Portfolio 4

For the upcoming writing assignment 2, my group decided to make an audacious attempt to tackle the largely debated stem cell research issue. In preparation for our round-table discussion, I read up a CSR congress report on stem cell research. The report does not contain the most updated information; nonetheless, it has provided me a brief introduction on what this debate is all about, who were the ones in favour or against stem cell research and their arguments supporting their respective stance. There is also a detailed write up on the former Bush administration’s policy on embryonic stem cell research and how advocates of embryonic stem cell research tried to push for changes then.

We started off our round-table discussion on the complex ethical issue facing stem cell research. One of the group members argued that stem cell research is considered morally wrong because it involves the killing of lives. During embryonic stem cell research, embryos are destroyed when the stem cells are extracted out. He maintained that since embryos contain the genetic makeup of human beings, they can be considered as human beings too. In refutation to that point, I argued that it is more meaningful to define the start of human life upon the formation of the nervous system, that is, when the embryo is 14 days old. Since embryonic stem cell research involves killing of embryos which are less than 14 days old, they cannot be considered as morally wrong. On a side note, we also realised that it will be better for us to simply focus on embryonic stem cell research because the other sub-division of stem cell research, adult stem cell research, is not so much of a contentious issue.

Another argument put forth against embryonic stem cell research is that embryonic stem cell research has yet to fulfil the promises it makes. Resources can be better used in other areas such as adult stem cell research where we have seen some of its applications in the medical field. However, our group came to a conclusion that we cannot condemn embryonic stem cell research just because it is less successful compared to adult stem cell research. While we acknowledge that the results of embryonic stem cell research is unpredictable and should not be overstated, we also realised that restricted policies and lack of federal funding contributed most to its slow growth. If we do not continue to develop embryonic stem cell research, we will not get the benefits if what may be if we encourage its development.



References
Johnson, J. A & Williams, E. (2004). CRS report for congress: stem cell research. Retrieved from http://www.fas.org/spp/civil/crs/RL31015.pdf