Stem cells are seen as the future in the medical realm. They have endless possibilities ranging from how we can induce the heart
muscle to repair itself after a heart attack to increasing our understanding of how diseases and other conditions develop and we can potentially fight them.
Before we dive into the ethics of stem cells it is important to understand what stem cells are in the first place. Stem cells are unspecialised cells of the human body. They are able to differentiate into any cell and have the unique ability of self-renewal. Stem cells are found in embryos and adult cells.
Proponents of stem cell research point to its medical benefits as reason for it to be considered and ethical practice. They believe that its development of treatments for a wide range of diseases justify the use of embryonic stem cells. They often point to the fact that the potential that stem cells have to save through this unique scientific advancement. A large amount of proponents also point to how there is an excess of the embryos created for vitro fertilisation procedures could be used in stem cells to save lives.
Opposition to stem cell research argue from a moral perspective that the destruction of human embryos for the purpose of research is wrong. They believe that human embryos should be afforded the same moral and legal status as persons. This perspective often comes from religious beliefs about the sanctity of life and the rights of the unborn.
Opposition to stem cell research has also advocated for an alternative source of human embryos for stem cell research. Pluripotent stem cells which are derived from adult cells can sidestep the issue and have garnered support from the opposition as it does not require the use of human embryos.
Opposition has also advocated for strict regulations and oversight over any research involving human embryos. They have gone as far as proposing legislation where it would be a requirement to obtain consent from donors.
Another point that adds to opposition’s argument is the potential exploitation of stem cells due to commercialisation and exploitation. This brings the risk that the pursuit of profit or the potential commodification ld human biological materials will harm the ethical foundation of why we need stem cell research. It is also argued that further legislation is needed to prevent the exploitation of individuals.
What are the possibilities that advocates for stem cell research speak about. A three to five day old embryo called blastocyst gives birth o the entire body of an organism including many specialised cell types and organs such as the heart
,lung , eggs and sperm. Many adult tissues such as bone marrow generate replacements for cells that are lost through everyday wear and tear, injury or disease. Therefore due to their unique regenerative abilities stem cells offer new potentials for treating diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. This is known as regenerative medicine. Stem cells also scientists to understand the essential properties of specialised cell types . Scientists are using stem cells to screen new pharmaceutical drugs and to create model systems to study growth and identify the causes of birth defects.Stem cells (mostly adult bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells ) have been used in clinical therapies for over forty years. Stem cells are also being used for skin replacement (through the harvesting of hair follicles to produce skin grafts ).
Stem cell transplants are another treatment that is possible due to stem cell research. This type of treatment would replace tissue that has been damaged by disease or injury . This type of treatment could be used to replace the neurons damaged by spinal cord ( this type of injury can lead to paralysis) , stroke , Alzheimer’s disease , Parkinson’s diseases or other neurological problems. It could also be used to produce insulin that could treat people with diabetes or cartilage and to repair damage caused by arthritis. It even has the potential to replace virtually any tissue or organ that is injured or diseased. Two therapies that are widely used is ( and approved by organisations such as the FDA) are Fedratinib or Glasedegib. Fedratinib is a first line therapy that is used for myelofibrosis which is a scarring of the bone marrow. Glasdegib uses blood-forming stem cells found in the bone marrow to save thousands of people suffering from blood cancers such as leukemia.
In conclusion though stem cell research has many multifaceted ethical dimensions and has created even more debate about when human life truly begins , it can be seen that stem cell research is important and incredibly beneficial due to its potential to save millions of lives and that due to this it should continue to be widely used.
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