Ethics
Due to the fact Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC) are obtained from early stage embryos-a group of cells that form when a woman’s egg is fertilised with a man’s sperm, has given rise to several questions and concerns about the ethics behind embryonic stem cell research.
This sensitive topic is overwhelming for some people aware of embryonic stem cell research and religious groups like Catholics who strongly disagree with ESC research. Catholics are concerned about embryonic stem cell research because extracting ESC’s from an embryo’s inner cell mass inevitably leads to the destruction of the embryo. These religious groups especially Catholic strongly disagree with ESC research as retrieving ESC’s requires the embryo to be destroyed. The destruction of embryos upsets and angers these groups of people especially Catholics as they believe life begins at conception, hence the destruction of an embryo is murder.
Some may agree with religious groups when they say it is murder or destroying embryos is ending and preventing potential human life. But in scientist and researchers defence, there is no substitute for ESC’s simply because ASC’s don’t hold the same potential as ESC’s. ESC”s are pluripotent-have the ability to differentiate indefinitely
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Scientists have been able to use regular adult cells and turn them into stem cells by altering the genes of adult cells to behave similarly to ESC’s. These types of SC are the iSPC’s which do not raise concerns or ethical issues as no embryos are destroyed. A bioscience company has also claimed of deriving ESC’s without embryos being destroyed. However, altering the genes of adult SC’s is risky as it is not yet proven that iSPC’s will not cause adverse effects in