Original story

SatWeb URGENT 30.4.2020

20% limit set on artificial organs

UN defines humans - arguments simmer in General Assembly over limits on humanid rights

The UN has finally arrived at a Draft Resolution on the lines to be drawn between humans and the creatures that have come to be termed humanids. The definition provisionally adopted will solve numerous difficult grey areas of interpretation in statutes and legislation.

According to the definition adopted by the UN General Assembly, the term “human” will henceforth only be applicable to individuals having less than 20% artificial organs. Only a person adhering to these terms will come under the protection of all laws and regulations pertaining to humankind, and will possess all human rights under the UN Charter.

The total amount of artificial organs as specified does not take account of organs taken from living creatures or from organ bank torsos, nor does it include regenerates produced from the subject’s own genetic code.

Scandinavians refuse to adopt UN proposals

The UN General Assembly vote was opposed by 19 national and corporate delegations and by all 15 virtual states. The Nordic Countries had decided in advance on their voting behaviour and rejected the proposals unanimously. The Norwegian delegate stated in her address to the Assembly that the countries in the region would not observe the resolution if it came into force, but took the view that all individuals born as humans remain such for the duration of their lives, regardless of the number of artificial organs. She added that the joint decision by Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland may lead to a mass migration of humanids to Northern Europe, where they will be received and granted refugee status.

At the same session, the General Assembly ratified the individual percentage shares of the body allocated to each organ for the purpose of humanity-determination assays. The meeting saw the completion of a register of more than 400 artificial organs. The intention is that this be further expanded and adjusted where necessary, and acceptance of new percentage figures will in future be a General Assembly matter. The Assembly also ratified the first edition of a deduction table, on the basis of which the rights under international law of humanids with a greater than 20% share of artificial organs would be reduced.

Human rights for humans

In essence, the UN’s decision means that around 32 million humanids currently living on the planet will lose their human rights either wholly or in part. In the case that the share of artificial organs exceeds 50%, the humanoid in question can, under the terms of the UN ruling, be considered on a par with an organ bank torso. This would mean in practice that he or she could if required be forced to donate immediately any of his organs to a human, even in the case that surrender of the organ would result in the termination of the humanid’s own life. At the same time, the wording of the decision specifies that no humanid may be forced to suffer unnecessary pain, even in connection with the surrender of an organ. Equally, it will be illegal to direct racist actions against humanids, or to enslave them to the service of humans.

The UN ruling will simultaneously clarify somewhat the world body’s declaration of human rights. Henceforth humanids will have to carry at all times a memory chip on which is recorded his or her complete physical data, in case a human may require some organ for transplant that is otherwise hard or impossible to obtain. Limitations will also be placed on the reproduction of humanids, since there are widespread fears that the need for the implant of artificial organs may have been caused by some hereditary gene defect.

One new piece of legislation that will come into force, and which may have considerable ramifications in future, is that a fatal operating error in an artificial organ may be cited as causa causans in the committing of a criminal offence. It would then be up to the court in question to decide whether the artificial organ be replaced, or whether the humanid would be terminated by removal of the faulty organ.

Toteuma-arvio 2026

Toteuma lyhyesti

  • Ilmiön toteuma: 2/5
  • Toteuma viiden vuoden tarkkuudella: ei; arviointi-ikkuna on 2015–2025
  • Toteuma väljemmällä aikahorisontilla: vain eettisenä ja oikeudellisena keskusteluna
  • Ilmiön ydin: keinotekoisten elinten ja teknisten kehonosien yleistyminen pakottaa määrittelemään, voiko ihmisyys tai ihmisoikeus riippua biologisen kehon osuudesta.

Proteesien, implanttien, elinsiirtojen ja ihmisen parantelun etiikasta keskustellaan, mutta ketään ei ole menettänyt ihmisasemaansa keinotekoisten osien määrän vuoksi. Kansainväliseen oikeuteen ei ole syntynyt biologisen prosenttiosuuden rajaa.

Johtopäätös: ennuste tunnisti tärkeän transhumanistisen kysymyksen, mutta varsinainen oikeudellinen ilmiö ei toteutunut.