I've been researching embryonic stem cells for a few weeks now and through the research I've gathered i already know that the most common way scientists obtain stem cell lines is from donated embryos from In-vitro Fertilization clinics. When embryos are going to be discarded from the clinics they check with the owners of the embryos if they are willing to donate them to stem cell research. The cells would be destroyed if not so really it would be unethical to not use them for stem cell research.
This is the website of Bioethics, on the site they explain a bunch of ways that scientist car retrieve stem cells as well as the ethics of each method. The problem i have with looking at ethics is that they are largely subjective and related to religious beliefs of which i have none. On this site they respond to the question
"Why should we value the human embryo?" with :
Underlying the passages of Scripture that refer to the unborn (Job 31:15; Ps. 139:13-16; Lk. 1:35-45) is the assumption that they are human beings who are created, known, and uniquely valued by God. Genesis 9:6 warns us against killing our fellow human beings, who are created in the very image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Furthermore, human embryonic life—as well as all of creation—exists primarily for God’s own pleasure and purpose, not ours (Col. 1:16).
My and many other peoples view on this is that embryos are not conscious or alive, they are simply early stage cells and are is different to harvesting seeds from plants. It is true that a lot of the embryos that are used to harvest stem cells are destroyed in the process but this article from Scientific American http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=embryos-survive-stem-cell-harvest in 2008 talks about how scientists are now able to harvest stem cell lines from a fertilized embryo without destroying it.
"A team led by researchers from Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) in Worcester, Mass., reports in Cell Stem Cell that it created five new stem cell lines by plucking single cells from embryos in the early blastocyst stage, a grapelike cluster of eight cells called blastomeres. Researchers normally create this kind of stem cell line at a more developed stage from the entire mass of embryonic cells." (Minkle, JR. 2008).
There are other ways to retrieve stem cells, although they are not embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells, though not as valued as Embryonic stem cells can be obtained without any harm done to anything. Umbilical cords and placenta are both valuable source of stem cells with no moral quandaries attached.
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