Ethical Issues Surrounding Stem Cell Research

Stem cell research has made rapid advancements in the last couple of decades despite the many hurdles it has encountered due to its controversial nature. These advancements have expanded the already plentiful potential uses for stem cells in medicine. However, in order to fully understand these uses, the controversial nature surrounding stem cell research, or the progress that is being made, it is necessary to first understand what stem cells are and how they function in relation to development. In understanding stem cells, it is crucial to first recognize the importance of a process called cellular differentiation, which is when a less specialized cell becomes more specialized (Reece, Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky, & Jackson, 2014). The

Much of the stem cell research currently underway is based on embryonic stem (ES) cells. ES cells “are derived from the inner cell mass of mammalian blastocysts [and] have the ability to grow indefinitely while maintaining pluripotency and the ability to differentiate into cells of all three germ layers” (Takahashi & Yamanaka, 2006). Since ES cells are pluripotent – “capable of differentiating into many different cell types” (Reece, et al., 2014, p. 426) – and are able to regenerate themselves, they are highly valued. Although stem cells are also present in adults, they are not as “flexible” as ES cells and are thus limited in the cell types they can differentiate into. For this reason, ES cells are frequently

This is where the controversy surrounding stem cell research typically begins to fester. Subsequent to the controversy, many governments worldwide have enacted legislation that has significantly limited stem cell research in all areas in general with even greater limitations imposed upon human ES research. For example, a Clinton Administration policy crafted in 2000 granted federal funding for human ES research, but the policy did not allow new lines of research to be derived. Before any research could be federally funded, though, the Bush Administration enacted a new policy that imposed further limitations upon human ES research. Such is the uncertainty that surrounds stem cell research, which results in restrictive legislation and acts as a great deterrent for progress within the field (Levine, 2011). Policy uncertainty can be detrimental for any scientific field in general but even more so for a field as dynamic as stem cell research, where new developments are frequently being