The Killing of a Living Human Embryo to Obtain That Stem Cell

The current debate over embryonic stem cell research raises a new ethical dilemma, with any solution or compromise to the issue being equivocal at best. The raging debate over the research and use of embryonic stem cells has become entangled in the abortion debate; between the pro-life stance and those who believe that this medical research can one day cure millions. It is completely unethical to do embryonic stem cell research, which of its very nature necessitates the killing of a living human embryo to obtain that stem cell.

Many people believe that the study of embryonic stem cells can one day lead to cures for hundreds, if not thousands of debilitating diseases. As Dr. Arnan Shah states in her article "Stem Cells: what they are and why they're controversial", that all diseases originate from malfunctioning cells. So theoretically, almost any disease could one day be treated with stem cell therapy. Stem cells could one day be used to generate replacement organs or create cells to help your body fight off a serious disease, such as HIV (Shah 2). As the authors Campbell, Mitchell and Reece theorize in the textbook Biology: Concepts and Connections, that one day it may be able to genetically alter stem cells to be resistant from the HIV vims (Campbell 480). The potential good that could come from this research is almost unfathomable - and government funding could accelerate the advancement of these cures.

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Scientist believe that stem cells that come from adults have sever disadvantages over embiyonic stem cells. Dr. Aman Shah points out that there are three major drawbacks to using adult stem cells. "Adult" stem cells come from both a person's umbilical cord and from bone marrow. First, adult stem cells are more mature and although they can form various cells they lack the ability to form all cells. Embryonic cells however, have a much greater potential for more cures. Secondly, because there are billions of cells in the body it makes it difficult to locate the stem cells; and when they do, they come in small amounts. In contrast, embryonic stem cells have the ability to divide almost limitlessly - thus allowing a faster treatment. Finally, adult stem cells take a much longer time to be found and grown, whereas embryonic stem cells could be grown into many different cell types and stored indefinitely (Shah 2). The advantages that embryonic stem cells possess lead many to believe that the cures they so desperately seek will be available earlier.

Although the benefits of embryonic stem cell research show potential it remains unethical to destroy embryos for the purpose of medical science. As Sean Martin points out in his article "A Political Firestorm", Scientist are allowed to extract the stem cells from the excess embryos in vitro fertilization clinics. But this extraction destroys the embryo; to say that these tiny humans will be "discarded" and not used and therefore should be "used" is a fallacious argument (Martin 2). Why then don’t we use the tissues of a criminal who has been legally executed? Why then did we universally condemn the Nazi doctors who used Jewish subjects because they were going to be killed anyway? It's because we have respect for human life: whether that be at 5 days after conception or 50 years after birth.

There are more ethical ways to acquire stem cells for research. Adult stem cells posses greater advantages over embryonic stem cells. As Eleni Berger states in her article "Research Avenue adds fuel to stem cell controversy", there are a two key advantages adult stem cells posses. First they pose no ethical dilemma in the use of or taking of stem cells from people. Secondly because they are from ones own body they do not suffer the threat of rejection by one's own immune system (1).

Kc Wildmoon comments in his article "Scientist, Senators Testify on Stem Cell Research", that destroying an embryo to obtain stem cells is an unacceptable use of taxpayer dollars (1). Right now there are thousands of people suffering. Right now there are thousands of scientist looking for cures. And right now there are thousands of potential lives being destroyed. How many innocent children will have to die so that we can find these cures? There are other ways avenues that can be taken to avoid the killing of these embryos. More research needs to be made into the extraction and use of Adult stem cells so that we may be able to pursue these much-needed cures with a clean conscience.

There are morally acceptable ways of performing medical research and combating disease. Embryonic human beings do not need to lose their lives in order to save ours. Let us by all means pursue aggressive research with stem cells but we should not deliberately kill one living human to possibly benefit another. Let us not kill to cure.

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