The Ethical Dilemma of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
By: Clay Boitnott
Introduction:
Although there are many ongoing ethical debates within the field of biological anthropology, there is one issue that I will specifically discuss within this paper: the highly controversial subject of embryonic stem cell research. Stem cells differ from other types of cells due to their ability to grow into nearly any kind of cell. If more research is conducted within this field of research, we will capable of more fully understanding how this process works—which could ultimately lead to a massive advancement within the science of medicine. Such knowledge could save or dramatically improve countless lives. You may be asking: “If embryonic stem cell research could potentially lead to the advancement of medical science, then why is it so controversial?” To understand the ethical dilemma that embryonic stem cell research creates, one must first understand how the embryonic stem cells that are used for scientific research are acquired.
The Negative Aspects of Embryonic Stem Cell Research:
There are several ways in which to acquire human stem cells; one of which is where the crux of the controversy lies. The embryonic stem cells that researchers study are acquired by extracting stem cells from a human embryo. While this isn’t controversial in and of itself (drawing blood isn’t controversial), the process of extracting the stem cells removes too many of the embryo’s overall number of cells for the embryo to continue development—thus destroying the human embryo (allaboutpopularissues, 2013). There is a sizeable portion of the population that believes that this practice is tantamount to murder in the name of scientific research.
The study of the biological sciences is continually advancing and new techniques for harvesting stem cells have been developed in recent years. There are newer ways to acquire stem cells that do not require the destruction of the embryo as they remove such small numbers of cells that the embryo is not harmed by the process (Lovgren, 2006). However, these newer methods are not capable of harvesting as many stem cells from a single embryo as the older method is. As such, the older, more destructive method is still occasionally employed.
The Positive Aspects of Embryonic Stem Cell Research:
Regardless of the argument regarding how the stem cells are acquired, the incredible potential of the knowledge that could be garnished from studying these stem cells is irrefutable. By understanding how stem cells work, scientists will be better able to understand how the human body forms, grows, and works. This kind of information would be a priceless addition to the vast collection of human knowledge, as it would further our potential to advance the medical and biological sciences to a degree that is as of yet currently unknown. It is quite possible that embryonic stem cell research could eventually lead to major breakthroughs in the field of medical science, such as: various types of leukemia, inherited metabolic disorders, sickle cell disease, various types of inherited immune system disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, and a nearly innumerable list of other diseases and disorders (stemcellresearchnews, 2012).
Because stem cells can grow into nearly any kind of cell in the human body, they could be extremely useful for repairing or replacing tissue or cells that have been lost or have been damaged. The knowledge that could be gained by researching and studying embryonic stem cells has nearly limitless potential for applications within the medical field. Cures could be found for diseases that remain currently untreatable. Damaged or severed limbs could potentially be regrown and replaced. If stem cells lead to these medical breakthroughs, an enormous amount of human suffering could be removed from our planet; and our understanding of our own biological nature and of life itself could be radically altered in the process.
Conclusion:
Because of the enormous amount of controversy associated with embryonic stem cell research, many are unaware that the latest methods for the creation of human stem cells do so by altering normal skin cells. The killing of human embryos makes for a much more sensational news story than that of converting normal skin cells into stem cells; and as such, many people are unaware of the latest developments in the science of embryonic stem cell research. Due to the amount of publicity and news attention that embryonic stem cell research received, there is still an extremely widespread perception that the only way to acquire the stem cells necessary for study and scientific research is to destroy a human embryo. This is unfortunate because public perception has an awful lot to do with what kinds of scientific research receive funding from the federal government. The fact that a lot of scientific research is dependent on federal funding is important because without funding the research doesn’t get done. If there is no research, there will certainly be no medical advances due to the understanding and study of embryonic stem cells. Therefore, it is imperative that public understanding of the issue be increased and that we as a society become more aware of the science involved in the issue—not just the headlines that they grab. If we as a society understand the issue in more detail, we are certain to make more informed decisions regarding embryonic stem cell research.
Works Cited:
No Listed Author (No Listed Publish Date). Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/pros-and-cons-of-stem-cell-research.htm
Stefan Lovgren (2006, August 28). Stem Cells Can Be Collected Without Destroying Embryos. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/060823-stem-cells_2.html
No Listed Authot (2012, March 16). What Diseases Can Be Treated Using Stem Cells?. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from http://www.stemcellresearchnews.net/Diseases_Treated.aspx
clayboitnott 