The Difference in Adult Stem Cells and Embryonic Stem Cells

Summary:
This paper discusses all stem cell sources (as mentioned below) and evaluates their ethical and moral dilemmas. It also discusses the applications that have been developed from the research of each type of stem cell and encourages more research into adult stem cells as they have nearly one hundred medical applications and no ethical problems.


An excerpt follows laying out the crux of the argument:

"There are four main sources of stem cells: 1) embryos, 2) embryonic germ cells (from fetuses), 3) umbilical cords, 4) and multiple adult tissues (Pacholzcyk). The ethics regarding stem cell research arises from the source of the stem cell.

Stem cells from embryos are taken from the inner cell mass (ICM) of the four-to-five-day old-embryo called a blastocyst. The blastocyst is made of a shell called the trophoectoderm (which would develop into the placenta) and the ICM which develops into the embryo (Cogle 993). Stem cells are obtained from the embryo “by removing the trophoectoderm…and culturing cells from the ICM” (Cogle 993). These cells are then cultured to renew themselves, creating a stem cell line (ES cell line) that can then be used for research.

The moral and ethical dilemma of human embryonic stem cell research revolves around “whether, and to what degree, human embryos have a moral status requiring protection” (Zarzeczny 96). The fact is that an embryo is the smallest and most vulnerable stage of every human being’s life. Dr. Marilyn Coors, who holds a Ph.D. in ethics and is the Associate Professor of Bioethics at the University of Colorado at Denver, believes that, “the human embryo is an organism with an independent inherent teleology to develop into a human person. As such it is both physiologically alive and genetically human” (Coors 300). This is true, since from the beginning of conception, the embryo contains specific genetic information (DNA) to make a human being. Thus, the embryo must be regarded as the earliest form of a human.

Therefore, because the embryo is human, “always and without exception, it is necessary to destroy a living, growing human being in order to obtain these [human embryonic] stem cells” (Cutting Through the Spin), states Rev. Dr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and is very active on the forefront of stem cell research and its ethics. Destroying a human life is inherently wrong in any form and even more so when that human cannot speak for itself. Once the ICM is taken from the blastocyst, the embryo dies, extinguishing a human life.

Adult stem cells come from a variety of sources including germ cells from adults, cadavers, bone marrow, fat from liposuction, nasal epithelium, umbilical cords, placentas, and amniotic fluid. In the case of a miscarriage, and with consent of the parents, it is also ethically permissible to extract the germ cells from the genital ridges as the baby naturally died (Pacholczyk). Notice that several “adult” stem cell sources also cover many tissues that result from pregnancy. Because adult stem cells come from tissues that are already present in the human body and do not cause undue harm or death to the patient, they are not considered to have any ethical predicaments."

-excerpt from my paper titled "Exploring Bioethics and the Controversy Surrounding Stem Cell Research"