A biomedical engineer’s job is to seek solutions for illnesses and to advance the medical field. To help find these solutions biomedical engineers are inventing a way to create artificial organs to make more accurate drugs without side effects. As a result, much controversy has resulted from biomedical research and how biomedical engineers obtain their specimen. The results of this research have yet to be determined, but many researchers believe the benefits will be worth the risks and will put a halt to the criticism. As a biomedical engineer, ethics is an issue that is constantly faced because of controversial research; therefore, supporters and opposers are seeking a solution to unethical research.
Biomedical engineers must be able to determine …show more content…
Animal testing has always been opposed by organizations because of the living condition that research animal live in. Fore example, The Humane Society of the United States has stated that “Certain species, such as chimpanzees and other apes, cannot be kept humanely in laboratory caging and should not be used in harmful research given their highly evolved mental, emotional, and social features and their concomitant vulnerability to suffering from living in captivity in research settings.” (“Statement”). But the main controversy in biomedical engineering is stem cell research, mostly because of where they obtain the stem cells. The National Research Council has explained, “Stem cells are unspecialized cells that can self-renew indefinitely and also differentiate into more mature cells with specialized functions. Research on human embryonic stem cells, how ever is controversial, given the diverse views held in our society about the moral and legal status of early embryo.” (National Research 1). Opposers argue that destroying embryonic cells and fetuses to obtain stem cells is something humans should not mess with. The general public believes that biomedical researches are “playing god” by destroying embryonic cells, but scientists have a bigger fear. Scientists fear that stem cell research will eventually lead to the creation of human clones. The reasoning behind this fear …show more content…
People have been pushing for bans like the great ape research ban, which pushes to ban the use of non-human great apes in research. Others seek to ban stem cell research because of how embryonic cells are obtained. In 1995 the Dickey-Wicker Amendment was passed as an attempt to limit funding to stem cell researchers. Megan Kearl explains the Dickey-Wicker amendment is “restricting the use of federal funds for creating, destroying, or knowingly injuring human embryos.” (Kearl). By having this law in place, researchers would have limited funding and it would discourage stem cell research, but this law does not prohibit private companies from continuing stem cell research. Opposers feel this law is not enough to stop research, so they will continue to protest until the biomedical research is stopped
Biomedical engineers must be able to determine …show more content…
Animal testing has always been opposed by organizations because of the living condition that research animal live in. Fore example, The Humane Society of the United States has stated that “Certain species, such as chimpanzees and other apes, cannot be kept humanely in laboratory caging and should not be used in harmful research given their highly evolved mental, emotional, and social features and their concomitant vulnerability to suffering from living in captivity in research settings.” (“Statement”). But the main controversy in biomedical engineering is stem cell research, mostly because of where they obtain the stem cells. The National Research Council has explained, “Stem cells are unspecialized cells that can self-renew indefinitely and also differentiate into more mature cells with specialized functions. Research on human embryonic stem cells, how ever is controversial, given the diverse views held in our society about the moral and legal status of early embryo.” (National Research 1). Opposers argue that destroying embryonic cells and fetuses to obtain stem cells is something humans should not mess with. The general public believes that biomedical researches are “playing god” by destroying embryonic cells, but scientists have a bigger fear. Scientists fear that stem cell research will eventually lead to the creation of human clones. The reasoning behind this fear …show more content…
People have been pushing for bans like the great ape research ban, which pushes to ban the use of non-human great apes in research. Others seek to ban stem cell research because of how embryonic cells are obtained. In 1995 the Dickey-Wicker Amendment was passed as an attempt to limit funding to stem cell researchers. Megan Kearl explains the Dickey-Wicker amendment is “restricting the use of federal funds for creating, destroying, or knowingly injuring human embryos.” (Kearl). By having this law in place, researchers would have limited funding and it would discourage stem cell research, but this law does not prohibit private companies from continuing stem cell research. Opposers feel this law is not enough to stop research, so they will continue to protest until the biomedical research is stopped