Stem cell research makes use of embryological cells for the analysis and treatment of disease. Initially, it seems that this technological innovation could only be positive. Many of the advances in medicine to repair injuries and cure diseases have come from information gained through this scientific process. However, the ethical validity of stem cell research is still in question. The debate is obviously not a derivative of the positive knowledge gained, but rather the cost such research requires. Stem cell research is ethically dangerous as it destroys life and opens doors to other controversial processes.
Stem cells come from the inner cell mass of developing blastocysts, a circular collection of diploid cells containing information from both parents. These cells are valuable because they “are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods; they are unspecialized; and they can give rise to specialized cell types.” 1 From one blastocyst, scientists can gather and store cells to be designated functions within specific tissues of the body. A common use of stem cell research is to transform stem cells into bone marrow tissue to replace cancerous tissue in Leukemia patients. 2 This is a productive use of stem cells, yet it is not
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In one use of stem cell research, the DNA from an individual’s stem cell is transplanted into an enucleated egg cell. The egg grows into an embryo from which stem cells, specific to that individual, will be taken. The same process occurs to create a cloned organism, though the embryo is developed rather than destroyed. 7 To permit stem cell research and not cloning would be unfair. Two students that answer all questions correctly on an exam cannot receive different grades. Surely one student would find out they were robbed points and complain. The same situation applies to stem cell research and