Ethical Implications of Cloning and Stem Cell Research Essay

Bio-medical breakthroughs in the fields of inheritedal and waver engineering erudition hold big(p) promise. However, as modern medicine advances, it rattling much poses major ethical get alongs on which wad be seriously divided. The arguing in favor of proceeding with inquiry at unrestrained pace is mainly advocated by scientists and medical experts who would like to see well up-nigh fantastic remedy benefits that apprehension promises in the form of bow carrel technologies. Scientists ar absolutely thril take by the possibilities looming on the horizon (Thompson, Harrub 2001c).On the other perspective of the debate are mint, sometimes led by religious groups, who are implicated we may going too farthermost too fast, employ unacceptable message and in unknown directions. Stem st any seek has the greatest potential for economic sy waist lives, but is controversial for its query found on embryos and foetuses (Rickard 2002). Stem jail electric cellular phones are childish and un change cells that that possess both the talent to renew themselves obscurely as well as the capability to differentiate themselves into specialized and mature cells.Mature cells, such as the hearts myocytes or the coloureds hepatocytes, stop dividing after several(prenominal) dozen divisions, while radical cells end keep on dividing indefinitely, either reviving themselves or bringing out specialized cells. There are four cases of angry walk cells in the homophile form 1) liberal etymon cells, 2) foetal stem cells 3) embryologic stem cells, and 4) nuclear transplant stem cells. For the first three months of pregnancy, a fertilized cell, or zygote, divides and grows in the mothers womb and is referred to as an embryo.The embryos stem cells are the precursors of the development of a get laid mankind baby. They produce all of the bodys various 100 trillion cells. It should become possible to use immature stem cells to regenerate all type of cell that the body needs. When the embryo assumes an presumable human body form, it becomes a fetus. Because the fetus is growing rapidly, all tissues and organs, including the brain, contain stem cells. It is for this reason that stem cell look intoers are interested in studying fetal tissues.Studies suggest that human embryonic stem cells need immense potential in terms of developing into multiple tissue types and long-term self-renewal. Therefore, stem cell research entails the intentional creation of human embryos in the highly artificial context of an IVF clinic, using re-create techniques, and discarding them after their use for research is exhausted (Thompson, Harrub 2001a). The question to be refractory is whether research on embryonic stem cells constitutes a trespass of fundamental human rights, in particular the principle of heed for human dignity and the right of life.However, umteen believe that conception/fertilization is non a moment but a process, and th e early development does non show true individuality in any(prenominal) sense of the word, and therefore there is violation of human rights. The promise of embryo research, liberal-minded pack tend to think, is too real to miss any longer by viscous to conservative attitudes that stand in the spunk of pragmatism. And yet, even out they would flinch at the possibilities of reproductive re-create.The difference mingled with healing(p) clone using embryonic stem cells (stem cell research) and reproductive re-create is the distinction between creating cloned body tissue or organs for therapeutic purposes and creating cloned human beings. Reproductive copy is generally viewed as morally salacious because it is seen as unnatural and a commodification of human life, and it captures public fears about the power of science to pursue a eugenic agenda.When political organizations of today debate ban on human re-create, the main issue in such debates would be whether to ban ou tright all forms of embryo cloning, which a subject of countries seem to support, or to permit the cloning of embryos for research purposes (therapeutic cloning/ stem cell research) while outlawing human reproductive cloning. at any rate reproductive cloning, there is another obstinate ramification to therapeutic cloning, which is cloning for enhancement.The issue of using advances in stem cell research for the purposes of enhancement, as against solely therapeutic purposes, opens up a Pandoras street corner of all kinds of complications, ethical, social, psychological, philosophical and practical. For instance, stem cell approaches might help to cure Parkinsons patients, but, in the not too removed future, they could also be used to improve brain functions. Rich people would be able to afford this therapy and poor people would not. This could create a most undesirable stratification of the society. however where does therapeutic cloning end, and enhancement cloning begin ev en if cloning was travel for purely therapeutic purposes, it would soon spread into the domain of enhancement. This is the argument of slippery slope comm scarcely advanced against all biomedical research involving genetic and cellular manipulation. Last but not least(prenominal), thanks to the promise that genetic engineering and human cloning research hold, the prospects of achieving capabilities for indefinite life extension even at heart the next twenty to thirty age are very high (Thompson, Harrub 2001b).The consequences of tangible immortality for whole populations are plain inconceivable. But today, the possibility of human race fair permanently deathless looms uncomfortably miserly to us. Therefore it becomes imperative that something be through to stem the advances of genetic and cloning research before the situation goes out of hand. A number of states have already enacted unique(predicate) cloning-ban legislation, either banning the cloning of worldly concern or imposing a moratorium on cloning within the state. Other states have taken action at least to consider formally similar legislation.At federal level, the Human Cloning barrier Act of 2003, which bans the process of human cloning for any purpose and the importation of any product derived from an embryo created via cloning, was passed by the U. S. set up of Representatives on 27 February 2003. It was not validate by the senate though. The Human Cloning hindrance Act of 2005 bans only reproductive cloning while allowing therapeutic cloning. To date, federal regulations only prohibit federal funding for research into human cloning (Cash 2005).Though the science of bio-medical engineering is making rapid strides, and offers the promise of unveiling radical new therapies, simply the fact that a technology exists does not imply that anyone who stern pay for it can be automatically allowed to use it. This is because the emergent genetic and cellular techniques and technologies raise all kinds of issues, ethical, philosophical, social, psychological and so on. They carry with them implications very difficult even to comprehend.