Final Project

Glenn Goss

Final Paper

The More Ethical Approach

Stem cell research will become more prevalent over the next few years mainly due to the recent lift of the ban on the research. This subject can be rather controversial, and is examined by scientists, politicians, and religious figures. There are many questions that are raised when discussing this topic. Which type of stem cell research should be used, adult or embryonic? What are the pros and cons of each? Which is more ethical? Depending on religious, political, and social beliefs, these three questions are interpreted differently by all. However, almost all interpretations can be traced back to a religious source.

Those who support adult stem cell research but refute embryonic stem cell research, which is the area of most concern, almost always are involved in some form of religion. The majority of those supporting embryonic stem cell research and refuting adult are either agnostic or atheist. Lee M. Silver stated in an online video during a lecture that he is a Jewish-atheist (Enlightenment). Silver is a molecular biologist at Princeton and is one of the modern day pioneers of embryonic stem cell research (Silver). He views embryos as having no soul and as being no different than the dead cells we all possess on our skin. Around the time of the release of his book, Challenging Nature: The Clash Between Biotechnology and Spirituality, he made an appearance on the TV show, The Colbert Report. While being interviewed by Colbert, Silver made the comparison that embryos are no different than the cells that Steven Colbert washed off his arm in the shower that morning. Silver stated, “Neither embryos nor the cells on our skin are babies, they’re just cells” (Colbert). In my mind, the problem with this statement is that embryos have the potential to become babies, while dead skin cells obviously do not. Differentiating between something that is dead and something that has the utmost potential to be alive is not a valid comparison.

There must be some type of happy medium that we all can reach regarding stem cell research. Advancing in the field of adult stem cells rather than embryonic, in my opinion, could be agreement made by scientists, political, and religious leaders. I argue that adult stem cells can provide the same effective benefits at a much lower moral cost. However, scientists generally turn to embryonic stem cells as being more beneficial, as if they are the “go to” stem cell.

Embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from fertilized eggs. During the early stages of development, embryos from which human embryonic stem cell are derived exist as a hollow microscopic ball of cells called a blastocyst (NIH). The inner cell mass of the blastocyst becomes the embryo, and is the source of the embryonic stem cell. These undifferentiated cells can be cultured in a laboratory and used to grow just about any type of body cell. This characteristic ability of an embryo to grow into any type of cell describes the cell as being totiopotent, and is the main reason for scientists choosing embryonic stem cells over adult (NIH). However, a government based stem cell website stated, “The process of generating an embryonic stem cell line is somewhat inefficient, so lines are not produced each time an inner cell mass is placed into a culture dish” (NIH). This basically means that the embryonic stem cells do not always divide when cultured, so the line does not move on to produce millions of cells. Scientists are always so confident and constantly push for this aspect of stem cell research regardless of the inefficiency? Yes, you heard right, a government based stem cell research website called the development of embryonic stem cell lines inefficient. Yet scientists still persist with this research. A quick, harmless change to adult stem cell research sounds like a valid solution.

Adult stem cell research has generated a great deal of excitement lately in the scientific world. First, here’s a description of these cells and some information regarding their importance. These cells are undifferentiated and are found in most tissues and organs. They act as the body’s repair kit when tissues are damaged (youtube). Among adult tissues reported to contain stem cells are brain, bone marrow, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, intestine, teeth, heart, gut, liver, nose, ovarian epithelium, and testis. The majority of the cells in these tissues are pluripotent, meaning they be grown into multiple types of other cells (NIH). Scientists use one of three methods to identify adult stem cells and determine the type of cell they can produce. One is using molecular markers to identify the cell and determining the type of cell they create. A second is removing the cell, labeling it in culture and replacing the cell to find the type of cell it repopulates. The third method entails isolating the cells in culture and introducing growth factors and new genes to see what type of differentiated cells they create (NIH). It is now possible to recognize, select, and develop adult stem cells to the point that they form mature cell types with the help of growth factors and regulating proteins (Lillge). Obtaining adult stem cells is as simple as extracting cells from the patient via a syringe or other extraction device. This process is not harmful to the patient and is in no way life threatening. Adult stem cells reap the same benefits as embryonic stem cells. They have the capacity to be cultured in a lab, and grown into numerous different types of cells. This research began about 50 years ago. Recent research on these cells has developed new ideas.

Scientists have found adult stem cells in many more tissues than they once thought possible. This finding has led researchers and clinicians to ask whether adult stem cells could be used for transplants. In fact, adult hematopoietic, or blood-forming, stem cells from bone marrow have been used in transplants for 40 years. Certain kinds of adult stem cells seem to have the ability to differentiate into a number of different cell types, given the appropriate conditions. For example, scientists now have evidence that stem cells exist in the brain and the heart. If the differentiation of adult stem cells can be controlled in the laboratory, these cells may become the basis of transplantation-based therapies (NIH).

Adult stem cells have been used for over 40 years in transplants, as stated. The current knowledge regarding adult stem cells has expanded rapidly over just a few short years. Animal studies and human clinical trials indicate that they have significant capabilities for growth, repair, and regeneration of damaged cells and tissues in the body. The potential of adult stem cells to medicine is enormous (BIOETHICS). One of the most beneficial aspects of adult stem cells is the fact that they do not require the termination of potential life as embryonic stem cells do.

Religious, scientific, and political leaders interpret differently the controversial theory that embryonic stem cells involve the killing of innocent life. Upon harvesting this cell, it can be argued that the embryo is destroyed, or killed. Based on Catholic belief, the embryo receives its soul at the point of conception. These is no scientific information to support or refute this theory simply because there is absolutely no way to test for the presence of a soul inside an embryo. Catholics and many denominations of Christianity strongly believe that abortion at any level of the pregnancy is morally wrong.

In 1869 Pope Pius IX declared that all mothers who had survived an abortion were to be excommunicated making no reference to the earlier distinction between animate and un-animate foetuses and implying that a person was ensouled from conception onwards. For many Christians today, not just Roman Catholics, this position is definitive because fertilisation is the point at which human life emerges and, as vulnerable human life, it is particularly worthy of protection (Parliament).

That being said, since the embryo is ensouled at conception, terminating that embryo for any reason from the blastocyst stage or anytime thereafter, be it for stem cell research or not, is the killing of an innocent human life. Counter arguing this, Lee M. Silver made the following statement regarding embryonic stem cells. ”They are perfectly alive and they are perfectly human, but they are not conscious. But when you talk about human beings and persons, we are talking about consciousness” (Liberation). Silver can argue this satatement up to a point. The fact is that if the cell is allowed to become a human being it will eventually possess human-like consciousness. The cell’s potential to become a living being completely outweighs the fact that it is not conscious when it is harvested. Each of us was, at one early point in our lives, a microscopic unconscious embryonic cell. Silver is saying that it would have been okay for scientists to extract us from our mother’s womb in an attempt to continue research. This is unethical and wrong.

Additionally, some say that extracting stem cells from a blastocyst is morally equivalent to yanking organs from a baby to save the lives of others (NEJM). Apart from religious belief, others defend the unethical aspect of harvesting embryonic cells by the following line of reasoning:

Each of us began life as an embryo. If our lives are worthy of respect, and hence inviolable, simply by virtue of our humanity, one would be mistaken to think that at some younger age or earlier stage of development we were not worthy of respect. Unless we can point to a definitive moment in the passage from conception to birth that marks the emergence of the human person, this argument claims, we must regard embryos as possessing the same inviolability as fully developed human beings. (NEJM)

Leaving out religious or political affiliation, many people classify the ethicalities of embryonic stem cell research with more of the realist approach, stated in the quote above. Human beings come from embryos, so they should be treated as such.

Political interpretations are closely related to the religious views based on the two-sided, believer versus nonbeliever mentality. Democrats generally support embryonic stem cell research, while Republicans lean more towards the adult stem cell side. Barack Obama lifted the ban on funding for embryonic research when elected. If McCain was elected into office, he surely would have continued the ban. McCain supported a trio of U.S. Senate bills designed to increase federal funding for adult stem cell research, refuting embryonic research (politics). In 2005, Senator Obama voted for the Stem Cell Research Act of 2005, which was vetoed by President Bush. This seems to be the trend among the political world. Democrats favor embryonic research, while Republicans advocate adult research.

Regardless of the type of reasoning behind the opposition to embryonic stem cell research, it is rather explicit that the life of a single human being is derived from this stem cell. Each of our lives is a gift and should not be abused. Harvesting a human embryonic cell is the killing of an innocent life. Embryonic stem cell research is wrong and unethical for simply that reason. Since the cell will eventually become a human being, it should be treated as just that.

Not only are adult stem cells more ethical to use, but at the rate advancements have been made in the past few years, the results seem to be more promising. It is stated that 65 diseases have been effectively treated with adult stem cells. Of these include cancers, auto-immune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, ocular diseases, immunodeficiencies, neural degenerative diseases and injuries, anemias and blood conditions, metabolic disorders, and other wounds and injuries (geneforum). The Senior Fellow for Life Sciences at the Family Research Council, Dr. David Prentice, made the following statement regarding stem cells:

After 25 years of research with embryonic stem cells, mouse and human, there is very little evidence that embryonic stem cells are effective in treating disease and repairing tissues. In the mean time, there have been thousands of patients who have been successfully treated with their own adult stem cells (youtube).

The success stories seem to be the saving grace for adult stem cell research. One of the special advantages of adult cells is that there are no rejection reactions because the cells are from the same body. In 2001, a team of doctors at Dusseldorf University clinic carried out a treatment with very far reaching outcomes. For the first time, a cardiac infarction (heart attack) patient was treated with adult stem cells from his own body. With the patient under local anesthesia, bone marrow cells were taken from his pelvis and implanted in the infarct area of his heart. The functioning of his severely damaged heart improved drastically within a few weeks (Lillge). If this isn’t enough evidence for all to fully support adult stem cell research, there are numerous other examples. Successful treatments have also been reported for Crohn’s disease, thalassemia (a blood disease), and a rare skin disease. Reports have also grown regarding experiments with animals, in which adult stem cells have successfully transformed themselves into differentiated forms of many organs (Lillge). Based on the factual information and examples, adult stem cell research can compete with and exceed the not yet proven capabilities of embryonic stem cell research.

In my mind, adult stem cells seem like the obvious choice to rectify the long over due conclusion of the debate. They have been proven to possess the same capabilities as embryonic cells, while providing a more ethical approach. Shifting the government-funded research to adult will completely eliminate the controversy of ensoulment and termination of innocent human life. Not only are adult stem cells more ethical, but at the rate in which advancements have been made in the past few years, the outcomes are far more promising. Scientists have not yet been able to prove that all of their hopeful insights regarding embryonic cells are even possible (Lillge). On the contrary, adult cells have already been used on human patients to treat life threatening diseases and injuries. Real-life medical success stories prove the effectiveness and ability of these cells (Lillge). The time is rapidly approaching when the sun will rise on a world that fully embraces adult stem cell research. These cells are without a doubt more promising, helpful, and capable. They, indeed, are the more ethical approach.

Works Cited

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Lillage, Wolfgang. Biology and Medicine. “The Case for Adult Stem Cell Research.”

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Liberation Biology. “Scientist Lee M. Silver on cloning wars, bioethical battles, and

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65 Diseases/Conditions Treated by Adult Stem Cells.

Select Committee on Stem Cell Research. Appendix 4. 2002.

Prentice, David A. Adult Stem Cells. 2003.

Sandel, Michael J. The New England Journal of Medicine. “Embryo Ethics-The Moral

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Silver, Lee M. “Beyond Belief, Enlightenment 2.0.” 2006.

Silver, Lee M. “Steven Colbert Clashes With Silver.” 2006.

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The Candidates on Stem Cell Research. Religion and Politics. 2008.