An Ethical Debate on Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Human Dignity or Research Freedom?

The discovery, isolation, and culturing of human embryonic stem cells has been described as one of the most significant breakthroughs in biomedicine of the century.1 This promising area of science has led scientists to investigate the possibility of cell-based therapies to treat disease, which is often referred to as regenerative or reparative medicine . Stem cells give rise to the multiple specialized cell types that make up the heart, lung, skin, and other tissues and offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases2, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. The Stem Cell Research (SCR) has become the centre of public attention, both as a fascinating area of biomedical research and as a permanent focus for ethical and legal controversy.3 The controversy is not because of its goals, but rather because of the means of obtaining cells. The crux of the debate centres on derivation of embryonic stem cells which require the destruction of an embryo.

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