Ethical Issues Brought Forth by Stem Cell Research

Stem cells are cells that have the potential to develop into different types of cells in the body. Stem cells also act as a repair system for many tissues in the body by dividing repeatedly to replenish other cells within a person (National Institutes of Health). Stem cell research seeks to further the advancement of the use of stem cells as well as to find an ethical way to study them. In November 1998, researchers found a way to isolate and culture human embryonic stem cells, (Bevington 2005). The ethics of stem cell research has been debated over the years and some people fully support the use of stem cells, whereas others are completely against the use of stem cells. This has been an ongoing battle for scientists over the span of two decades prior to the 1998 finding.

Stem cells are cells which can essentially form into any type of cell that can be found in the body. There are various types of stem cells. These include embryonic, adult, genetically reprogrammed adult stem cells, and perinatal stem cells. The most versatile, as well as controversial, type of stem cells are embryonic stem cells. These cells are found in 3-5 day old embryos which are formed through in vitro fertilization ("Stem Cell Basics" 1). While scientists have been able to reprogram adult stem cells to act as if they were embryonic, there is yet to be any conclusive evidence as to how the use of the altered cells will affect humans ("Stem cells: What they are and what they do" 1). The use of stem cells is largely focused on regenerative medicine which takes advantage of the stem cells versatility to create and replace damaged tissues in

Should we be using embryonic stem cells for the advancement of medical research? In the 1800s it was discovered certain cells could generate other cells. The 1900s brought upon more research in using stem cells. The ethical issue surrounding embryonic stem cells research arises because human embryos are destroyed in the process. I believe that the benefits outweigh the negatives and that a greater good can come out of using embryonic stem cells.

Embryonic stem cell research can be easily defined. A stem is defined as something that is developed from. A cell is defined as a microscopic living organism. According to Dennis Hollinger, "Embryonic stem cell research uses from the embryo's inner cell mass that give rise to each of the human body's many different tissue types"(1). In our modern day society, stem cell research has become a controversial topic. Several people strongly oppose the idea of the research, but many are struggling for the continuance of the program. Embryonic stem cell research should be allowed to continue because it aids in the search of cures for diseases, offers an alternative to discarding unused embryos from in vitro fertilization, and is supported by the

The stem cell controversy has been going on for many years. The two basic controversies surrounding stem cell research is whether or not it is morally justifiable, and if stem cells will ever live up to the medical promises. Most of these controversies concern embryonic stem cells more than any other stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are unspecialized, but have the ability to divide and make specialized cells like muscles, nerves, and skin cells. These cells are found in the early stage of human development. When the human egg is fertilized by sperm and becomes a blastocyst, which is basically a cluster of stem cells, the harvesting for embryonic stem cells begins. In order to harvest the stem cells scientists basically destroy the blastocyst. The embryonic stem cell is an efficient treatment for a variety of diseases that affect many human beings. Those diseases include Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, heart diseases, diabetes, vision and hearing loss, or even spinal cord injury.

“At its core, this issue forces us to confront fundamental questions about the beginnings of life and the ends of science. It [stem cell research] lies at a difficult moral intersection, juxtaposing the need to protect life in all its phases with the prospect of saving and improving life in all its stages.” George W. Bush in his address at the Bush Ranch in Texas precisely captures the essence of the issues surrounding stem cells. “Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the capability of self replication as well as being able to give rise to diverse types of differentiated or specialized cell lines.” (Stien). Researching these cells can lead cures some of the most devastating ailments. Despite the research’s vast

Do you agree or disagree with the phenomenon of stem cells by taking ethical concerns into consideration? The state of stem cells will be able to regenerate medicine with ethical concerns being taken into account. I therefore agree that ethical values and concerns have to be taken into account with stem cell research. Do researches of stem cells include its history and success Compile a questionnaire Extract data from questionnaires Conclude from data results Evaluate the importance of the research and the usage of stem cells Stem cells are a class of undifferentiated cells that are able to differentiate into specialized cell types. According to Peter Crosta from Medical News Today (2013), stem cells come from two main sources: Embryos formed

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), stem cells are 1 "Cells with the ability to divide for indefinite periods in culture and to give rise to specialized cells." Stem cells are basically unspecialized cells that can, with proper physiologic or experimental conditions, become specialized cells. Specialized cells are usually called differentiated cells. These differentiated cells can then be used to repair damaged cells and eventually cure many diseases and disorders in humans. This could revolutionize the way society treats health issues. Instead of trying to destroy and sure a disease or disorder, doctors could simply grow new cells that would be able to repair or replace the damaged cells and tissue.

While the use of stem cells can offer a lot to the scientific community, the derivation of stem cells from embryos is ethically unacceptable; and the use of stem cells in humans should be completely prohibited. Since the first research on embryo stem cells in 1998 on mice the controversy has been relentless (Timeline), and even now, scientists have made great strides in waning off of embryonic stem cells and instead using induced pluripotent stem cells from adults, however these have their issues as well. Whatever the benefits may be, using stem cells to propagate differentiated human cells, tissues, or organs should be prohibited. The government has been addressing this issue since the arise of stem cell research. There are many

In very simple terms, stem cells are cells that have the strong ability to become any number of other cells. “Stem cells are distinguished from other cell types by two important characteristics. First, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division . . . Second, they can be induced to become tissue-or organ-specific cells with special functions” (NIH 2002, 1). There are two extensive groupings of stem cells in which scientists primarily work with. These include embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are “derived from the developing

Stem cells are unique cells because of their special features. First of all, they are able to regenerate themselves through the process of cell division. Each time this process happens, each new cell created can become another type of cell. Secondly, if they undertake some conditions, they can become tissue and organ cells. There are two main types of stem cells that are being looked today, embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells (Also known as somatic stem cells). However, all stem cells have three main functions.

As with all fields of science, stem cells have, and are still, been the subject of multiple court cases, some of which conclude with the defendant 's case winning. For example in the Moore v. Regents of University of California et al, the plaintiff accused the Regents of University of California, specifically Dr. Golde, of using his cells for lucrative medical research without his permission (Moore v. The Regents of The University of California et al., 1990). This case doesn’t specifically address stem cells, but it opened the door to how much ownership a patient really has over his cells once they have been removed. It affected the position that donors of stem cells, embryos and adults, have in these types of controversial cases, and thus had a negative impact on the ethics of stem cells.

The problem facing today, is that the human community fear the unknown, there are boundaries to everything in life. That you can not play god, because society frowns upon that. Years of stem cell research are the pinnacle of ethical issues, as to why is this being practiced. Lives matter and the time for change is here. The controversy starts with the first type of stem cells, which are Embryonic stem cells these cells come from an embryo. An embryo is a developing fetus, this brings issue due to Pro life supporters. It is a issue with morality, if it is correct to manipulate a living thing that can not fight for it’s life. The thing that this will explain is as to why the research does not take life, but preserve the the lives that are existent now. The frontier is near the face of people, the fear is that humanity does not know if it’s ready to explain what will happen with the advancement of the research. The way to counter argue that the research the “kills or destroys” the fetus is that the research benefits the the whole human community. Also the research does not idealize the death of a human. It represents the idea that this research is made for medical use. Furthermore the paper establishes as to defend stem cell research, as the difference of a human and an embryo are explained extensively. Embryonic stem cells and its research have controversial in the U.S since the late 1990’s, when the first embryonic cell was created in a lab. The divide in controversy was not

What once was science fiction has become today 's science reality. In this age, one can replicate many types of specific cells, such as blood, brain, tissue or muscle cells from a single stem cell. These stem cells, in theory can be used to heal or replace damage cells in our bodies thus curing us of certain diseases. These stem cells are the basic cells to develop any type of organism and its research is not allowed without incredible controversy. As one might imagine, such potential power has been seen as unethical and violating some of religion 's most fundamental beliefs. "Who are we to play God?" and "At what stage in development is a life considered a life?" are two very common controversies surrounding stem cell research. Despite

In conclusion, stem cells are the tremendous promise to understand and to cure a verity types of diseases. They represent the powerful hope to remove the misery for thousands of patients who deal daily with a debilitating disease. As any new therapy, stem cells have many obstacles. A lot of things that scientists should learn to overcome the technical obstacles. Only Knowledge is their weapon. Stem cells research remains one of the hottest ethical debate over nations. Stem cells require an honest and a pure answer that religious people have to say regarding when human life begins. Stem cells covered with political gamesmanship, where some government’s implications limit stem cells research. There are many questions remain without answers: Will