ETHICAL ISSUE FACING HEALTH CARE

ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF STEM CELL RESEARCH

The employment of human embryonic stem cells is a significant breakthrough in the d of biomedical research . The capability to isolate , culture , harvest and manipulate stem cells presents a huge potential to generate new cells that will technically replace non-functional or degenerate cells in a patient 's body . Such revolutionary technology may possibly serve as a new treatment method for incurable and debilitating diseases . Amidst the excitement within the scientific world for the promises stem cell research brings , there is a growing debate on the

ethics that are associated with this novel technology . The collection and manipulation of embryonic stem cells in the laboratory is dependent on the destruction of embryos . Such procurement of biological material therefore warrants the termination of an embryo which directly represents the very beginning of a human being (Robertson , 1999 Leies , 2005 . Society has thus questioned whether the scientific world has ignored the absolute value of life in exchange for excellence in biomedical research

In a news article from the Washington post entitled Clash over stem cell research heats up ' Rick Weiss (2006 ) describes how stem cell research is perceived by two sides of the issue . Both sides have aggressively used the media in helping them air out their concerns and excitement , respectively , over the use of embryonic stem cells . The news article was written and published a few days before the Senate would meet to determine the fate of embryonic stem cell research in the United States . The stem cell research bill was initially reviewed in 2001 and indicated that research efforts on embryonic stem cells in the United States will not be funded due to ethical reasons . This new bill will thus take control of the 2001 restriction and will therefore allow funding of research programs on embryonic stem cells that have been created as of August 2001 . The bill aims to preserve and protect human embryos from their destruction , yet several scientific groups have claimed that this restriction has hampered their research efforts on regenerative medicine , and has also resulted in the lag of research output . More importantly , other countries that are not restricted from performing embryonic stem cell research have gained a 5-years ' worth of research advantage over the United States

The controversy regarding the ethical issues of embryonic stem cell research impacts the entire human population . Each individual in the society has a susceptibility to contract a disease that might possibly need the use of stem cells that can replace defective ones in the body We have heard of a number of public figures that have suffered from diseases that could have been resolved through the use of embryonic stem cells . The late former President Ronal Reagan suffered from Alzheimer 's disease and the late actor Christopher Reeve experienced spinal cord injury . Both of these individuals are prime examples of people who could have benefited from the results of embryonic stem cell research Stem cells may be cultured and manipulated to differentiate into specific...