What defines a human?

”What defines a human? Biologically, the DNA. But humans and chimps share 98.8% of their DNA, is there really so much of a difference? People with down syndrome have one chromosome more, females with Turner syndrome have one chromosome less. Does that make them not human?"

"Or are humans defined by their intelligence, their general behavior? Some scientists claim that dolphins have the intelligence of a three-year-old human. That’s smarter than some humans with mental disabilities. So are mentally disabled people less human than dolphins? I see everyone in this room shaking their head in disgust. But I want you to ask yourself one big question: Why do we put humans above every other animal?”

A man in the audience raised a hand.

”Because we’re more successful than other animals. We’ve built cities, we have the technology to travel into outer space. And we’re about to found our first colony on Mars.”

Dr. Stuart nodded.

”Good answer. We’re more successful. We made it to the top of not only the food chain but every chain imaginable. But in the past decades, people fought more and more for animal rights. Every day, more people go vegetarian or even vegan. They fight against animal abuse, but they also fight against animals being used in research. And exactly this fight has brought us here today. Kim, would you please come up on the stage?”

A tiny blonde girl stood up from her seat in the first row and slowly climbed up the stairs. When she arrived at the top, she turned around to the audience, squinted her eyes and blinked into the bright lights.

”This little girl here was born with damaged kidneys. From the moment she was born, she had to be on dialysis. Luckily, scientists were finally able to grow an organ from human stem cells – inside a pig.”

A whisper went through the crowd. Hundreds of eyes focused on Kim, who bit her lower lip and nervously shuffled her feet. She was clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation. Disregarding the child’s anxiety, Dr. Stuart continued.

”When scientists had first been able to inject a pig embryo with human stem cells, only a tiny percentage of embryos actually survived and not all of them were able to grow the human organs. And the organs that did grow contained too much pig DNA to be used in a human. But now, after decades of research and billions of dollars, it has finally been done. Kim here received kidneys that were grown with her own stem cells. No long wait for a donor and, even years after the transplant, no rejection or other medical issues. This ladies and gentlemen, is the future!”

Scared by the noise of a thousand question that followed the great reveal, Kim ran off the stage and out of the building the press conference was held in. A light drizzling rain wet her face as she took deep breaths and tried to calm herself.

She had told her parents that she didn’t want to stand there on the stage, that she didn’t want to be dragged in front of the whole world. Now everyone would know. The teasing would never stop. Pig girl some kids at school called her. Murderer was the name some of the others preferred. She wasn’t sure which was worse.

Kim could barely remember the day she got her new kidneys. It had been 4 years ago when she was only 5 years old. But the relief she felt when she was told that she wouldn’t need to come in for dialysis anymore? That was still fresh in her mind. But then word got out where here transplants had come from and the whole school turned on her.

When she had told her parents that even some of her teachers shot her disgusted glances, she had been able to switch schools. But the bliss of being the new, unknown kid quickly faded. Somehow, they found out too.

Kim knew that many people were disgusted by the thought of a hybrid, a chimera of a pig and a human. And she knew that animal testing was something a big part of the population had been heavily criticizing for decades. But it didn’t change the fact that her life had been saved through this procedure. She didn’t think it was the perfect solution, but she was thankful that it had been a possibility.

Her mother had once told her that people loved to make their opinion heard when a problem didn’t concern them directly. But as soon as the circumstances are right, they often chose the road they condemned others for. There was more than one pro-lifer who got an abortion. There would be more than one animal’s rights activist who’d happily accept a heart or a lung or any other organ grown in a pig if they were dying.

Hypocrisy had always been one of humanity's defining characteristics.

Kim wiped the rain off her face, took a deep breath and headed back into the building. Maybe it wasn’t possible to define exactly what’s wrong and what’s right. All she knew was that she was alive and would be alive for many years to come.

And she was determined to try to use this life in the best way possible.

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Click here to read about my stance on animal testing

Special thanks to @emptyintentions who suggested the topic!

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Sources:

Human-Pig Hybrid Created in the Lab—Here Are the Facts

DNA: Comparing Humans and Chimps

Turner Syndrome

Dolphin Intelligence

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