Stem cell ethics - Essay Example

Scientists and researchers began to research the mechanisms of life and learned about the multi-cellular world, which lies under the surface of our world. New medicines and treatments were created in order to alleviate and cure these ailments. Rather than looking to meet the status quo in trying to treat conditions, scientists went to the root of the problem trying to figure out how to stop conditions from occurring and treating the problem at the source, a majority of them that are genetically related.

The result of this exploration was learning how to use stem cells as a medical application. Stem cells are a unique cell within the body that is found in large quantities in particularly human embryos. In essence, they are blank slates. This means that they can be coded to fulfill the function of any cell in the body. Hence, this is why they are very abundant in embryos because there is germination and differentiation occurring as more systems and features develop. However, in adults a majority of the stem cells have already been used and therefore remain in low concentrations.

The goal of medical researchers and doctors is to harvest and engineer stem cells, which could be used in an effort to cure genetic diseases and help extend the human life span (Kelly 3-25). Because embryos have the highest concentration of stem cells that can be harvested, they are the main focus for research. The one huge drawback to this is that in attempting to harvest stem cells from an embryo, it usually results in the death of the individual or serious physiological defects. As a result in order to avoid this, scientists looked to abortion clinics in an effort to obtain the stem cells that are required for research.

In this manner, there are no living embryos that are harmed, it is only the leftover biological material that would otherwise be discarded or burned at a biological containment facility. This is what has lead to the connection between