Hi Right Livelihood and Killing

[layla]

Hi,

I work in bio / medicine and we sometimes test products on neoplasms or tumours (cancerous) This often involves deliberately killing off the tissue / tumour itself. This is simply for research purposes - not to cure cancer or anything socially benificial.

Im confused about what this 1 precept covers. I know a tumour is made up of cell's and micro-organisms. But it's the tumour as a whole I deliberately degrade or essenhtially kill. Fundimentally I'm confused about what the first precept covers, in terms of whats alive (because a tumouroid is alive, living tissue).

I'm a newbie just finding the path,

Layz

[Johnny Dangerous]

Hi,

I work in bio / medicine and we sometimes test products on neoplasms or tumours (cancerous) This often involves deliberately killing off the tissue / tumour itself. This is simply for research purposes - not to cure cancer or anything socially benificial.

Im confused about what this 1 precept covers. I know a tumour is made up of cell's and micro-organisms. But it's the tumour as a whole I deliberately degrade or essenhtially kill. Fundimentally I'm confused about what the first precept covers, in terms of whats alive (because a tumouroid is alive, living tissue).

I'm a newbie just finding the path,

Layz

I imagine this subject could be waxed philosophically on forever...

I think the first precept applies to beings which are seen to be sentient, I assume a tumor is no more sentient than is a vegetable. In short, if it isn't a thing which has (or is thought to have) subjective experience of it's own or some sort of volition..it isn't a sentient being. That's my understanding of it at any rate.

[seeker242]

Abstinence from killing refers to "sentient beings". I would not consider a cancer tumor to fall under that distinction. However, if the research activity causes harm to or kills a being like some kind of animal, a mouse or rat for example, then it would be applicable.

[catmoon]

Test point:

Does the tissue in question show any tendency to avoid suffering that you can see?

[lobster]

Layz you are benefitting sentient beings by doing research into alleviating suffering.

Everything is fine. Many thanks for your work