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Morals and ethics surrounding stem cells
Ethical debate on embryonic stem cell research
Benefits of embryonic stem cell research
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Embryonic cells should be allowed to be used because of the medical benefits they provide. They can be used to cure diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, traumatic spinal cord injury, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, heart disease, and even vision and hearing loss (nih.gov 2009). There is no problem using them for medical purposes and it is not immoral to use them for this reason. Embryonic cells have the potential to save lives. Therefore, the usage of embryonic cells outweighs the ethical issues. Although many people argue that the usage of embryonic stem cells is immoral, they are thought to have much greater developmental potential than adult stem cells (nih.gov 2009). While stem cells are not taken from an embryo and are considered by many as ethical, embryonic stem cells can become all cell types of the body because they are pluripotent (nih.gov 2009). This means having the ability to transform into various cell types of the body; they have far more potential. To get an idea exactly what embryonic cells are, it is necessary to understand fully how they’re retrieved and composed of. Embryonic stem cells come from eggs that have been fertilized by in vitro, which is an artificial environment outside the living organism such as a test tube. When fertilization is successful, the sperm head carrying the nucleus enters the egg. The egg dives first into two cells, then into four. With more divisions, a multicellular ball of cells known as a blastocyst is formed. Inside the blastocyst is a hollow ball which includes the embryonic stem cells which can be retrieved with a pipette, a small glass tube used to transport a measured volume of liquid, and transferred to a dish. Under certain conditions, the embryonic... ... middle of paper ... ...onal Society for Stem Cell Research. 02 Feb. 2005. Web. 03 Feb. 2011. Shevde, Rupa. "How Are Stem Cells Used?" Wisconsin University. 2010. Web. 02 Feb. 2011. Stephens, Patrick. "Destroying Embryos Is Not Immoral | Ayn Rand, Objectivism, and Individualism | The Atlas Society." The Atlas Society |. 3 Apr. 2011. Web. 05 Mar. 2011. Sumanas. "Human Embryonic Stem Cells." Welcome to Sumanas, Inc. 2007. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. Whittingtion, Mark. "The Spray on Skin Gun Heals Burns Within Hours or Days - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News. 03 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 Feb. 2011. "Embryonic Stem Cell Research Cons." Embryonic Stem Cell Research. 7 Dec. 2010. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. Hanna, Kathi E. "Genome.gov | Cloning/Embryonic Stem Cells." Genome.gov | National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) - Homepage. Apr. 2006. Web. 10 Apr. 2011.
“In particular, sacrificing human embryos would fundamentally depart from the long-honored Hippocratic ethic which teaches, ‘First do not harm.’” (William Cheshire)
As for me I believe that that embryonic stem cell researches should be used in the biomedical field because however you see the embryo as alive or not, the research will always go in the same way as one of the moral dilemma that says "duty to prevent or alleviate suffering" as it could help millions of people with incurable diseases.
While many support embryonic stem cell research, some people oppose it say that it is an unethical practice. According to these people, embryonic stem cells require murdering a baby, human life is defined by rational beings, those capable of rational thought or a consciousness. In order to be rational one must have a consciousness, the ability to have thoughts and feel pain, to begin with. “For a fertilized egg, there is no consciousness and also no history of consciousness” (Stem). If abortions are allowed within the United States, why shouldn’t embryonic stem cell research be? Another claim against embryonic stem cell research is that it devalues human lives. “Some argue that researching embryonic stem cells will lead us into cloning technology” (Embryonic). While embryonic cloning is a possibility, we already possess the capabilities to clone so cloning is an invalid argument. The final argument against embryonic stem cell research is that there are alternatives, like adult stem cells. While adult stem cells may be utilized, they won’t be as effective. Embryonic stem cells are not only efficient but also renewable. They can be grown in a culture where as adult stem cells are extremely rare, if there are any. They can only be found in mature tissue. Isolating these extremely rare cells is challenging and has a high failure rate if not harvested correctly. “One major difference between adult and embryonic stem cells is their different abilities in the number and type of differentiated cell types they can become” (Stem). Using adult stem cells we might never understand our development from conception ...
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – National Institutes of Health (2009) Stem Cell Basics [ONLINE] Available http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics6.aspx (Accessed 30 March 2014)
Robertson, J. (2010). Embryo stem cell research: ten years of controversy. Journal Of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 38(2), 191-203. doi:10.1111/j.1748-720X.2010.00479.x
This report aims to investigate the different views held on the pros and cons of development in stem cell research. This report will provide background to the debate, its social significance, parties that are involved and analysis of the arguments related to the topic researched.
The Web. The Web. 15 Apr. 2013. The. Waskey, Andrew J. -. “Moral Status of Embryos.”
Hirsen, James L. “Who’s the Victor on the Stem Cell Debate?” 7 Aug. 2001. 24 Sept. 2007 < http://www.firstliberties.com/stem_cell_debate.html>.
A unanimous decision should be made on when to consider an embryo a human being that has morality. Until then I believe that the embryo is not close to a human life unless it has made it past the fourteen day period in which it is passed the twinning stage. So with this information I come to the conclusion that under specific regulations and laws, including the ones I mentioned in the summary, the cloning of embryos for biomedical research and obtaining stem cells should be deemed acceptable.
The pro-life feminist believes that the autonomy of one’s body does not generalize if a fetus is present. In the case study involving Bob and Linda Thompson, a married couple with two children who end up pregnant after the failure of an IUD, the pro-life husband is thrilled by the news and informs the children, whereas the wife wants an immediate abortion of the four-month-old fetus in order to continue her career. Callahan would agree with the husband and believe Linda should continue the pregnancy as the right to control her body does not give her the right to control the body of her child. This fetus is immature and powerless, and though it is not yet a person, it is developing into one. Callahan believes that “women can never achieve the fulfillment of feminist goals in a society permissive toward abortion,” (Callahan 161) and disagrees with the views of philosophers Harrison and Petchesky. Furthermore, though Linda believes that it is her body and she has control over what she does with it, Callahan disagrees as another body will result from this 266-day pregnancy, and the process is genetically ordered. The abortion of the fetus is not like an organ donation as the development of the fetus is a continuing process, and Callahan finds it hard to differentiate the point after conception where the immature life
The victim is denied future “experiences, activities, projects, and enjoyments (Marquis, D., 1989).” Furthermore, since depriving an adult human of a valuable future is what makes killing wrong, then aborting a fetus deprives it of a valuable future. Therefore, killing a fetus is wrong. Many have objected that on Marquis’s grounds, it would be wrong to kill a sperm cell or an egg, for they too have a human future.
Could you imagine being able to create new organs, tissues, muscles, and even food? With embryonic stem cell technology, believe it or not, these things are possible. Stem cells are the body's raw materials. Specifically, they are cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated. Under the right conditions in the body or in a laboratory, stem cells can divide to form more cells called daughter cells. These daughter cells either become new stem cells or turn into specialized cells with a more specific function, such as blood cells, brain cells, muscle cells or bone cells. The possibilities are almost endless. The debate and main issue with this technology is that the actual stem cells come from embryos. Embryos are an unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development. Although there is controversy surrounding these cells, embryonic stem cells should continue to be researched and used, because they have so much potential.
Thomson, Judith Jarvis. A defense of abortion. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1.1 (Fall 1971): 47-66.
Lanza, Tyler. "The Stem Cell Research Controversy." Stem Cell History. N.p., January 5, 2011. Web. 16 Feb 2012.
Warren, Mary A."Abortion,” in: A Companion to Ethics, " 38.6 Oxford: Blackwell Publishers(1997): 303-314. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.