S Ethics of Stem Cell Research Danielle Priestley John Nebbia Huy Lam Kihyun Lee
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S
Ethics of Stem Cell Research
Danielle PriestleyJohn Nebbia
Huy LamKihyun Lee
Overview of Stem Cells
Cell from the body with ability to reproduce into many other cells
Unspecialized Creates over 200 cell types
Divisions of a stem cell can become a stem cell or a specialized cell Replace old cells to repair parts of body
Can divide all the time or situationally Can be found all over the body
Types of Stem Cells
Embryonic 5-14 day embryo
Cells are able to differentiate into ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm
Hematopoietic Cord blood, fetal tissues, bone marrow, Adult stem
cells Able to produce many cell types and self-renew over a
lifetime
Neural Adult stem cells
Limited or no capacity of self-renewal
Growing Cells in a Lab
Cell are cultured Must make sure they are, in fact, remaining stem
cells Can take months
Research in directed differentiation. Harnessing the potential of stem cells by
constraining differentiation in vitro toward tissues of interest
Variation of Medium If cells are clumped they will differentiate
spontaneously Making a mass of cells (teratoma)
Stem Cell Concerns
Passing of viruses or other microscopic agents Transplant drugs to clear immune system
Diseases from animals Nutrients for stem cells are derived from animals which
could carry diseases Usually cultivated in laboratory
Uncontrolled growth Leads to more of a concern with embryonic cells because
they grow quickly and that it could result in tumors. Misdirected growth
Differentiating into wrong type of tissue
How Stem Cells Can Be Used
Determine how development occurs in the body New medications Transplants
Growing organs for people in need Type 1 diabetes (cells that produce insulin)
Cancer and birth defects: can they be avoided? Cell division Differentiation
How can stem cells be used
Known to have helped people with over 70 different diseases
Different results with different stem cells Adult stem cells Embryonic stem cells
Transplants
Grow cells in the lab from stem cells Control them to differentiate into certain cell Compatibility testing Proper functioning in new body for rest of life
No harm to new body vs. Rejection of tissue
Stem Cells and Heart Disease
One of largest causes of death is Heart Diseases Heart doesn’t get oxygen -> heart cells die -> bad
things happen Stem cells can replace dead heart cells Currently being tested on animals More research is needed before human trials begin
Ethical Issues
Living or not “who or what”
Pre-implantation embryos Is it right to make these embryos on purpose only for
the stem cells? Where are the restrictions drawn?
Spares from IVF Intentional creation Are you taking a potential life?
Ethical Issues
Embryos would be discarded anyways if not used for stem cells May have a purpose and not discarded
Some don’t see a problem with making stem cells No one is harmed
Turning life into a money game If you are rich you can buy a new body part Future
Social Issues
Feminists think that women are being used “therapeutic cloning”
Genetically identical to individual offering stem cells Think that therapeutic cloning will eventually lead to
reproductive cloning (slippery slopes effect) Religion: killing something that could become a
living person Therapeutic cloning: imitating the creation of life When does life start? Catholic Church believes in life
begins at conception
Pope John Paul II wrote in his 1995 encyclical, The Gospel of Life, that “Human embryos obtained in vitro are human beings and are subjects with rights; their dignity and right to life must be respected from the first moment of their existence”
Social Issues
Political Issues
Primary question was whether the federal government should fund research or not
In 2001, Senator Barrack Obama of Illinois voted for legislation that would have allowed federal funding for stem cell research using embryos slated to be discarded from fertility clinics.
President Bush vetoed the bill Can be used for some lines that were already working Limited numbers
Law protecting embryos so they aren’t destroyed No law protecting pre-embryos (younger than 14 days)
In 2009, President Barrack Obama lifts restriction ban on stem cell research
Polls indicated that people today have a better outlook and support on the research. More than half favored stem cell research than finding a method of preserving the embryos.
"We are committed to pursuing stem cell research quite responsibly, but we recognize there are a range of beliefs on this.“ –White House domestic policy adviser
Political Issues
Work Cited
http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics1.aspx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7D6iA7bZG0 http://www.explorestemcells.co.uk/concernsaboutstemcells.html http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/4/672.full http://www.focusonthefamily.com/socialissues/life-issues/stem-cell-
research/stem-cell-research-issue http://www.icr.org/article/ten-problems-with-embryonic-stem-cell-research/ http://www.pewforum.org/2008/07/17/stem-cell-research-at-the-crossroads
-of-religion-and-politics/?beta=true&utm_expid=53098246-2.Lly4CFSVQG2lphsg-KopIg.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/god-and-country/2009/03/09/the-politics-behind-obamas-embryonic-stem-cell-research-decision
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