Arguments on stem cell research

   Before beginning the argument, the exact information about stem cells will be given for us to understand the topic. Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells that can differentiate into specialized cells and can divide to produce more stem cells.(Stem cell) That is to say, the origin of the different tissues comes from the powerful stem cell. Generally, there are two kinds of stem cell in mammals, embryonic stem cells that come from the inner cell mass of blastocysts can differentiate into all specialized cells. The second is adult stem cells that exists in adult body and act as a repair systems to supply for the damage part of the tissue. Thus because the abilities I mentioned above, stem cells are frequently used in medical therapies, like bone marrow transplantation. Moreover, Stem cell research is used for investigation of basic cells which develop organisms. The cells are grown in laboratories where tests are carried out to investigate fundamental properties of the cells(Stem Cell Research), Researchers can study the properties of the stem cells in lab and applied findings to therapies. They now can artificially grow and transform differentiated cells into undifferentiated stem cells that can further differentiate other tissues（Big step for cell reprogramming）. Here, it is the part like human cloning that causes people’s arguments and become controversial, and some regulations are also put into practice to restrain the widespread of the technique.

   The debate argues about pros and cons of stem cell research and put us into a difficult ethics evaluations. Thus we should consider the positive and negative effects completely to decide our regulations on the research. In traditional ways, researchers need embryonic stem cells taken tissue from an aborted embryo that are about 5th and 9th week long after conception to get suitable materials for study, which is a ethics problem and are controversial. Recently, as I mentioned above, the new method iPS gives researchers a more promising way in solving the ethics surrounding the controversial use of embryos.

   Two issues are concerned in determining if the stem cell research should be conducted. ( Stem Cell Research )The first one how the knowledge will be used, we hope that use the research findings for the sake of human health, what if some people use it for illegal purposes and violate the human dignity and even threat people’s life? Actually, stem cell research has the potential to help us treat a range of medical problems we are facing, like Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Diseases and Birth Defects, which can improve the quality of life and even save people’s lives, at the same time, contribute to the social benefits and economic gains. According to the cost-benefit-analysis, some people think that benefits of stem cell research have such a great outcome that they outweigh the ethical issues. But what people worries is that someone will use the knowledge to human cloning, which is hard to predict the consequences. And it also seems that the technique violates the rule of world in some people’s opinions.The second is how we use the proper methods to conduct the research, if the controversial use of embryos can be developed into a better way? The source of the stem cells comes from abortion embryos that make it controversial. People argue that if someone is going to have an abortion, isn’t it better that we use it for something useful? On the other side, others argue that a life is a life and that should never be compromised. A fertilized egg should be valued as a human life even if it is in its very first weeks. Destroying human life in the hopes of saving human life is not ethical.Anyway, Luckily, we now have better technique to overcome the problems and move yo use more

   Because different opinions aiming to stem research, different countries or even the states or provinces and international organizations have different standards when it comes to the stem cell polices.(Stem cell policies) some government policies determine which is allowed and which is prohibited while some give financial support to exact stem cell research. And there also are some organizations give recommendations for the conduction of the stem cell research. Generally, there is a common consistence that most countries are agree with the ban of somatic cell nuclear transfer or therapeutic cloning according to votes about the united nations declaration on human cloning in 2005, and big organizations like the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the Council of Europe is calling on the prohibition of the human cloning, for the protection of human dignity and human life(Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine）. However, because the regulations are not consistent, thus the Hinxton Group which is an international consortium on stem cells, ethics and laws calls on consensus on stem cell research laws and guidelines(About the Hinxton Group), they meet in Hinxton and published consensus statement calling for a “flexible”regulatory framework.

   As you know, government in different countries are taking different regulations or polices to the stem cell research, of course, those regulations follow the willing of people or ethics in the countries, and it is extremely necessary for countries to regulate for the sake of better health situation or human rights. Setting laws can give the researchers a standard to conduct the research in the moral range. For those organizations that are doing stem cell research, the fund that the government provides is a key factor for their continuing research. If every organizations do the research without the regulations of the government, what a mess it would be! Some knowledge will be overused to violates the rules in the world. Therefore, only self-regulations seems unsuitable in the research. However, because the different attitudes of different countries, the stem cell research development is not consistent. Some countries has got breakthrough in treat diseases by using stem diseases while others keep unchanged and even don’t doing the research in stem cells. Aiming to the current situation, some organizations like the Hinxton Group are advocating unified standards in stem cell research, like setting useful database for researchers around the world or share exact guidelines for those who just begin the research. By doing this, the regulations  in stem cell research will be followed and make a great advance in stem cell research.

   When we conduct a project, cost-benefit analysis in ethics is a must step firstly. If you cannot defend a research in ethics, you should not continue the study and the government will not allow you to conduct the research. The reasons that the debate are intense are because it is hard to measure regarding the life. And it is a difficult to go on the analysis. In my opinion, it is absolutely necessary to conduct stem research, but in a moral range. There are many diseases that disturbing patients and scientists, patients are suffering from the diseases or some even died because of the diseases without suitable treatment, people’s life quality drops quickly because the diseases. On the other hand, the government are devoting lots of support to find the methods to cure the diseases. And the researchers find that stem cell research has the potential to cure the diseases and it is a hope for people to continue the research. If people decide to have a abortion, why should not we use it for more useful way for the sake of human health. The development of the new technology also make the argument less controversial. What we should follow during the research is the human dignity and do not do the human cloning. Therefore, it is promising to continue the research and create better life.

Reference

Wekepedia(2014).Stem cell. Retrieved on 4th November ,2014 from :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem-cell_research

Explorable.com (Mar 20, 2008). Stem Cell Research. Retrieved Nov 04, 2014 from:
https://explorable.com/stem-cell-pros-and-cons

Centre for Genomic Regulation (2013). Big step for cell reprogramming. Retrieved on 4th
November ,2014 from :
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131215160706.htm

Wekepedia (2014).Stem cell policies. Retrieved on 4th November ,2014 from :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell_research_policy

Bioethics (1997). Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine. Retrieved on 4th
November ,2014 from :
http://conventions.coe.int/treaty/en/treaties/html/164.htm

Hinxton group(2004). About the Hinxton Group.Retrieved on 4th
November ,2014 from :
http://www.hinxtongroup.org/au.html


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