Cancer-Curing Hypothetical Scenario

[La Femme Fatale]

This question was suggested by @Spikeyroxas

Doctors during a routine examination had found that you had the potential to have a possible cure within your body to a disease like cancer. However there's only a chance that this could be one bug in order to do the nessasary tests to find out and possibly make a cure is for a post mortem biopsy testing (you have to be deceased).

Bare in mind that this is only a chance, if it was to be successful is could still take many years to mature and manufacture before any effect could be given to the majority.


Would you do it?

 

[Springhosen]

Cancer is very destructive and it really, truly ruins lives and creates tensions in, otherwise, pretty content and happy families.

What is my life in comparison to the great number that can be saved with the cure and thousands more that can be touched simply by the cure helping their loved ones?

 

[Angel]

For me this is not actually a simple one. I have a family dependent upon me, especially my disabled kids.

If I'm brutally honest I would say that I cannot give a straight up answer to this.

Cancer has affected my life, albeit peripherally, and yes it is a terrible disease. But am I able to sacrifice myself for a maybe? I really cannot answer that, even hypothetically.

 

[Jen]

I would do it, even if it was only a possibility. If it could potentially stop people from suffering, it's totally worth it.

 

[KevinStriker]

I'd do it, absolutely. I've lost too many great people in my life and too much family I never knew for anyone else to have to go through that. Cancer devastates families, it can take loved ones from your over the course of years or in an instant.
Sure, I'd die for the sake of the experimentation, but as the great Mr. Spock said: The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

 

[La Femme Fatale]

I don't have anyone who is dependant on me, so it's not a terribly difficult decision for me, either. But I totally understand Angel's point. I'm not sure how I'd answer if I had children.

 

[Spikeyroxas]

I have no children,
No commitments other than my work right now.
I dont really have many ambitions right now and I'm having a bit of a bad year.
Things don't always go right for me and if I was given this choice...

Actually I would find it hard to answer too.

I could be heroic and say yes, it's for thr greater good.

But where's my break? Why me?
I feel selfish to think it but I feel like its not fair still.
I would really have to sit on the question and even delay a response for a while.

I know it's cowardly and selfish but I cant say yes in a heartbeat to this question.
The Yes answer would come after some time, once I figured out where I am in life.

 

[Venomous Oddball]

I'd do it. Too many people are dying because of cancer. Really, I wouldn't have much of a reason not to do it. Not many people would miss me or anything.

 

[Meg]

I couldn't do that to my family. My mom and sister already lost so much that if they lost me too.....yeah no.

Plus, there are already viable cancer treatments in the works if not already available, so this whole scenario is kinda silly.

Now if we are talking about "would you sacrifice yourself for the greater good" then that's different. I'm assuming this is what the scenario is actually getting at.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

It highly depends on whether the finding could be reoccurring (if so, how rare in theory?) as well as if it were something that could be recovered at any point post-mortem. If it wasn't reasonable that a volunteer or a naturally recovered cadaver could be found... I very well might still say no.

I think if our moral stories have taught us anything, it's that the willingness to do so means we have a heart of gold.
The question is, is the main character of the story not sacrificing themself in the end because of protagonist armor or because it would be the wrong thing to do? What do you think?

Talk martyrdom to me

EDIT: I accidentally answered a question with a question. ****.
I don't think martyrdom is a virtue. I don't think a lot of people would want to be saved if it meant a healthy stranger sacrificing themselves. As bad as I'd feel walking away, having passed up an opportunity to potentially help so many people, I think that would be the right thing to do. I feel kind of guilty saying it, because it does sound awfully convenient, but I'm relatively certain the right call on this one is inaction.

 

[KennedyKiller]

There would be a few conditions. It may seem selfish, but I would want to be regarded as a hero. I would want the world to know my name, and I would want my daughter to know the I was the Super Hero who killed cancer. Then I would do it with a smile on my face. But if I couldn't have that, selfish as it seems, it's a no go. There should be no reason that I should have to give up years of happiness with my daughter and wife, and not even have any sort of recognition for it. My granny, the woman who raised me, has had a couple of different types of cancer, and I know that she would rather die than see her Grandson die. I really don't think this is a difficult question. But then again, I have no quarrel or internal struggle about the type of person I am...