Stem cells produced without destroying embryo
January 15, 2008
A stem cell researcher, Robert Lanza, has recently produced stem cells from an embryo without destroying the embryo. (Source: LA Times). The method involves pulling out one of the eight to ten cells inside the embryo and coaxing it to become a stem cell.
Does this new procedure produce any ethical concerns? It does for some. A Catholic ethicist, cited in the aforementioned article, says the new method opens the door for embryos to be bought, sold and otherwise de-humanized. Is this true? Maybe a look back into the past is called for. What research has in the past raised concerns about the cheapening of human life, and did the results of that research ultimately justify those concerns?
