Acceptable Embryonic Stem Cell research?

[scardella]

Here's the [url="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2325877,00.html"]article[/url]

[quote]Stem cell breakthrough to challenge Bush objections
By Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor of The Times

A stem cell breakthrough by American scientists is set to overturn ethical objections to potentially live-saving research.

They have found how to make stem cells from embryos without destroying the embryo in the process - an advance that could open the door to billions of dollars in research funding.
[/quote]


Would this be morally permissable?

Edited August 23, 2006 by scardella

[Aloysius]

as long as it does not damage the embryo, I suppose it would be. if that is true: cudos to human progress.

[thessalonian]

There are still problems. i.e. embryos taken from the womb later to be implanted by in-vitro fertilization has been condemned by the Church. But I think that if they could extract the cells in the womb it would be moral.

Having said that I would leave final judgement up to the Church.

[Aloysius]

there are already tons of frozen embryos out there. yes that is wrong, but it's already done. these embryos should be implanted and allowed to grow up. but if studies can be done on them without damaging prior to their implantation, then that would be fine.

[Era Might]

[quote name='thessalonian' post='1049064' date='Aug 23 2006, 07:36 PM']Having said that I would leave final judgement up to the Church.[/quote]
I agree. If this materializes, the Church will certainly have something to say.

[cappie]

[url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=56354"]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=56354[/url]

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

From the little I know of the power of other stem-cell technologies, any embryonic research seems pointless.

[DAF]

Lol, I posted the article in Transmundane:

[url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=56360"]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=56360[/url]

[Guest JeffCR07]

I spent the summer working on bioethics stuff, so I know a good bit about this. The problem with adult stem cells is that they are not as pluripotential as the embryonic stem cells, and, moreover, they have some difficulty grafting. This having been said, they are an ethically sound alternative. More interesting than adult stem cell research is [i]fetal[/i] stem cell research which, as it stands now, uses only fetal tissue derived from fetuses donated by mothers after having a miscarriage. In ethical terms, it is identical to organ donation (which is, of course, permissible.) These fetal stem cells are just as pluripotential as embryonic stem cells, show the best results in grafting operations, and, unlike embryonic stem cells, are resistant to spontaneous cancerous mutation.

Now, with regards to the actual question at hand, it is not sufficient merely to establish that a method has been found for extracting embryonic stem cells without embryo destruction. The manner in which this is done must also be taken into account. For example, if the process resulted in the permanent inability of the embryo to continue developing, but did not actually destroy the embryo, this would still be ethically impermissible.

Your Brother In Christ,

Jeff

[DAF]

The article indicated that the procedure doesn't effect the growth of the embryo:
[quote]"We used a single-cell biopsy technique to pluck out one cell when the embryo was at the 8-to-10-cell stage," Lanza explained. This is the same stage used for pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. Excising a cell at this point doesn't interfere with the embryo's development, the scientist explained. [/quote]
but the question has to be raised where they get the embryos that have developed to the 8-10 cell stage, and what they do with it when they're finished. Do they pull it out of the uterus, take what they need, and then stick it back in? Is this ethical?