Stem Cell Research: Policy Issues

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Stem Cell Research Policy Issues

• Graham Forbes
• VMI
• HNSW 376
• 9/11/06

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Introduction to SC Policy

• Current American policy states that federal money
  may not be used for stem cell research.
• Stem cells are a largely new and untapped area of
  therapeutic research.
• Encouraged along the right developmental
  pathways, they could provide a virtually
  limitless supply of healthy tissue to treat a
  wide range of degenerative diseases. (BBC News)
• Stem cell research is controversial because they
  are acquired from embryos.

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Arguments for the Current Policy

• Senator Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican,
  argued that it was immoral to destroy the
  youngest of human lives for research. (BBC
  News)
• The argument for banning stem cell research is
  much the same of pro-life antiabortionists.
• In acquiring stem cells, proponents for the
  current policy argue that human life is
  destroyed.
• In the EU, stem cell research is allowable as
  long as the research is not being preformed on
  cloned cells.

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Arguments against the Current Policy

• "It is a strange morality indeed that pins the
  moral status and life of the embryo on the
  question of who is paying for the research."
  (Graeme Laurie)
• Although federal funding cannot be used to fund
  stem cell research, private funding can be used.
• Proponents of stem cell research also counter
  that the benefits of the research far outweighs
  the methods.
• Many researchers do not consider the tiny cluster
  of cells to have human rights.

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Questions

• Is Europes policy more effective?
• Will Europes policy allow it to advance science
  research faster than the US?
• Is the natural state argument logical?
• Is the slippery slope argument valid?

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Works Cited

• www.bbcnews.com
• www.cnn.com