field than,s to
all the cures that ha#e been found in the $ast years& Be ha#e been able to en0oy these benefits but our
health should not be based on the the health of innocent ani)als& 6ociety should beco)e a(are that it
is i)$ortant to be in#ol#ed and $rotect the bioethics of the 21
st
century&
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Bor, Cite
CAni)al:esearch&"nfo-he Global :esource for 6cientific E#idence in Ani)al :esearch&C Cloning
Dolly the Sheep& 9&$&' n&d& Beb& 24 Mar& 2014&
Burley' Dustine& CHu)an Cloning and Child Belfare&C Journal of Medical Ethics 25&2 51%%%8E 107>1<&
JST!& Beb& 25 Mar& 2014& Fhtt$EGG(((&0stor&orgGstableG10&2<0@G2@@172;;HrefIsearch
>gate(ayE<@e2cd%d<f@b4@a05c40ae<<;;%be%%1J&
"shiguro' a!uo& Never Let Me Go& 9e( Kor,E Alfred A& no$f' 2005& Print&
6a#ulescu' Dulian& C6hould Be Clone Hu)an BeingsH Cloning as a 6ource of -issue for
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Fhtt$EGG(((&0stor&orgGstableG10&2<0@G2@@172;2HrefIsearch>
gate(ayE77@f0d1f%1%ac5c07a0fa05<fd@<0<12J&
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