Let's assume for a moment that we can take the genetic code of a person and create a same-age clone of them of the opposite gender. Let's also assume that we discover the mystery of consciousness and can transfer the mind of someone into the new body. Now we know that some people feel like they are the wrong gender, so let me create a scenario and see what you think. What if a person decides to transition to a new gender. Well, they have to walk a mile in their shoes, so to speak, and see if that's right for them. So I propose that we create a new body of the same genetics but of the opposite gender. Then we transfer the mind of the original person into the new body. They go about their life in the new body and the old body is not destroyed but lives as well. After a while, the decision must be made which body will take over that person's life. They must share each other's minds to see which version of body they want to live in. From here there's a choice of which body to destroy, easily and painlessly, of course, or if they both want to live then the new body gets a new set of identity papers and becomes a new legal person. Otherwise, one body is destroyed and one body becomes the legal side of the original person and their identity. I'm assuming that ethics doesn't allow both bodies to be destroyed, although I have already stretched ethics a bit to create this scenario. What do you think? And would you take part in this process if the option was available?
I'm confused by your scenario. So you are not actually transferring consciousness from one body to the other, you are just copying it? Well if you then decide to destroy one of the bodies, you are committing murder, for no particular reason. The original is going to have the legal identity of that person no matter what. the copy is...just a copy. There would have to be some court process to establish a secondary legal identity for themselves, and if the copy feels they are in the wrong body, it sounds like they are stuck with it.
People who feel that they are in the wrong body are already willing to undergo surgery and life-long harmone treatments to change their body, but it isn't real. Not really. But if we could recreate a body into any form desired, it would be a natural body. But nothing is without trade-offs. While we all dream of magic, that's not reality. Instead, there are complications. That means copying consciousness and deciding what to do with the extra body. But, it is ethical situations like this that I think might become commonplace in the future. So, what do you think we should do to handle this situation? There are people who would be willing to do this because they want to change their bodies.
