The Ethics Involved

One of the most important issues in the debate over stem cell research is the ethics involved. Taking the life of a human being at any stage in development for research is ethically wrong.

The embryos that are being destroyed are more than just tissue. These unborn children already have the genetic blueprint that they will have for the rest of their lives. The stem cells that are taken from them would have eventually developed into, among other things, their heart, brain, liver and kidneys. Even if this research could be helpful, it is still never ethically correct to sacrifice the life of one human to save another without their consent. This kind of utilitarian thinking was the same kind of rationale used by Nazi scientists and during syphilis experiments on African-Americans in Tuskegee, Alabama.

Medical advancement should continue but not through the taking of human life. No human being should be forced to be made the subject of research without their permission, especially if that research leads directly to their destruction. Even death row inmates cannot be experimented upon or have their organs removed, without their consent.

Proponents of embryonic stem cell research often cite all the potentials of the research, but they usually fail to mention that a human life is destroyed every time stem cells are removed from an embryo. The goals of this research may be noble, but that doesn't mean that we should abandon our respect for human life to attain these goals. Embryonic stem cell research is a case where the end doesn't justify the means. Thankfully, true promise and aid for those suffering has been realized with research using life-affirming adult stem cells. Cures to diseases can be found without killing human beings.