Another article that begs the question, "Just because we CAN do it technologically, does it mean we SHOULD?" Read the article at the link below that describes how scientists may be able to erase certain painful memories in humans:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/health/research/06brain.html
What are the pros of this breakthrough technology?
What are the cons?
Assuming it works as well on humans as well as it does on animals, on balance, do you think it should be legal to use this treatment on humans? Why or why not?
4 comments:
I believe being able to erase part of someone’s memory is a good thing...to a point. This is a huge breakthrough in technology and might help solve further problems dealing with the brain. Being able to erase someone’s memory of the past is a good thing to have. The doctors said it could erase the memories that have negatively affected a person in their life, like trauma, addiction, and other bad memories that has haunted them their whole lives. That would be something a lot of people would like to have and I agree they should use it However, before they do they need to think of the cons to this new breakthrough. What if the medicine into the brain doesn’t work on humans? They have tested on animals but people and animals don't have the exact same brain structure. That could affect a person. Also, what if the doctor accidently injects it into the wrong spot of the brain or injects too much or too little. That could harm a person for the rest of their life, or even kill them. And what if the medicine erases memory that it wasn't supposed to erase? That could change their life completely, especially if they couldn’t remember their kids, family, or even how to do their job. There are many things to think about before they decide to use it on humans. After they have tested all of this many times, I think that eventually it should be legalized as long as the people that want the procedure sign a waiver and have to read the negative effects and what could happen if they go through with the procedure.
The pros of this breakthrough in technology would be the ability to make you forget a chronic fear, a traumatic loss, or even a bad habit. This would be very helpful if you can’t get over a family members death or rehab hasn’t helped you stop your drug, smoking, etc. addiction. The cons would be the possibility that a person could lose important memory such as how to speak, walk, drive, cook, etc. I believe if this breakthrough truly works then it should be legal to use on people that of course want it done and understand the possible negative effects it could cause. This breakthrough has the possibility of helping many people with their problems.
I believe that to a point this memory thing is a good idea. But What happens if they want a certain memory erased and instead something important like your child's name or even the fact that you have children accidently gets erased? What are they going to do then? That is a con to this breakthrough. Some Pros are that people with phobias would be rid of that fear and they wouldn't have to hide behind their fears anymore. I think that after they have tested it a few more times, they should legalize it! Another con, though, would also be the price that they are going to sell this for. Money doesn't grow on trees and most of the world lives in the middle class. They don't have that kind of money to spend.
There are some instances where being able to erase a person's memory would be a good thing. For people who are suffering from post tramatic stress syndrome, war or rape victims. We could give them their life back by erasing the memories that they can't let go of.
They would also have to be extremely accurate or they could wipe out important events in thier life with their family or skills that they need at their jobs.
This would be great for several diseases like alzheimers where they could regrow brain cells and help them be able to live normal lives.
This would be a great tool if used for the proper circumstances.
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