Cloning and Stem Cell Research

1
Cloning and Stem Cell Research

• Ethical Viewpoints
• Soraj Hongladarom
• Center for Ethics of Science and Technology
• Chulalongkorn University

2
Viewpoints

• Reproductive cloning
• Therapeutic cloning
• Thailands position

3
Reproductive cloning

• Is it ethical to reproduce another human being
  asexually?
• What is the purpose of sexual reproduction?
• Parthenogenesis
• Cloning
• What does it mean to be a human being?

4
Therapeutic cloning

• This is where the most controversies lie.
• Is it ethical to use what is potentially
  another human being as tissues to help treat
  another one?
• Key point what exactly is a potential human
  being?

5
Three types of countries
6
Key groups
7
Problems

• Is there a way to demarcate what is no more than
  a collection of tissues and a human embryo?
• If cloned embryos at early stage could be used,
  then what about those at a later stage? Perhaps
  even a fetus? A baby?
• What about remaining embryos from fertility labs?
• Big problem Who decides who lives and who dies?

8
Julian Savulescu

• There is no essential difference between a group
  of cells on my skin and a group of cells that
  will be cultured into stem cells.
• In theory, any type of cells can be grown into a
  new, complete organism.

9
What is unique about humans?

• On the one hand, human beings are nothing more
  than a collection of cells.
• But on the other, human beings comprise
  societies, with laws and histories and
  traditions.
• The use of stem cells point to this ambivalence.

10
What should we do?

• Complete ban is out of the question.
• But complete freedom is not acceptable either.
• Alternatives should be found that do not destroy
  embryos.
• Adult stem cells
• More studies and discussions.