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Stem Cells Then, Now, and Later
The History, Progression, and Future of Stem Cell Research
"For good ideas and
true innovation, you need
human interaction, conflict,
argument, and debate."
-Margaret Heffernan
Social Issues
The Debate:
The derivation of pluripotent stem cell lines from oocytes and embryos offers countless disputes regarding the onset of human personhood and human reproduction.
The Solution:
Several other methods of deriving stem cells raise fewer ethical concerns. The reprogramming of somatic cells to produce induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) avoids the ethical problems specific to embryonic stem cells.
In Other Words...
Due to the heated controversy over when a human life begins, the sacrifice of embryos has been challenged by many religious groups and pro-life supporters. Many groups of people have offered somatic cell production as a way to achieve scientific strives while satisfying those against the unjust loss of human life.
Social Issues
One of the more prominent solutions for safely harvesting embryonic stem cells in through the failed processes of in vitro fertilization. When a woman's inseminated egg cell is reimplanted back into her, there are often forty or more fertilized eggs discarded which could be used for life-saving stem cell treatment.
Legal Issues
The Debate:
On August 9th, 2001, President George W. Bush announced that federal funds may be awarded for research using human embryonic stem cells, only if the following criteria are met:
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"The derivation process (which begins with the destruction of the embryo) was initiated prior to 9:00 P.M. EDT on August 9, 2001"
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"The stem cells must have been derived from an embryo that was created for reproductive purposes and was no longer needed"
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"Informed consent must have been obtained for the donation of the embryo and that donation must not have involved financial inducements"
The Solution:
In 2009, Obama overturned an order signed by President Bush in 2001 that barred the National Institutes of Health from funding research on embryonic stem cells beyond using 60 cell lines that existed at that time.
In Other Words...
George W. Bush had signed an Executive Order in 2001 stating that stem cell research was illegal unless carried out with particular humanities. These parameters include a short distance between the time of conception and the time of cell harvesting, parental consent, and a strict policy for no unecessary loss of life. President Obama overturned Bush's decision in 2009, allowing the National Institutes of Health to fund further stem cell research and development once more.
Ethics - Cloning
The Debate:
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is a focused form of therapeutic cloning, a process in which scientists harvest pluripotent stem cells directly from a patient. This method of cloning remains highly controversial as it requires the destruction of the original embryo to successfully create a genetically identical clone. In 1996, scientists at the University of Edinburgh cloned a sheep without complication and named her Dolly. In 2003, Dolly was put to sleep due to malignant tumors growing in her lungs.
The Solution:
While many groups of people reject the studies performed by the scientists at the University of Edinburgh, Doll'y very existence proves to be a scientific miracle and a vast accomplishment in the world of medicine. The understanding and knowledge gained from the production of Dolly serve as a stepping stone into the world of gene therapy, curing diseases, organ regeneration, and even human cloning.
In Other Words...
Someatic cell nuclear transfer opened the door to the potential cloning of animals and in 1996, scientists at the University of Edinburgh effectively reassigned a stem cell nucleus of a sheep into the cell of another sheep which replicated and modeled agenetically identical female sheep. Dolly the sheep was the first mammal ever cloned, but suffered from condition-related illnesses such as arthritis and malignant tumor growth which eventually took her life. While many people will deny the actions of the University, their achievements remain monumentous in the world of science, genetics, regeneration, and cloning.
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