Embryonic Stem Cell Research

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by SoonerCoug

So you're opposed to in vitro fertilization?

Or it's OK to do in vitro and put the 3-day old blastocyst on deep freeze for the rest of it's existence, or till the power goes out or someone forgets to fill the liquid nitrogen tank.

I favor most medical advances, and only have a limited opposition to abortion. All Democrats should be aborted before borne, all tax hikers should also be aborted.

[SoonerCoug]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Here is an related question: is there no demand for these embryos? For example, couples where the wife is infertile? I realize that many of these might want an egg donor + husband's sperm?

I think part of the problem is that the original mothers/fathers don't want to donate them.

An embryologist who taught my ethics class seemed to imply that the frozen surplus embryos are so numerous that there wouldn't be enough demand.

But he might have been wrong.

I still think the main ethical issue is creation of these surplus embryos in the first place.

[SoonerCoug]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Let me add, that I watched the first four speakers. Two of them pro-, two of them anti-.

One that is pro, bought up the question, for what research is it ethical to destroy embryos? To research male pattern baldness? Cosmetic things? Are we really comfortable with that? If not, then you are admitting that the embryo has more than zero moral standing.

Definitely an ethical conundrum.

If they could reliably, consistently take stem cells without destroying an embryo, most of these arguments will be rendered moot.

The really funny thing is that people claiming this technique will have no way of verifying whether they have harmed the embryo or not by extracting a few stem cells to start a cell line--unless they actually implant each used embryo into a uterus. And who seriously wants to try implanting an embryo that's had stem cells plucked from it, even if the chances of defect are very slight?

So they could pretty much say whatever they want, although they're arguing that they generate a stem cell line without destroying the embryo.

[BarbaraGordon]

Originally Posted by SoonerCoug

Just a couple of weeks ago I heard about a paper where they were able to harvest stem cells from a blastocyst without destroying the embryo. Embryos could be carried to full term to generate a healthy mouse.

Unless I am mistaken, this is the research to which Soonercoug refers, for those interested:
Nature. 2006 Nov 23;444(7118):481-5