Exercise 4.3: Three Ways In

Lead 1:

Jill is a current patient at the hospital. She turns on the television, hoping to distract her mind from thoughts about dying. Jill's heart is weak and can no longer support her body. Currently, she is on a waiting list for a new one. The list for requested organs is long though, and she fears that a heart will never make it in time to save her life. Many patients, like Jill, need transplanted organs in order to continue living. However, almost all of them are put on a waiting list because there are not enough donor organs for everyone. They are in very short supply. Luckily, new developments in science may have found a way to rectify this problem. Human-animal hybridization is a relatively new scientific study, where scientists' goal is to grow human organs in animals. These grown organs could shorten the patient waiting list; therefore saving many lives that without this new research, may have died. The scientists that are studying human-animal hybridization are also hoping that their research will lead to cures for certain diseases. Though this research could save many lives in the future, some government officials believe that the research should be made illegal. Making human-animal hybridization illegal would not only stop advances in science, but it could also cause many deaths that could have been avoided otherwise.


Lead 2:
The word "chimera" has been used for centuries, relating all the way back to Greek mythology. A chimera is defined as something living, that possesses two different animal tissues. Though many people believe this to be only evident in Greek mythology, the fact is that many chimeras walk among the earth at this moment. They do not appear as monsters, nor are they different body-wise than any other human. People today have transplanted pig heart valves that they need in order to survive. They are referred to as chimeras. Scientists are currently trying to expand their research to include transplanted organs from animals, and possibly discovering cures for diseases. However, many government officials and citizens feel that this human-animal hybridization research is immoral, and therefore they want to pass a law making it illegal. A law being passed making the creation of chimeras illegal, would create a dent in science and medical development.


Lead 3:

Human-animal hybridization is a field of science where scientists implant human cells into animals in order to create a chimera, which is a living organism with two different types of animal tissues. Their hopes, is that they will be able to grow human organs in animals like pigs, and donate those organs to patients that are in need of them. Scientists also believe that their research could lead to possible cures in certain diseases, like AIDS. Government officials, however, see this advancement in science as immorally wrong and believe it should be illegal. Congress wants to pass a law, banning all research related to human-animal hybridization. In the process of doing this, however, they will sacrifice lives that could have been saved if the research of chimeras had continued. Therefore, there should not be a law making human-animal hybridization illegal because many patients are depending on the research to create medical advances and save their lives.


My favorite lead is the first one because it catches the reader's attention and many readers will be able to connect with the dilemma of the situation.