Debating Stem Cell Research

Questions about stem cell research are moving out of the labs and into the public spotlight with greater force now that it is becoming a campaign issue. Will stem cells be used to heal others, or will the Christian Right succeed in keeping them off limits?

According to the News Observer:

"With the use and destruction of embryos for medical research, we cross a barrier that is morally significant," said Amy Laura Hall, an assistant professor of theological ethics at Duke. Embryonic stem cells, formed just days after a sperm cell fertilizes an egg, potentially can become any tissue in the human body. Scientists envision engineering them to treat Alzheimer's disease, failing lungs, even severed nerves that force people to use wheelchairs.

Hogan, the Duke cell biologist, now studies cell development in mouse embryonic stem cells. In time, she wants to use human cells to unlock secrets that could benefit medicine. If treatments emerge from such studies, people who oppose destruction of early-stage embryos could decline the treatments, she said. "People could choose not to avail themselves of the technology. That's what Jehovah's Witnesses do with blood transfusions. They're not imposing their beliefs on anybody else."

The rest of the article has a nice summary of various arguments, positions, and ideas — I recommend reading it in full.

Read More:

• Guide to Ethics and Morality
• News About Ethics
• Bioethics