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Bioethics of Embryonic Stem Cells

Strokes alone affect 700,000 Americans a year. Also every 45 seconds some one has a Stroke(American Stroke Association, 2002). The research being conducted is destroying the embryos though. It is morally wrong to destroy a life to further scientific development, we as a society hold all life as precious. Does the ends justify the means? This question is of moral rectitude. Society has moral principals that act as the glue of the civilized world, but what if these principals collide head on? Which one will dominate the social spectrum?.
             Dr. Maurice Rickard of the Social Policy Group in 2002 simplifies the two moral principals that have been brought up in Bioethics of embryonic stem cell research. "One principle enjoins the prevention or alleviation of suffering and the other enjoins us to respect the value of human life"(p. 2).Which principal takes precedence over the other? Before one can answer such a question the two options must be defined and explored throughly.
             The prevention and alleviation of suffering is a fundamental belief. If we can stop pain and suffering we should. This is a basic consensus among all moral institutions. This research can bring about cures for millions of people around the world. From the elderly to the prenatal. Grandparents would no longer have to fear forgetting their family members as seen in Alzheimer's disease. Stroke victims no longer will be a shadow of who they once were. The 2% of people over the age of 65 will not need to be treated for Parkinson's disease(Murphy, 2001). This is just the beginning of the possible applications of stem cell based therapies. So it is established that much good can come from embryonic stem cell research. What is the controversy then? What would we allow scientist to do to create such medical astonishments? Would we allow them to kill?.
             This question is the bases of the controversy. The second principle that we hold dear is the respect for human life.


Essays Related to Bioethics of Embryonic Stem Cells

1. Stem Cell Research Debate

... in motion, Bush established the President's Council of Bioethics to "study the range of ethical issues introduced by the biomedical and behavioral sciences, and to oversee all federally funded embryonic stem cell research. Generous funding was also allocated to investigate the ethical issues related to current and future research, and to research relevant to fetal, embryonic, and adult stem cells possibilities"(www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001). SCIENTIFIC ... they have the capacity to complement the process. However, adult stem cells or multipotent stem cells are rare and are hard...

  • Word Count: 3628
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2. Human Cloning And Stem-Cell Research

... and letting them mature into infants. (Moran) Since first isolation of these human embryonic stem cells as a blastocyst, which is a very young embryo, the field of regenerative medicine has been advanced by leaps and bounds. "Stem cells" is a term to describe undifferentiated cells that can give rise to various types of human tissue. There are several stages of differentiation in stem cells that are important to researchers in finding potential cures. Totipotent ... research is permitted. (NEJM) What then are the ethical considerations of using frozen embryonic stem cells for research? ...

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3. The "Embryonic Stem Cell" Rese

... as well as a plan for continued bioethical analysis of the issues. He attempted to "thread the needle" of a very complex issue: keep the balance between studying on the embryonic stem cells and applying them to certain patients. In making this compromise, the President raised the level of debate among scientists, researchers, patients, and bioethics on various issues. There is a difference between ethics ... and personal moral opinions. Sometime people disagree on matters of personal morals. The goal of ethics is to meet the justice agreements ... engage in this research with federal f...

  • Word Count: 2589
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Stem Cells

... the previous policy, they state that, once the cells from the embryos are extracted, they are no longer considered organisms and the study is eligible for funding. (NIH) To counter the progress of public funding, in 1999, the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity published a "Christian Analysis" of embryonic stem cell use. " We must not sacrifice one class of human beings (the embryo) to benefit another (those ... suffering from serious illnesses)" (Bevington) Later that year, over 100 anti-abortionist release a statement "arguing the research on embryonic stem cell is scientifically u...

  • Word Count: 1512
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5. Cloning, And Stem Cell Research

... article in People Weekly the theory is that embryonic stem cells could replace any damaged or diseased tissue, curing diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and diabetes. Sounds like a winning plan to the uneducated hear. The problem that arises with this theory is that scientists must destroy human embryos to make the cells. Michael West, the chief executive of Advanced Cell Technology a Worcester, Massachusetts based company where ... essentially the patient's own cells. West also explains that unlike other types of cells, embryonic stem cells can probably reproduce forever. "These c...

  • Word Count: 1934
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Cloning, And Stem Cell Research

... article in People Weekly, the theory is that embryonic stem cells could replace any damaged or diseased tissue, curing diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and diabetes. Sounds like a winning plan to the uneducated hear. The problem that arises with this theory is that scientists must destroy human embryos to make the cells. Michael West, the chief executive of Advanced Cell Technology a Worcester, Massachusetts based company, is ... essentially the patient's own cells. West also explains that unlike other types of cells, embryonic stem cells can probably reproduce forever. "These ce...

  • Word Count: 1739
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Stem cell research

... that a state has taken regarding funding. To better understand the controversy of stem cells, let's first look at the science behind it. There are three different types of stem cells that have been researched by scientists: human embryonic stem cells (ES cells), human embryonic germ cells (EG cells), and human adult stem cells (AS cells)" (McGough 154). The last two types of stem cells, EG cells and AS cells, have been studied but have shown to have limited potential to produce ... until 1998, when the Clinton administration proceeded to reevaluate the significance of this kind of resea...

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8. Argument Essay - Stem Cell Research

... gains far outweigh the ethical downsides. Early in development, a human embryo is formed from a hollow ball of cells called "blastocysts". Blastocyst cells divide and form into the tissues and organs of a human body. This process is referred to as "differentiation". Embryonic stem cells can be grown in a laboratory from blastocysts and made to differentiate into nerve, liver, muscle, blood ... 's, and more. Embryonic stem cells can also be used to test the effects of new drugs without harming animals or people. The future of stem cell research is extremely bright as well. This is especial...

  • Word Count: 746
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9. issues in bioethics

... codes that balance the interests of society with the rights of individuals. New questions of bioethics is have popped up as a result of advancements in reproductive medicine. Most of the issues concern the rights of humans to control both their bodies and the embryos that can be created from their sex cells. In the 1960s the development of the birth-control pill raised ... dies, becomes disabled, or the parents no longer want children, and the safety and accessibility of this expensive procedure. The November 1998 isolation of special cells in the early human embryo called Human Embryon...

  • Word Count: 2467
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