Before I start, I should probably begin by providing you readers with an explanation to what a “pigoon” is. Pigoons are fictional characters created by Canadian bestseller Margaret Atwood, first introducing them in “Oryx and Crake”. As you read in the book, “The goal of the pigoon project was to grow an assortment of foolproof human-tissue organs in a transgenic knockout pig host – organs that would transplant smoothly and avoid rejection […] and fend off attacks by opportunistic microbes and viruses”(23).
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| "Organ-Oink Farms" |
The book, preferably described by its author as being speculative fiction (and not sci-fi), offers the readers an insightful preview of what and where our world is heading. Corrupted societies markedly separated into either “rich” or “poor” classes, corrupted government, mega corporations (also corrupted) holding the future of society in the palm of their hands, and the growing, evolving branch of science are all things we must expect in the future if keep going down that path.
This “path” I speak of involves scientific advancements and breakthroughs having to do with xenotransplantation, genetic engineering, bringing back to life extinct animals, cloning, and so on. Also, all these buttocks injections and anti-wrinkle/anti-aging creams are something to consider as well. Indeed, in the book, Atwood mentions experiments in which “The main idea was to find a method of replacing the older epidermis with a fresh one, […] a genuine start-over skin that would be wrinkle- and blemish-free” (55). However, even in the book there were no effective methods found yet, and the volunteers came out looking like the “Mould Creature from Outer Space” with a greenish tone and peeling skin.
Anyways, pigoons are a perfect example of xenotransplantation – the transplantation of nonhuman tissues or organs into human recipients[1]. Although I am reluctant to the idea of making such experiments on animals only to dump them when we’re done with them, I actually like the idea developed in “Oryx in Crake”. In the book, the host does not get destroyed when their extra kidneys and livers are taken away; in fact, they keep living and grow more organs. Thus technically, no one gets hurts and lives are being saved. But does this make it ethical? Does it make it “okay”? And instead of keeping these “pigoons” locked up in a top-secure building and put them in an environment that suits them better, would any of you have anything to say against this kind of science?
