Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is an important source of haematopoietic stem cell now being used for transplantation. It contains stem cells that are unique; smart and are capable of treating several diseases such as haemoglobinopathies, leukaemia, immune system deficiencies and many genetic diseases4. However, until recently in most cases the cord blood was discarded as medical waste, although now it is considered the hidden treasures of life. Since the first successful UCB transplant to a sibling with Fanconi anaemia performed in 1988 and cord blood have established worldwide6. Consequently, cord blood stem cells are currently used in the treatment of nearly 80 devastating disorder and it holds out hope for incurable disease. To date more than …show more content…
Therefore, many parents believe that banking umbilical cord is unique opportunity to save these stem cells in order to guarantee 100% match for their baby in case treatments is ever required6. One of the few disadvantages of this source of stem cells, there are limit amount of haematopoietic stem cells that can be extracted from each cord blood units. In addition, the UCB cells take longer to engraft than do stem cells from more mature sources. This delay leaves the recipients vulnerable to infection. In spite of certain disadvantage cord blood has huge potential in medical treatments3. Likewise, donating cord blood is generous gift that basically doesn’t cause harm or problem to the donors and may save or improve quality of someone’s life4. However, UCB stem cell donation and preservation are endorsed by many world religions. Though, there are many ethical concern including proper informed consent, genetic screening of the donors, autologous & allogenic UCB storage, truth in advertising by private banks and distributive justice6. In addition to cord blood banking, the expectant parents also have a chance to store their new-born baby’s cord tissues. Umbilical cord tissue (Wharton’s jelly) is rich source of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)10. It has abilities to self-renew and differentiate into many tissues cellular tissues including adipocytes, osteocytes, chondrocytes, cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes and nerve cells. Their proliferative properties have abilities to migrate at site of inflammation which makes MSCs highly desirable for tissue engendering and cells based
Medical researchers utilize this versatility to develop treatments for incurable diseases. Despite the considerable benefits of stem cells in medical applications, the use of some sources of stem cells is not ethical. In article 1761 of the Catholic Catechism, the church teaches "One may not do evil so that good may result from it.” The good of medical discoveries does not justify the evil of killing to obtain the stem cells. Therefore, people have a moral obligation to restrict the use of ethically collected stem cells such as those from umbilical cords or adult bone marrow. Stem cell research has potential to cure many diseases. However, in order to conduct ethical research, scientists must limit refrain from using fetal and embryonic stem
In most hospital delivery rooms, the doctors will routinely clamp and sever the umbilical cord with in fifteen to thirty seconds of the mother giving birth. When clamping the cord, the doctors will clamp the cord in two places, one close to the infant and then again in the middle of the cord another clamp. By delaying the clamping, fetal blood in the placental transfusion can provide the infant with an additional thirty percent more blood volume and up to sixty percent more blood cells (McDonald, S., & Middleton, P., 2009). This reduces the risk of the hemorrhaging that could occur after birth. But with new ongoing studies, it is said that by delaying the clamping of the cor...
The argument for fetal research is fairly straightforward. Because of the unique characteristics of cells from human beings in early stages of development, research on embryos and fetuses may provide key weapons in the fight against disease. Fetal tissue holds promise in treating Parkinson’s disease, in ending certain kinds of paralysis, in helping those with diabetes, MS, as well as in treating patients with Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease. Others have argued that fetal tissue holds promise for treatment of sickle cell anemia, leukemia, and AIDS. Fetal retinal transplants may be a promising treatment for some 100,000 Americans suffering from old age blindness.
Most people agree, in general, that designer babies are taking over and it is it’s a good thing. A designer baby is a human embryo that parents set , to produce desirable traits. According to Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection , Fertility Institutes in Los Angeles offered to let parents select their children’s hair and eye color. Crazy to think you’d be able to build your own baby. The process of creating this designer baby would be embryos modified to predetermine intellect , physical prowess , and beauty. People may question designer babies but “if you think women have the right to control their bodies , then they should be able to make this choice” right? (Citation?) There is a lot of science into creating a designer baby.
Reflection Paper 1 Timothy Jenkins CEP 215 New Mexico State University Upon viewing “More Business of Being Born” (Epstein, 2011), I learned a lot about the different pros and cons of Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). Women are often deprived of the choice of the method of delivery of their children after they’ve previously had a cesarean birth. The cause of this is that there exists medical fright about a rupture of the uterus which often leads to the death of mother and baby (Epstein, 2011). In the mid twentieth century, it became common saying that “once a cesarean, always a cesarean” came about. This saying perpetrated the fear and understanding that women have to go about having another cesarean, depriving them of choice (Epstein, 2011).
We all can agree that blood is the most precious liquid that a human being possesses, and without it, life and existence would be diminished. Up to this date, Jehovah’s Witness have refused blood transfusion procedures due to their religion, but this issues becomes more of a predicament when it jeopardize somebody else’s life; a life of fetus in a pregnant woman. Based on Jehovah’s Witness’s Old Testament and New Testament, “It seem good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food scarified to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immortally. You will avoid these things Farewell.” (Acts 15:28-29).
Stem cell research is a heavily debated topic that can stir trouble in even the tightest of Thanksgiving tables. The use cells found in the cells of embryos to replicate dead or dying cells is a truly baffling thought. To many, stem cell research has the potential to be Holy Grail of modern medicine. To many others, it is ultimately an unethical concept regardless of its capabilities. Due to how divided people are on the topic of stem cell research, its legality and acceptance are different everywhere. According to Utilitarianism, stem cell research should be permitted due to the amount of people it can save, however according to the Divine Command of Christianity, the means of collecting said stem cells are immoral and forbidden.
Stem cell research began in 1956 when Dr. E Donnall Thomas performed the first bone marrow transplant (“Adult stem cells are not more promising,” 2007). Since that time, research has evolved into obtaining cells from a variety of tissues. According to stem cell research professors, Ariff Bongso and Eng Hin Lee (2005), “Stem cells are unspecialized cells in the human body that are capable of becoming cells, each with new specialized functions” (p. 2). Stem cells are in various adult tissues, such as bone marrow, the liver, the epidermis layer of skin, the central nervous system, and eyes. They are also in other sources, such as fetuses, umbilical cords, placentas, embryos, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are cells from adult tissues that have been reprogrammed to pluripotency. Most stem cells offer multipotent cells, which are sparse...
Should anencephalic newborns be used as organ donors? This has been a debatable topic within the medical field and anencephalic families. There has been many pros and cons whether it is right for anencephalic babies to donate their organs. With regards to using anencephalic newborns as organ donors, I believe that doctors should be able to use anencephalic babies organs to save another baby live.
When families are eating dinner the last thing they think about is how and where their food comes from. Even if they did think about it, they would never in a million years guess that what they are consuming could potentially be related to abortions and human fetuses. Apparently some major food companies have been fooling with the genes of human fetal matter in order to create better tasting food products. This sounds grotesque and surely it cannot be true, well it both is, and isn’t true, all at the same time.
Doctors now have three sources of stem cells available to them: bone marrow, mobilized bone marrow or peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood. Bone marrow has traditionally been used as a source of stem cells, but research is proving that cord blood may be an excellent alternative source. Cord blood can be utilized for the treatment of many diseases, including leukemia, sickle cell anemia, and Hodgkin's disease. The first successful cord blood transplant took place in 1988 when a newborn's cord blood was used in a life saving stem cell transplant for her older brother .
Many women today are doing more C-sections, also known as cesarean, than they are natural. Whether the reasons being because it’s more convenient or that some moms did not really have a choice, the percentage is still growing. “The cesarean delivery rate increased from 26% to 36.5% between 2003 and 2009; 50.0% of the increase was attributable to an increase in primary cesarean delivery (National Partnership for Women & Families, 201.)” There are many things to consider when deciding which is the right or safer choice. With both choices comes risks for the baby like, possible respiratory problems with a C-section. The mom has many risks to worry about for herself as well, like possibly hemorrhaging. There is also the recovery and the long-term effects that a woman has to put into consideration. They both have their pros and cons that should not be taken lightly.
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.
In a pluralistic culture of unwanted pregnancy, there exists a contradiction between a relative sense of morality and the democratic ideal of free choice. Aristotle provided the first written record of this irresolvable contradiction in his book Politics, saying, "When couples have children in excess, let abortion be procured before sense and life have begun; what may or may not be lawfully done in these cases depends on the question of life and sensation." (1) The controversy has always consisted of two sides: "Pro-Lifers", who believe that abortion is morally wrong and should not be allowed, and "Pro-Choicers", who support the woman's right to choose the outcome of her pregnancy in all cases. There is also a large group of people who fall somewhere in between, believing that abortion should only be allowed under certain circumstances. To this day, abortion continues to be a topic of dispute, with each side offering many of the same arguments that have been offered for several millennia. Those concerned with the issue saw this played out most recently in the presidential election, a very close race in which abortion was a key factor in many citizens' votes.
The first successful case of stem cell therapy in human was reported in 1959. Bone marrow restorations were observed in leukemia patients who received total body irradiation subsequent by intravenous injection of their twins’ bone marrow (Thomas et al, 1957). Nevertheless, that effect was transient and the following bone marrow transplantation attempts in non-twin patients and donors can eventually lead to patient’s death from graft-versus-host disease (Mathé et al, 1965). During that time, the safety of hematopoietic cells transplantation was not guaranteed because of the limited knowledge in human histocompatibility and immunosuppression. However, the turning point came after the discovery of human leucocyte antigen (HLA) groups (Dausset, 1958; van Rood et al, 1958), HLA typing and compatibility testing were performed prior to the transplantation. In addition, the improvement of immunosuppressive protocol also helps bringing the bone marrow transplantation to become more and more successful (Donnall and Hutchinson, 1999).