A 57-year-old US man has become the first person in the world to receive a heart transplant from a genetically modified pig. David Bennett, who was too ill to qualify for a human heart, is reportedly doing well three days after the experimental seven-hour procedure.
The surgery has been hailed as a potential breakthrough for transplant waiting lists, but it has also raised ethical concerns. Critics point to issues of patient safety, animal rights, and religious objections.
Professor Julian Savulescu, a bioethicist at the University of Oxford, argued that such radical experiments are permissible if the patient fully understands the risks. Doctors involved say the operation was justified because Bennett had no other treatment options.
The transplant was not part of a clinical trial, leading to further scrutiny. However, Dr Christine Lau from the University of Maryland School of Medicine stated that no corners were cut, citing decades of laboratory and primate research.
Animal rights groups, including PETA, have condemned the procedure as unethical and a waste of resources. The pig used had 10 genes modified to prevent rejection, and its heart was removed on the morning of the operation.
Religious concerns also arise, as pigs are considered impure in Judaism and Islam. However, Jewish and Muslim scholars have debated whether xenotransplants may be permissible in life-threatening situations.
