The Ethics of Stem Cell Research

745 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Two sides of stem cell research

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 utilitarian philosophy. According to Charles Krauthammer, "The basic research needs to be done and we might as well get started now" (2).

There are many people in the world, unfortunately, who are stricken with illnesses that have no cure for. Embryonic stem cell research is on the brink of curing diseases such as Parkinson's disease, cancer, spinal cord injuries (Krauthammer1). There are many people who argue that science has gone too far, but the majority of them do not have an incurable illness. Jerrold Nadler, a democrat from New York, explains my last statement in his opinion: " We must not say to millions of sick or injured human beings, ` go ahead and die, stay paralyzed, because we believe the blastocyst, the clump of cells, is more important than you are'.... It is a sentence of death to many Americans" (Hatch2). The problem in society is that opposing ideas to stem cell research do not take into consideration the lives that can one day be saved. New research shows a significant ch...

... middle of paper ...

...vlet/OVRC">http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC

Hollinger, Dennis P. "Embryonic Stem Cell Research Is Not Ethical." The Ethics of Genetic Engineering. Ed. Maurya Siedler. Greenhaven, 2005. Reproduced in Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. 15 November 2005

http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC

Kluger, Jeffrey. "Stem Cells Save Babies." Editorial. Time 30 May 2005:59.

http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC

Krauthammer, Charles. "The Immediate Benefits of Embryonic Stem Cell Research Are Exaggerated." Human Embryo Experimentation. Ed. Roman Espejo. Greenhaven, 2002. Reproduced in Opposing Views Resource Center. 15 November 2005

http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC

Show More
Related

  • Embryonic Stem-cell Research - A True Faustian Bargain

    1556 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the debate over whether the federal government should fund embryonic stem-cell research (ESCR), our country is being offered a true Faustian bargain. In return for a hoped-for potential - it is no more than that - of deriving desperately desired medical breakthroughs in the treatment of such afflictions as Parkinson's disease, paraplegia, and diabetes, we are being asked to give the nation's imprimatur to reducing human life into a mere natural resource to be exploited and commodified.

    Read More

  • The Debate Concerning Embryonic Stem Cell Research

    1400 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ns of a morally questionable nature. It is necessary that our practices remain ethical and that we uphold the value of a human life, as this is the cornerstone of human society. Embryonic stem cell research is one such operation that forces scientists, policy makers, and the larger society to define what constitutes a human life and to find an answer to the crucial question: Is it morally acceptable to violate the rights of a human life for the for the sake of medical progress?

    Read More

  • The Religious Battle behind Stem Cell Research

    1555 Words  | 4 Pages

    Holm, Soren. The Ethical Case Against Stem Cell Research. Vol. 1. The Stem Cell Controversy. Ser. 15. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2006. 1 vols.

    Read More

  • The Government Should Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research

    2402 Words  | 5 Pages

    Francis (Ed.), At Issue. Should the Government Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research?. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. (2009). (Reprinted from, n.d.) (Reprinted from Science Magazine, 22 September 2006) Retrieved from http://padme.cochise.edu:2067/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010587207&userGroupName=sier28590&jsid=67271fc8c381f89007dff41cfd3813e6

    Read More

  • The Ethical Considerations of Stem Cell research

    1604 Words  | 4 Pages

    Siegel, A. (2008). Ethics of Stem Cell Research. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2008/entries/stem-cells/.

    Read More

  • Is Embryonic Stem Cell Research Ethical or Not?

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 ...

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Stem Cell Research

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    As technology stem cell research intensifies, so does the controversy about whether such scientific progress is moral. In the past millennium to today the present stem cell research has become a controversial topic across the world. Stem cells are unspecialized cells that have unique regenerative abilities, allowing them to divide into specialized cell types. Understanding why these processes occur is essential to curing disease. Critics of stem cell research argue that the extraction of embryonic stem cells involves destroying an early embryo, equating the act of killing a human. Although stem cell research is a highly controversial topic, it is compulsory to continue stem cell research within ethical boundaries for the benefit of mankind.

    Read More

  • Stem Cell Therapy

    1269 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imagine that there is a cure for nearly every ailment that affects the human race. Imagine that you could help the terminally ill, put those you love out of pain, and cut the healing time of an enormous number of serious illnesses in half. Imagine a world in which pain and suffering would be nearly nonexistent, and the people you love can live safe from the fear of crippling injury. Now what if I told you that this utopia was a fast approaching reality? Everything from serious life threatening burns to lymphoma, AIDS, Alzheimer’s, Muscular Dystrophy, Parkinson’s Disease, Spinal Cord Injury, and Strokes could, in the very near future, be eliminated through the simple culturing and implementation of stem cell therapy . These diseases are no small component of the myriad of conditions that plagues the human race, and yet, the end for these horrible maladies could very well be in sight. Man has always sought to end suffering, largely without success, until now. the promise that stem cell therapy holds could completely change our world for the better. Already, stem cell therapy is being used to treat leukemia, immune disorders, hodgkins and non-hodgkins lymphoma, anemia and a profusion of other ailments. As you all know, this is no small accomplishment. One day i believe that we may look at alzheimer's and diabetes and other major illnesses much like we look at polio today, as a treatable illness. Right now, our research with stem cells is providing us with new light into how we look at and model disease, our ability to understand why we get sick and even to develop new drugs. In 2008, a researcher from the New York Stem Cell Foundation Laborato...

    Read More

  • Stem Cells Should Not Be Used Therapeutically

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    Spotts, P. N. (1998, November 6). Embryo- Based Research: Advances and Argument. Christian Science Monitor, Vol. 90, issue 241, p. 3.

    Read More

  • Stem Cells: The Future of Medicine

    3294 Words  | 7 Pages

    Monroe, Kristen, et al., eds. Fundamentals of the Stem Cell Debate: The Scientific, Religious, Ethical and Political Issues. Los Angeles/Berkley: University of California Press, 2008. Print

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research

    932 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the discussion above it is very clear that there are different opinions on the pros and cons of stem cell research. Based on the recent researches, scientists have the capability to work out the alternatives for embryonic stem cell research. And the usefulness compare to embryonic stem cell remains unknown. Undeniably, the stem cell research issue has its most complex parts to be resolved and surmounted. But perhaps we can disclose the way to carry out stem cell research with the balance of bioethics and most importantly, do no harm for humankind one day.

    Read More

  • Federal Funds Should Be Used for Embryonic Stem Cell Research

    1400 Words  | 3 Pages

    Waskey, Andrew J. “Moral Status of Embryo.” Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research. Ed. Clive N. Svendsen, and Allison D. Ebert. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2008. 347-52. SAGE knowledge. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis of the Stem Cell Research Debate

    1511 Words  | 4 Pages

    Stem cell research has been a heated and highly controversial debate for over a decade, which explains why there have been so many articles on the issue. Like all debates, the issue is based on two different arguments: the scientific evolution and the political war against that evolution. The debate proves itself to be so controversial that is both supported and opposed by many different people, organizations, and religions. There are many “emotional images [that] have been wielded” in an attempt to persuade one side to convert to the other (Hirsen). The stem cell research debate, accompanied by different rhetoric used to argue dissimilar points, comes to life in two articles and a speech: “Should Human Cloning Be Allowed? Yes, Don’t Impede Medical Progress” by Virginia Postrel; “Should Human Cloning Be Allowed? No, It’s a Moral Monstrosity” by Eric Cohen and William Kristol; and “Remarks by Ron Reagan, Jr., to the 2004 Democratic National Convention” by Ron Reagan, Jr. Ethos, pathos, and logos are the main categories differentiating the two arguments.

    Read More

  • Genetic Engineering

    1882 Words  | 4 Pages

    Anderson, Ryan. "Stem Cells: A Political History." First Things. First Things, November, 2008. Web. 10 Feb 2012.

    Read More

  • Moral and Ethical Issues Relating to Stem Cells Research

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stem cells offer exciting promise for future therapies, but significant technical hurdles remain that will only be overcome through years of intensive research. Stem Cells have the incredible potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. Scientists primarily work with two kinds of stem cells from animals and humans. The embryonic stem cells and the non-embryonic stem cells. Stem cells are the cells from which all other cells originate. In a human embryo, a large portion of the embryo’s cells are stem cells. These stem cells can be used for cell-based therapies. Cell-Based therapies are treatments in which stem cells are induced to differentiate into the specific cell type required to repair damaged or destroyed cells or tissues. Stem cells are versatile and offer the possibility to treat a number of diseases including Alzheimer’s, stroke, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc. The problem is that for the process of embryonic stem cell research and embryo will be destroyed if used. This raises a moral issue and questions of whether stem cell research is unethical or not.

    Read More

More about The Ethics of Stem Cell Research

Open Document