"Moral Philosophy as a Subversive Activity"

Abstract

In March 1990 a story appeared in the U.S. newspapers about a Los Angeles couple who had decided to have another child in the hope that the baby's bone marrow cells could be used to save the life of their teenage daughter. Abe and Mary Ayala, who are in their forties, had not intended to have an additional child; in fact, Abe Ayala had had a vasectomy. But their 17-year-old daughter, Anissa, was dying of leukemia, and a bone marrow transplant was her only hope. After two years of searching in vain for a suitable donor, they decided to have another child because there was a one-in-four chance that the new family member would be a suitable donor. So Abe Ayala had his vasectomy reversed and Mary Ayala became pregnant. The baby, a girl named Marissa, was born on April 6 and she was indeed a compatible [End Page 160] donor. The transplant procedure, which was to be accomplished a few months later, would involve little risk for the baby, and Anissa's chance for survival would rise from zero to between 70 and 80 percent.