A Literature Review on Stem Cell Research

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In a literature review on stem cell research, various sources focus on the procedure’s biomedical ethics. For instance, Allum et al. (2017) explain biomedical ethics is a rational way of determining how biomedicine affects the fields of law and human sciences. This means that if biotechnology is to be agreed upon as being completely safe, it should respect humankind’s dignity, its origin, and the obligations imposed on it. Volarevic et al. (2018) argue through the powerful questioning of the extension of bioethics that maintaining the prohibition on research on the embryo requires questioning the morality of the procedure about human beings’ rights. This thought is shared by Turksen (2020), who argues that based on the utilitarian perspective, biotechnological inventions maintain their significance so long as the science benefits the majority without regard for the moral good. However, pro-choice proponents, such as Marcon et al. (2017), support embryonic stem cell research by arguing that this biotechnology could help understand and treat some diseases, including diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, other debilitating health conditions. However, Arjmand (2019) disagrees with Marcon et al. (2017) by claiming that there is more weight than on the side of this debate supporting the argument the research is unethical. Arjmand (2019) asserts that when scientists start deriving stem cells from embryos, they destroy blastocysts, which are un-implanted human embryos at the sixth to eighth month of development. The various sources included in this literature suggest stem cell research should be allowed if ethical dilemmas concerning human embryos are solved, or alternative solutions are identified. However, most sources are opposed to the legalization of stem cell research since the current practice involves killing an immature human being to treat various diseases affecting the general human population.

References

Allum, N., Allansdottir, A., Gaskell, G., Hampel, J., Jackson, J., Moldovan, A., Priest, S., Stares,

S., & Stoneman, P. (2017). Religion and the public ethics of stem-cell research: Attitudes in Europe, Canada, and the United States. PLoS ONE, 12(4), 1-14.

Arjmand, B. (2019). Genomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics: Stem Cells Monitoring in

Regenerative Medicine. New York, NY: Springer Nature.

Marcon, A. R., Murdoch, B., & Caulfield, T. (2017). Fake news portrayals of stem cells and stem

cell research. Regenerative Medicine, 12(7). Retrieved from: https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/full/10.2217/rme-2017-0060

 Turksen, K. (2020). Cell Biology and Translational Medicine, Volume 8: Stem Cells in

Regenerative Medicine. New York, NY: Springer Nature.

Volarevic, V., Markovic, B. S., Gazdic, M., Volarevic, A., Jovicic, N., Arsenijevic, N.,

Armstrong, L., Djonov, V., Lako, M., & Stojkovic, M. (2018). Ethical and Safety Issues of Stem Cell-Based Therapy. Int J Med Sci, 15(1), 36–45.