Science Friction

If you knew that saving one person might mean the death of another, what would you do? What if you knew that thousands could be saved, how would you act then? Would your opinions change if one of the people being saved were your mom or dad, or even you? Would you be against it if the death were of a child, an embryo in this case, which to some is considered a human being?

This is one of the major dilemmas surrounding stem cell research. Stem cells are cells found in an early stage of embryonic development. Embryonic stem cells have the potential of developing into one of 130 different types of human tissue, which are eventually found in a fully formed fetus. Such tissues include blood cells, heart cells and brain cells. In a developing fetus, numerous stem cells are found that can produce all the different tissues of an adult body. The hope is to use some of the stem cells to replace tissues of any human in certain cases where new tissue is needed. This could be a possible cure for numerous diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s, leukemia and Parkinson's.

Why so much debate? Embryonic stem cells are extracted from human embryos, killing them in the process. If you believe that embryos a few days after conception have the same human rights as you or me, killing innocent embryos is obviously not acceptable. The only thing that these “pro-lifers” are missing is that stem cells used in medical research generally come from fertility clinics, which produce more embryos than they can use. In the end, only one out of these many embryos is implanted in a womb. The rest are either kept alive in liquid nitrogen indefinitely, or simply discarded. How is it that people can oversee throwing a so called human being in the trash, but find it unethical to use them for research in the hope to save others? While sitting down with Mary Sunderland, a Graduate Student of the School of Life Sciences, at Arizona State University she stated that, “Most people get their information from the media, which isn’t the best source for real information. If you were to google stem cells, hit after hit would show up against the research, because the medias biggest concern is the controversy, because it sells”(Sunderland). The building of a digital library for everyone to use is managed by Sunderland, with the help of two biology and society professors, as well as an international team. The online database, called the Embryo Project, will make information on controversial issues like stem cell research accessible to the public.

Government funded research using embryo stem cells was stopped in the USA by president George W. Bush in August 2001. Research was allowed to resume in government labs, but was restricted to specific stem cells. By 2003, many of these stem cells became useless and a federal bill, The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, was passed in May 2005. This bill would allow government funded research on embryonic stem cells, that were extracted from the over abundant embryos in fertility clinics. President Bush vetoed the bill arguing that the law "crossed a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect" (BBC News). Sunderland states that, “When people see a topic, such as stem cell research, being addressed by someone of great status, they tend to agree, whether or not they know what the research truly involves”(Sunderland). If these embryos are considered humans than they are practically being locked up in a jail, the fertility clinic. Why is it then that president Bush actually praised the work of fertility clinics in his first speech announcing restrictions on stem cells? He claims to be all for science and technology and is hoping for a cure, but somehow finds it necessary to stop the funding for a very promising medical breakthrough.

Back to the Future’s Marty McFly, or better known as Michael J. Fox, has thrown his weight behind a campaign to persuade president Bush to drop his opposition to the embryonic stem cell bill. Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, said that Bush "has an opportunity to do something fantastic for the world," and called the proposed legislation a "pro-living bill"(TV.com News). Everyday people risk their lives to save others, but it is considered immoral for an embryo to be used in scientific research because of the belief that an embryo is a human being with a soul. To say that a microscopic dot has the same rights and is considered morally equivalent to someone such as Albert Einstein, or even you or me, is ridiculous.

Medical ethicists state that stem cells are incapable of growing into a complete person. It is pointed out that almost all spare embryos in fertility clinics will eventually die, due to equipment malfunction. Spare embryos are destroyed daily, so they might as well have their stem cells extracted so that they can be of some use to humanity.

But are there other