Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Former Member

...it is ridiculous for people who have already decided that it is moral to kill babies in the womb to show some squeamishness about destroying human embryos in a petri dish. Hell, man, once you decide to become a child-killer, their ages no longer matter. Or the numbers. Damnation of your soul is completed with the first one

- Charley Reese 1

...research involving human pluripotent stem cells...promises new treatments and possible cures for many debilitating diseases and injuries, including Parkinson's disease, diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, burns and spinal cord injuries. The NIH believes the potential medical benefits of human pluripotent stem cell technology are compelling and worthy of pursuit in accordance with appropriate ethical standards." National Institutes of Health news release.

- National Institutes of Health news release.

I've always found this ethical debate very interesting. Embryonic stem cell reseach. I've never really been able to build an opinion on this ... When I see myself as pro stem cell research, I feel a sense of guilt.

Is this murdering in the name of science? Which of the two quotes reflect your opinion the most? Ethical repugnance? I find myself scared, sometimes, when we start to manipulate and play God. It's the same feeling from cloning. Trying to manipulate life just makes me think... that such technological advancement augurs ill for the future. It also makes me reflect the recent debate we had, about the girl who was stuck with the undeveloped mind of a child for the rest of her life. Maybe I'm just afraid of the consequences, maybe not. I just find myself very dubious and can't decide my stance on the topic...

Thoughts?

Teh_Gerbil

I agree with the latter one.

Science is good. Progress is good. We need to get over this whole morality religion thing. It's out dated. This could cure cancer, parkinsons, alzheimers, and who knows what else? The most evil diseases causing endless suffering to millions and thier relatives and friends could be prevented and maybe even cured.

And religion wants to prevent this all beause of some unborn thing that is barley a life form? That many women would be willing to give up, but stupid laws prevenet that.

I don't see the problem myself. Maybe it's because I am an evil heretic.

Former Member

Scientifically, Embryonic Stem Cells are not the be all and end all for treatments, there are other avenues to go down; multipotent (patient's own) stem cells, transdifferentiation, tissue culture etc.

There are diseases where only embryonic stem cells can be used, but that's only because the stem cells needed don't already exist in the adult body.

There are thousands of embryos in cold storage, waste ones from fertility treatment, that could be put to better use. I don't see why they shouldn't, but the public shouldn't get their hopes up. It really pisses me off when "miracle cures" are paraded about in the media when they're decades away from actually being used, if they will be used at all.

Former Member

As i said, I think going down this road augurs ill for the future. But i think it should be invested in and having a higher priority for researchers. But it hasn't really been clarified how effective means of treatment it is. It is true, it has great potential to cure many different diseases, but does it collide with research ethics? It hasn't been discovered whether adult stem cells are pluripotent, i.e. stem cells can become derivatives of the three germ layers... that's a lot of cells! Stem cells are revolutionary in the road towards scientific breakthroughs me believes. I don't see why ethics should stop us. Should it? I feel cold hearted.

I though this topic would be hot ... :crying:

In the end I'd prefer we'd go into other means of treatment and give this a rest. Before science and technology becomes the doom of all of us.

Former Member

Well I'm not really pro-abortion. I believe that it is entirely up to the woman but should be only for extreme cases. I wouldn't call it murder though, it is legal and thus not murder and most women do it with the best intentions for he child. It is, however something which I don't think I could ever do myself.

As for playing God, that worries me... I pretty much agree with what Braineater said though, although to be fair I'm no expert on the cience behind it.

Former Member

If the utilisation of a bunch of cells helps ease and/or remove the pain and suffering of real-life people, then I’m all for it.