Jessica Umanzor

English 21003 SECA

Professor Sidibe

9/26/18

The Use of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

For many people life begins with the egg being fertilized and a zygote is formed, or when there is an embryo with a developed heartbeat. Even science itself is unable to give you a definitive answer as to when life truly begins. By definition, stem cells are pluripotent cells that are able to be electrically stimulated within a laboratory environment in order to differentiate themselves into many other forms of somatic cells (Diamandis). Religion is one of the factors that limits the usage of embryonic stem cells because they are removed from the embryo, killing it, despite it being able to fully differentiate into any somatic cell. Stem cells are helpful when it comes to therapy as they can be transplanted into others who have a deficiency in production normal body cells, nonetheless, religion is a part of ethics, which is necessary for moral guidelines within the scientific community and how far embryonic stem cell research can go.

No one can really decide as to when murder is occurring through the research of embryonic stem cells. It truly comes down to a matter of opinion when it comes to deciding what is ethical and unethical, but because religion is so universal it isn’t surprising that it takes a primary role in deciding what is and isn’t moral. Religious beliefs play a major factor in deciding when a life is being formed. Embryonic stems cells come from embryos (that will not be used to further develop into a human child), which contain pluripotent cells that can be further manipulated to help treat multiple diseases medical professionals cannot. However, because the embryo is not longer viable afterwards, this comes back to questioning when is the embryo allowed to have its human rights. This is can be seen in catholicism where late Pope John Paul II said, “human embryos obtained in vitro are human beings and are subjects with rights; their dignity and right to life must be respected from the first moment of their existence,”(Pew Research Center). He mentions in vitro fertilization, where doctors fertilize eggs in a petri dish with sperm in order to produce embryonic stem cells. This opinion is very important as it is able to indicate exactly when people, from a religious point of view, believe life begins. As a result, this ideal needs to be taken into account when doing embryonic stem cell therapy, to question whether scientists are killing unborn children to harvest embryonic cells without their consent.  

Stem cell research can be used in science today through embryonic stem cell transplants because they are able to offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases such as macular degeneration. Through the usage of proper chemical and electrical signals it can be differentiated into any cell in the body. Macular degeneration is when the RPE (retinal pigment epithelium) cells stop performing their support functions and the rods and cones die, resulting in a loss of central vision. The RPEs are supposed to support rods and cones by giving the nutrients from the bloodstream and removing waste. The stem cell research that is being used in the macular degeneration  has been able to help scientist discover that they are able to replace the cones and rods within the eye. With the help of stem cell research studies have shown that stem cells may be able to place the RPE layer which they believe may be able to halt or reverse the loss of vision due to age related macular degeneration (A Closer Look at Stem Cells). Understanding how embryonic stem cells are able to be used therapeutically in order to help people with their daily lives is what supports the importance of research and being able to know what else stem cells can be used for. Overall, these cells have the potential to help people with many diseases like macular degeneration, and the understanding of what other therapeutic work stem cells can do is also dependent on the morals and ethics that go alongside it.

In the future stem cells are poised to grow into a more developed part of the medical community. Some of the upcoming methods of engineering that are planned to continue are tissue engineering and stem cell banking. Tissue engineering is focused more upon replacing diseased tissue which can complete the same functions as an diseased tissue. Stem cell banking deals with how when someone is born they are nearly biologically perfect, meaning they haven’t been exposed to anything into the world that should affect their body. By capturing DNA cells at birth they can be replicated in large doses and frozen if in the future they would need them in case of an emergency(Diamandis). Religion maintains to have a powerful voice in the say as to how much is too much when it comes to embryonic stem cells. With stem cell research legislations being made without countries studying stem cells we are able to regulate what can and cannot be done. “In the United States, laws prohibit the creation of embryos for research purposes. Scientists instead receive “leftover” embryos from fertility clinics with consent from donors. Most people agree that these guidelines are appropriate,” (Learn.Genetics). Government guidelines do their best to be as ethical as possible by being respectful to those who want the furthering of stem cell research and those who want to terminate it all together. By taking only fertility clinic embryos instead of those embryos not being viable and dying scientists are able to use them for a greater purpose.

Overall, stem cell research has a large market and has to possibility to open up many positive forms of genetic therapy for people globally. The use of these cells are still highly monitored by the government in order to prevent different forms of unethicality when it comes to embryonic stem cell research. It’s unknown as to when life is considered to be life and when we are able to end a pregnancy or even artificially begin one. Of course limitations must always be placed in science in order to not mess with the natural balance of life, but at this point it’s getting harder and harder to draw the line between ethical and unethical.  

 

Bibliography

1. “Stem Cells.” Nutrition & the Epigenome, learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/stemcells/.
2. “Macular Degeneration.” A Closer Look at Stem Cells, www.closerlookatstemcells.org/stem-cells-and-medicine/macular-degeneration#stem-cells-macular-degeneration.
3. “Stem Cells Are Poised to Change Health and Medicine Forever.” Singularity Hub, 20 Mar. 2018, singularityhub.com/2017/01/17/stem-cells-are-poised-to-change-health-and-medicine-forever/#sm.00006fykp1860fhmtw61aoqr62zps.
4. Liu, Joseph. “Stem Cell Research at the Crossroads of Religion and Politics | Pew Research Center.” Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project, Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project, 19 Aug. 2013, www.pewforum.org/2008/07/17/stem-cell-research-at-the-crossroads-of-religion-and-politics/.

Informative Draft

Jessica Umanzor

English 21003

Professor Sidibe

9/26/18

The Use of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

For many people life begins with the egg being fertilized and a zygote is formed, or when there is an embryo with a developed heartbeat. Even science itself is unable to give you a definitive answer as to when life truly begins. By definition, stem cells are pluripotent cells that are able to be electrically stimulated within a laboratory environment in order to differentiate themselves into many other forms of somatic cells (Diamandis). Religion is one of the factors that limits the usage of embryonic stem cells because they are removed from the embryo, killing it, despite it being able to fully differentiate into any somatic cell. Stem cells are helpful when it comes to therapy as they can be transplanted into others who have a deficiency in production normal body cells, nonetheless, religion is a part of ethics, which is necessary for moral guidelines within the scientific community and how far embryonic stem cell research can go.

No one can really decide as to when murder is occurring through the research of embryonic stem cells. It truly comes down to a matter of opinion when it comes to deciding what is ethical and unethical, but because religion is so universal it isn’t surprising that it takes a primary role in deciding what is and isn’t moral. Religious beliefs play a major factor in deciding when a life is being formed. Embryonic stems cells come from embryos (that will not be used to further develop into a human child), which contain pluripotent cells that can be further manipulated to help treat multiple diseases medical professionals cannot. However, because the embryo is not longer viable afterwards, this comes back to questioning when is the embryo allowed to have its human rights. This is can be seen in catholicism where late Pope John Paul II said, “human embryos obtained in vitro are human beings and are subjects with rights; their dignity and right to life must be respected from the first moment of their existence,”(Pew Research Center). He mentions in vitro fertilization, where doctors fertilize eggs in a petri dish with sperm in order to produce embryonic stem cells. This opinion is very important as it is able to indicate exactly when people, from a religious point of view, believe life begins. As a result, this ideal needs to be taken into account when doing embryonic stem cell therapy, to question whether scientists are killing unborn children to harvest embryonic cells without their consent.  

Stem cell research can be used in science today through embryonic stem cell transplants because they are able to offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases such as macular degeneration. Through the usage of proper chemical and electrical signals it can be differentiated into any cell in the body. Macular degeneration is when the RPE (retinal pigment epithelium) cells stop performing their support functions and the rods and cones die, resulting in a loss of central vision. The RPEs are supposed to support rods and cones by giving the nutrients from the bloodstream and removing waste. The stem cell research that is being used in the macular degeneration  has been able to help scientist discover that they are able to replace the cones and rods within the eye. With the help of stem cell research studies have shown that stem cells may be able to place the RPE layer which they believe may be able to halt or reverse the loss of vision due to age related macular degeneration (A Closer Look at Stem Cells). Understanding how embryonic stem cells are able to be used therapeutically in order to help people with their daily lives is what supports the importance of research and being able to know what else stem cells can be used for. Overall, these cells have the potential to help people with many diseases like macular degeneration, and the understanding of what other therapeutic work stem cells can do is also dependent on the morals and ethics that go alongside it.

In the future stem cells are poised to grow into a more developed part of the medical community. Some of the upcoming methods of engineering that are planned to continue are tissue engineering and stem cell banking. Tissue engineering is focused more upon replacing diseased tissue which can complete the same functions as an diseased tissue. Stem cell banking deals with how when someone is born they are nearly biologically perfect, meaning they haven’t been exposed to anything into the world that should affect their body. By capturing DNA cells at birth they can be replicated in large doses and frozen if in the future they would need them in case of an emergency(Diamandis). Religion maintains to have a powerful voice in the say as to how much is too much when it comes to embryonic stem cells. With stem cell research legislations being made without countries studying stem cells we are able to regulate what can and cannot be done. “In the United States, laws prohibit the creation of embryos for research purposes. Scientists instead receive “leftover” embryos from fertility clinics with consent from donors. Most people agree that these guidelines are appropriate,” (Learn.Genetics). Government guidelines do their best to be as ethical as possible by being respectful to those who want the furthering of stem cell research and those who want to terminate it all together. By taking only fertility clinic embryos instead of those embryos not being viable and dying scientists are able to use them for a greater purpose.

Overall, stem cell research has a large market and has to possibility to open up many positive forms of genetic therapy for people globally. The use of these cells are still highly monitored by the government in order to prevent different forms of unethicality when it comes to embryonic stem cell research. It’s unknown as to when life is considered to be life and when we are able to end a pregnancy or even artificially begin one. Of course limitations must always be placed in science in order to not mess with the natural balance of life, but at this point it’s getting harder and harder to draw the line between ethical and unethical. 

 

Bibliography

1. “Stem Cells.” Nutrition & the Epigenome, learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/stemcells/.
2. “Macular Degeneration.” A Closer Look at Stem Cells, www.closerlookatstemcells.org/stem-cells-and-medicine/macular-degeneration#stem-cells-macular-degeneration.
3. “Stem Cells Are Poised to Change Health and Medicine Forever.” Singularity Hub, 20 Mar. 2018, singularityhub.com/2017/01/17/stem-cells-are-poised-to-change-health-and-medicine-forever/#sm.00006fykp1860fhmtw61aoqr62zps.
4. Liu, Joseph. “Stem Cell Research at the Crossroads of Religion and Politics | Pew Research Center.” Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project, Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project, 19 Aug. 2013, www.pewforum.org/2008/07/17/stem-cell-research-at-the-crossroads-of-religion-and-politics/.