Stem Cell Videos - The Man with the Golden Cells - Part 1 of 5
"There are fields...endless fields, were human beings are no longer born. We are grown." - Morpheus
Los Angeles, 1984: John Moore, a cancer patient, finds out that his doctor has cultivated, patented and sold his very rare golden cells, all without his awareness. So he takes his doctor to court. Guess what? The California Supreme Court decides that Moore can't really claim his body as his own. Bottom line: our cells, genes, every part of us can be bought and sold.
The Man with the Golden Cells travels the troubling road from John Moores case through to today's vibrant global trade of the human body: in Singapore, in Boston, in Paris, in Toronto, the very genes that make up the human body are there to be bought and sold.
Molecular biology, stem cells, genomics: these are the cutting-edge fields where the controversial work is happening. In The Man with the Golden Cells, something as sci-fi as the cloning of cell lines is just another FedEx delivery for the people who drive this industry.
The program begins with the extraordinary and shocking story of Moore, the man with the golden cells. We then travel from Europe to the U.S. via Canada, meeting players in and witnesses to the movement for the industrialization of human cells. The bioethical questions are disturbing to say the least
It's safe to say that we have gone a long way towards transforming ourselves into commodities, but how far is too far? Where should we set the limits? And who should decide? Or are our bodies just one more object to buy and sell? International in scope, The Man with the Golden Cells discovers that there is an entire industry out there that's not waiting for the decision to such difficult questions.
It's safe to say that humans have transformed themselves into merchandise, but to what extent should markets be allowed to exploit the human body? Should we set any limits? Or are our bodies just a new frontier to be explored and commodified? International in scope, The Man with the Golden Cells finds there are wildly different answers coming from around the world.
At the intersection between the demands of commerce, ethics and human health, the economics of profit are weighed against individual rights and our collective well-being. So, what does it mean to be human in the 21st century? Watch The Man with the Golden Cells for some thought-provoking answers: you might not like what you see.
The Man with the Golden Cells is directed by Florence Martin-Kessler, produced in association with 13 Production, ARTE France and the NFB. Michael Allder is Executive Producer for The Nature of Things.
Related Stem Cells Videos
The Man with the Golden Cells - Part 2
The Man with the Golden Cells - Part 3
The Man with the Golden Cells - Part 4
The Man with the Golden Cells - Part 5
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