Part A 2 BBC ‘s Casualty programme on Saturday evening gave viewers a vote as to which o

PartA2BBC‘sCasualtyprogrammeonSaturdayeveninggaveviewersavoteastowhichoftwopatientsshouldbenefitfromadonation.Butitfailedtotellusthatwewouldnotneedtomakesomanylife-and-deathdecisionsifwegottogripwiththechronicorganshortage.Beingpussyfootingaroundinitsapproachtodeadbodies,theGovernmentisgivingakickingtosomeofthemostvulnerableinoursociety.Onedepressingconsequenceofthisisthatasignificantnumberofthoseonthewaitinglisttakeofftoforeigncountr iestopurchaseanorganfromalivingthird-worlddonor,somethingthatisforbiddenintheUnitedKingdom.Thepoorhavenooptionbuttowaitinvain.

TheHumanTissueAuthority’spositionontheretentionofbodypartsformedicalresearchafterapost-mortemexaminationisequallyflawed.Thenewconsentformscouldhavebeendraftedbysomeevilpersonseekingtostopthepreciousflowofhumantissueintothepathologicallaboratory.Theformsaresolengthythatd octorsrarelyhavetimetocompletethemand,eveniftheytr y,thewordingissographicthatr elativestendtolegitbeforesigning.Inconsequence,thenumberofpostmortemshasfallenquickly.

ThewiderworryisthatthemoralshortsightednessevidentintheHumanTissueActseemstoinfecteveryfacetofthecontemporarydebateonmedicalethics.Takethetimidapproachtoembryonicstemcellresearch.TheUnitedStates,forexample,refusesgovernmentfundingtoscientistswhowishtocarryoutpotentiallyground-breakingresearchonthesurplusembryoscreatedbyIVFtr eatment.

Senatorsprofesstobeworriedthatembryonicresearchfailstorespectthedignityof“potentialpersons”.Rarelycansuchavacuousconcepthavefounditswayintoadebateclamingtoprovideenlightenment.Whenisthis“potential”supposedtokickin?Incaseyouwerewondering,thesesupposedlypreciousembryosareatthesamestageofdevelopmentasthosethatareroutinelyterminatedbythePillwithoutanyonecrying.Thankfully,theBritishGovernmenthasrefusedthepositionoftheUnitedStatesandoperatesoneofthemostliberalregimesinEurope,inwhichlicenceshavebeenawardedtoresearcherstocreateembryosformedicalresearch.Itispossiblethat,inyearstocome,scientistswillbeabletogroworgansinthelabandfindcuresforarangeofdebilitatingdiseases.

Thefundamentalproblemwithourapproachtoethicsisourinabilitytoseparateemotionfrompolicy.Theonlyfactorthatshouldenterourmoralandlegaldeliberationsisthatofwelfare,aconceptthatismeaninglesswhenappliedtoentitiesthatlackself-consciousness.Neverforgetthattheresearchthatwearesoreluctanttoconductuponembryosanddeadbodiesisroutinelycarriedoutonliving,pain-sensitiveanimals.

第6题：Whichofthefollowingistr ueofSony’sacquisitionofColumbiaPictures?

［A］ItwasmotivatedbyMorita’sdesiretoprojectanimageofsuccess.

［B］Sony’stopexecutiveswerequiteconvincedofitsbenefitsforthecompany.

［C］Entertainmentindustr yinsidersbelieveditwasthefailureofHollywood.

［D］Itwastheexpensiveexpansionfromelectr onicsintoentertainment.