Ethical issues

Moral arguments for and against stem cell research and therapy are many, regarding issues such as the types of cells, the sources and techniques of production, and utilization. There are few concerns about research on or therapeutic uses of adult stem cells. But embryonic stem cells have been associated with serious ethical debates. The use of this new science and technology  for human reproduction has triggered ethics and policy disputes around the world. Human cloning has been a cause of concern for ethicists, lawyers, religious scholars, sociologists and politicians, among others.

There are different challenges in different societies. The study by Zarzeczny and Caulfield (2009) confirms the complexity of the issues raised by stem cell research. The results of this study,   which   was   carried   out   in   Canada,   suggest   some   main   themes,   including: theories/views  on  policy  development,  issues  with  focus  on  science  and  health,  issues related  to  the supply  of  embryos,  debates  on  novel  technologies  such  as  cloning, non- embryonic sources of stem cells, jurisdictional competition, intellectual property issues, the need  for  guidelines   and  standards,  research  funding  issues,  and  stem  cell  tourism (Zarzeczny & Caulfield, 2009).

Related  ethical  issues  may  be  discussed  using  different  ethical  approaches,   such  as utilitarianism, deontology, and principlism. Each approach may justify or reject the use of stem cells in research or therapeutics. For instance, according to the utilitarian approach, the consequences of stem cell utilization
should be assessed using the benefit to harm ratio as a measure to accept or reject the new technology. In a deontologic (duty-based) approach, the duty to help those who  suffer or to save lives may permit research or therapy with stem cells.  In  principle-based ethics, various principles should be discussed collectively to evaluate the rightness or wrongness of use of stem cells.

People  who  oppose  or  support  stem  cell  research  can  be  philosophically  divided  into different categories. For instance, some opponents emphasize the dignity of human beings and that every person is an end and not only a  means to some other end. This idea is consistent with deontology. It means that every person, likely including a foetus, should be respected and protected (balint, 2001). On the other hand, those who support research on human stem cells,  either in religious or secular bioethics, support the advantages of such research to save human lives and the duty to relieve suffering in accordance with utilitarian and duty-based approaches. Some even go so far as to state that such research is a "moral imperative",  considering  the  potential  benefits  of  ameliorating  human  suffering  (Balint,

2001).

There are important issues, such as respect for human dignity, which may influence these

discussions.  Ethical  issues  will  be  discussed  in  the  following  without  reference  to  the

philosophic basis.