A New Form of Stem-Cell Engineering Raises Ethical Questions

As biological research races forward, ethical quandaries are piling up. In a report published Tuesday in the journal eLife, researchers at Harvard Medical School said it was time to ponder a startling new prospect: synthetic embryos.

 Limits for human embryo research have been changed: this calls for public debate

Human embryo research is a sensitive topic because people are divided on the moral status of the human embryo. Some people believe that the embryo, as the earliest form of human life, should be protected and not subjected to research at all. Others believe that while an embryo has some moral status, it cannot be protected in the same way as humans are, and may be used for some important research which could ultimately benefit people.

 The Stem Cell Debates

A comprehensive history of every aspect of the stem cell debates is beyond our present purposes, although the five appendices following the body of this report, each of which can be read as a standalone chapter, offer up-to-date explanations of the science of stem cells, the medical promise of stem cells, the ethical questions raised by stem cell research, the relevant policy and legal history, and other nations’ stem cell research policies.

A Middle Ground for Stem Cells

WITH each new round of argument, the ethical questions at the heart of the embryonic stem cell debate get buried under more layers of hype and confusion.

An 800-Pound Gorilla In The Stem-Cell Debate

A debate is raging in Washington over human embryonic stem-cell research. Many tout such cells as potential miracle cures, but others see these stem cells as morally suspect because human embryos must be destroyed to create them. All the while, an 800-pound gorilla called human cloning sits in the corner, strangely quiet.

Embryos and ethics

A new technique that could make therapeutic cloning less controversial.

Grappling With the Ethics of Stem Cell Research

Can life be preserved at the expense of other life? The use of human embryonic stem cells presents a tight tangle of ethical questions.

Monster Farming

The creepy solution to the stem-cell debate.

Stem-Cell Advance May Skirt Ethical Debate

Scientists have created embryonic stem cells without using eggs or destroying embryos, an advance that may sidestep the knottiest ethical dilemmas that have slowed stem-cell research.

Subduing the Stem-Cell Debate

Decisions on issues as divisive as stem-cell research are a tough call politically because any choice is going to make some people mad. The trick is to make a decision that doesn't send either side into howls of outrage.

The Case of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Fears that scientific breakthroughs might lead to a slippery slope, ethically or medically, shouldn't scare society into trying to prohibit controversial work.

The Other Stem-Cell Debate

While the objections to stem-cell research have largely revolved around the ethics of using human embryos, there is another debate bubbling to the surface: how "human" are chimeric creatures made from human stem cells?

The Science Behind the Stem-Cell Debate

The science behind the debate over federal funding of stem-cell research has evolved since it first became a political issue. Opponents of stem-cell research suggest there are alternatives to using embryonic stem cells, while proponents say the cells could lead to cures of a number of diseases.

The Stem Cell Debate

For some opponents of embryonic stem cell science, the argument is fundamentally one of faith: The human embryo should be held as sacrosanct, and not used for the pursuit of any ends, regardless of how nobly intended.