| The Responsibilities of Stem Cell Research |
| Governmental Responsibilities Scientists have a responsibility in testing stem cells when working with a human. Governmental responsibilities concern the guidelines NIH gave scientists in conducting tests on stem cells. These guidelines include: 1.Scientists must use frozen surplus stem cells from privately supported fertility clinics and 2. The embryo from which the stem cell was derived could no longer have the chance of becoming a human being. Scientists also have a responsibility in following the criteria that president Bush set : 1. The scientists must have the consent of the downer 2. The stem cells must be from a surplus amount of embryo that was created solely for reproductive purposes and 3.There must be no financial inducements to the doner. Many incidences have occured when lawsuits have been filed against stem cell researchers because of the failure to follow the above guidelines. The Hippocratic Oath The Hippocratic Oath holds a major concern in the ethical responsibilities. The hippocratic Oath clearly states" into whatever houses I enter, I will go into them for the benifit of the sick, and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief and corruption; and further from the seduction of females or males, freemen or slaves." -Hippocrates Why is it Important? The above excerpt from the hippocratic oath holds major concern among scientists because they have taken a promise to follow it. Is it an act of mischief to to kill an embryo, test it's cells and then leave it in a petri dish? Another part from the hippocratic oath is important because it said"for the benefit of the sick" and testing stem cells is clearly benefiting the sick. Last year over 2000 babies were grown in a petri dish and genetically modified to how the parents pictured a perfect baby. Some parents selected the color eyes and hair they wanted their children to have, while other parents chose to have children with no mental disabilities because of the children that they had already . Some deaf parents even chose to ensure that their children would also be deaf. Present genetical technology can do many things such as change the genetical makeup of generations for years to come. But is this really the right thing to do - to plant children in a petri dish and let them grow into people. Now you are probably wondering what this all has to do with stem cells. The answer to that question is that this is also how stem cells are created. A women will donate about a dozen of her eggs to a fertility clinic, and then they will be fertilized by the sperm of another doner. In time these will become an embryo and scientists will extract the stem cells to test on. Scientists have a responsibility not to put any of the embryos to waste, which will oftentimes happen. . |
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| Pearson, Helen "Transfer of green dye suggest Adult Stem Cells and ES Cells fuse." (c) Nature |
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