The Good Cancer

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Astro Cat
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The Good Cancer

Post by Astro Cat »

Let's say that there's this exotic, hypothetical cancer that people could develop as a result of some strange mixture of the atmosphere and adrenaline: it's possible to get this cancer by going hang gliding, by riding fast on a motorcycle, rock climbing, etc. (Yeah, yeah, I know, just stay with me, I have my reasons).

Amazingly, scientists discover that this cancer, which can't be reproduced in a lab, has miraculous curative properties that could save many peoples' lives. The downside is that they have to let it grow in a human being for a long enough time in order to be able to extract enough of its magic juice.

The cancer is eventually fatal, but it can reasonably be left to grow for a couple of months (but even then, the mortality rate is nonzero, depending on patient complications).

Its healing properties are so remarkable, and it's so impossible to grow on its own in a lab or in non-human animals, that people begin to wonder about the ethics of people undergoing chemo to treat it too soon (before enough of its magic juice can be harvested).

Would it be ethical for the state to insist that someone that develops this cancer keep it in their body for a relatively safe (but again, not certainly safe) small period of time, such as a month, before they can seek to remove or treat it? After all, there are people that would die if a person chooses to remove the rare growth.

Would it be ethical to tell people that contracted this cancer, "well, you shouldn't have hang glided, now you must give up your bodily autonomy so people that would die if you removed this cancer now can live?" Do their lives trump your bodily autonomy?
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool."
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Astro Cat
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Re: The Good Cancer

Post by Astro Cat »

The awkward hang gliding thing is to try to include in this analogy the response that you’re culpable for having something in your body that you don’t want because you took some action, obviously. I know it’s awkward. Just work with it.
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool."
--Richard Feynman
AverageBozo
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Joined: May 11th, 2021, 11:20 am

Re: The Good Cancer

Post by AverageBozo »

Astro Cat wrote: July 2nd, 2022, 2:06 am The awkward hang gliding thing is to try to include in this analogy the response that you’re culpable for having something in your body that you don’t want because you took some action, obviously. I know it’s awkward. Just work with it.
So, this thread is about abortion, isn’t it?
GE Morton
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Re: The Good Cancer

Post by GE Morton »

Astro Cat wrote: July 2nd, 2022, 1:58 am Let's say that there's this exotic, hypothetical cancer that people could develop as a result of some strange mixture of the atmosphere and adrenaline: it's possible to get this cancer by going hang gliding, by riding fast on a motorcycle, rock climbing, etc. (Yeah, yeah, I know, just stay with me, I have my reasons).

Amazingly, scientists discover that this cancer, which can't be reproduced in a lab, has miraculous curative properties that could save many peoples' lives. The downside is that they have to let it grow in a human being for a long enough time in order to be able to extract enough of its magic juice.

The cancer is eventually fatal, but it can reasonably be left to grow for a couple of months (but even then, the mortality rate is nonzero, depending on patient complications).

Its healing properties are so remarkable, and it's so impossible to grow on its own in a lab or in non-human animals, that people begin to wonder about the ethics of people undergoing chemo to treat it too soon (before enough of its magic juice can be harvested).

Would it be ethical for the state to insist that someone that develops this cancer keep it in their body for a relatively safe (but again, not certainly safe) small period of time, such as a month, before they can seek to remove or treat it? After all, there are people that would die if a person chooses to remove the rare growth.

Would it be ethical to tell people that contracted this cancer, "well, you shouldn't have hang glided, now you must give up your bodily autonomy so people that would die if you removed this cancer now can live?" Do their lives trump your bodily autonomy?
You've posed a version of J. J. Thomson's "famous violinist" question:

https://spot.colorado.edu/~heathwoo/Phi ... homson.htm
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LuckyR
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Re: The Good Cancer

Post by LuckyR »

AverageBozo wrote: July 2nd, 2022, 8:13 am
Astro Cat wrote: July 2nd, 2022, 2:06 am The awkward hang gliding thing is to try to include in this analogy the response that you’re culpable for having something in your body that you don’t want because you took some action, obviously. I know it’s awkward. Just work with it.
So, this thread is about abortion, isn’t it?
I think you mean maternal autonomy.
"As usual... it depends."
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Pattern-chaser
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Re: The Good Cancer

Post by Pattern-chaser »

Astro Cat wrote: July 2nd, 2022, 2:06 am The awkward hang gliding thing is to try to include in this analogy the response that you’re culpable for having something in your body that you don’t want because you took some action, obviously. I know it’s awkward. Just work with it.
AverageBozo wrote: July 2nd, 2022, 8:13 am So, this thread is about abortion, isn’t it?
LuckyR wrote: July 3rd, 2022, 3:27 am I think you mean maternal autonomy.
...or even bodily autonomy! I think you're right: this is a bigger issue than just abortion. E.G., a woman, pregnant as a result of rape, could be forced to bear her rapist's baby, as some states want to do, is ... <shudder> To claim and exert such control is a frightening example of male supremacy? Or just of authoritarianism? 🤔🤔🤔
Pattern-chaser

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