Stem cells are cells that have the ability to divide indefinitely in a culture and give rise to specialized cells. They can be harvested from human embryos and it is therein the controversy lies. The morality of the process is called into question because there is a divide between people who think that life begins at fertilization and people who think that life begins at birth. This paper will delve into the details of embryonic stem cell research as well as argue that, while some disagreement is obvious and should be respected, stem cells are too valuable of a resource for the field medicine to possibly remain untouched. Stem cells have the potential to provide a wealth of medical advancements that cannot be disregarded, and we are morally
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If the cells proliferate for more than six months they then are considered “pluripotent”, meaning they are capable of differentiating into all tissues of an organism (“Stem Cell Basics”). In order for embryonic stem cells to prove useful, their differentiation must be controlled by changing the culture medium, altering the surface of the culture dish, or by inserting specific genes into the cells. This process is called “directed differentiation” and is how scientists specifically grow heart muscle cells or nerve cells, among other cells, rather than just letting the stem cells run their natural course of differentiation (“Stem Cell Basics”). Simply the observation of this differentiation process helps scientists and doctors understand how diseases can develop in the body. Further, stem cells can be used as test subjects for new drugs and treatments and also as a way to generate healthy cells to replace diseased ones (Mayo Clinic …show more content…
Early stage embryos do not possess a sense of sentience because, until day 14, they do not have a central nervous system and thus have no senses that establish them as a human. The early stage embryos used in embryonic stem cell research would not be able to survive unless implanted into a woman’s uterus, hence there is no harm being done against an individual. Following this logic, there is no danger of violating Immanual Kant’s Categorical Imperative of “We should treat persons as ends in themselves, not as merely a means to an end”. Continuing on this point, until the embryo reaches a point of development in which it could survive outside of the uterus on it’s own, it maintains no sense of personhood and therefore is not guaranteed moral status, even after day 14 when there is a central nervous system shakily established. Nevertheless, as stated before, embryonic stem cell research is done on embryos that have never even reached the stage of implantation. “If we destroy a blastocyst before implantation into the uterus we do not harm it because it has no beliefs, desires, expectations, aims or purposes to be harmed” (“Embryonic Stem Cell
If the cells proliferate for more than six months they then are considered “pluripotent”, meaning they are capable of differentiating into all tissues of an organism (“Stem Cell Basics”). In order for embryonic stem cells to prove useful, their differentiation must be controlled by changing the culture medium, altering the surface of the culture dish, or by inserting specific genes into the cells. This process is called “directed differentiation” and is how scientists specifically grow heart muscle cells or nerve cells, among other cells, rather than just letting the stem cells run their natural course of differentiation (“Stem Cell Basics”). Simply the observation of this differentiation process helps scientists and doctors understand how diseases can develop in the body. Further, stem cells can be used as test subjects for new drugs and treatments and also as a way to generate healthy cells to replace diseased ones (Mayo Clinic …show more content…
Early stage embryos do not possess a sense of sentience because, until day 14, they do not have a central nervous system and thus have no senses that establish them as a human. The early stage embryos used in embryonic stem cell research would not be able to survive unless implanted into a woman’s uterus, hence there is no harm being done against an individual. Following this logic, there is no danger of violating Immanual Kant’s Categorical Imperative of “We should treat persons as ends in themselves, not as merely a means to an end”. Continuing on this point, until the embryo reaches a point of development in which it could survive outside of the uterus on it’s own, it maintains no sense of personhood and therefore is not guaranteed moral status, even after day 14 when there is a central nervous system shakily established. Nevertheless, as stated before, embryonic stem cell research is done on embryos that have never even reached the stage of implantation. “If we destroy a blastocyst before implantation into the uterus we do not harm it because it has no beliefs, desires, expectations, aims or purposes to be harmed” (“Embryonic Stem Cell