Stem Cell Ethics

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Stem Cell Ethics The study of stem cells have brought about many recent ethical questions and been a topic in many recent ethical debates. What is all the talk about? What exactly is stem cell research and why does it raise so many ethical questions? Stem cell research is on the forefront of regenerative medicine and biological science. It is the study of certain cells in the inner mass of the embryo that are produced a few days after the embryo forms during the blastocyst stage. They are the most primitive of all human cells. They are undifferentiated cells, which mean the cells are not designated to be any special type of cell, such as a nerve, muscle, or skin cell. The cell's specialization is later influenced by the molecules, which are usually proteins that surround the cell (Marshak 220-223). The proteins are typically produced by the mother, but under certain laboratory conditions, distinctive proteins can be introduced and a definite, mature cell type is produced. The cells that are produced could be implanted into a subject to replace worn out cells, or cells that have been destroyed due to disease or injury. There are a few problems with the process. The most common being is the same as any other transplant, the body doesn't accept the new cell stem cells if the cells aren't exactly the same as the patients; instead the body's immune system recognizes them as unwanted cells and rejects or destroys them often causing more damage to the body. The most common use of stem cells is bone marrow transplant. Some adult stem cells are usually found in bone marrow, when the marrow is transplanted the cells regenerate and help replace the failing surrounding marrow. However, this type of procedure doesn't involv... ... middle of paper ... ...it also must be closely guarded to make sure it doesn't lead to simply breeding humans just to harvest their organs and making human life immortal. As technology increases and more about stem cells is known more ethical debates will undoubtedly rise. Stem cell research will almost indefinitely continue to attract public attention for many years to come. Works Cited National Research Council. "Stem Cells" Washington, D.C. National Academy Press, 2002. Marshak, Daniel R., Richard L. Gardner, David Gottlieb. ed. "Stem Cell Biology." Cold Spring Harbor, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2001. Holland, Suzanne, Karen Lebaqz, Laurie Zoloth. "The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate." Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2001. Alhous, Peter. "Can They Rebuild Us?" Nature April 2001: 622-625. Badge, Robin L. "The Future for Stem Cell Research." Nature Nov. 2001: 88-91.

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