Can a Tree Experience Hurt?: If It Can, Do Ethics and Law Apply?

I was visiting a well known botanic garden in Southern California today, taking pictures of all the beautiful flowers when I saw this tree shown above in the pictures I took.  Honestly, what I saw, a tree apparently being pulled by straps out of its normal posture, pained me as I projected myself as if I were that tree.  Of course, I am not that tree but then this got me thinking about the bioethics of what had been done to the tree.  (First of all, I want to admit that I have no idea how long the straps were in place or for what future duration and what the gardeners were intending to accomplish with the straps since I haven't talked to the garden management. Finally, I am not sure that trees experience "hurt".) Bioethics is not just about the ethics of humans and animals, healthy or with disease but it is also about ethics dealing with the plant kingdom. A current example of ethical concern is genetically modifying plants, including those we eat. And the question that came to me was whether what was done to the tree was unethical, that is, failing to meet the ethical standard for the principles of beneficence (to do good) and non-malificence (avoiding causing harm). But, though what I saw "hurt" me, the questions were whether the tree, a living creature of the plant kingdom was, in its own way, appreciating some "hurt" and with some ethical significance. Was the tree recognizing discomfort? Was the purpose of the straps to benefit the tree (which might be con...
Source: blog.bioethics.net - Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Tags: Health Care syndicated Source Type: blogs