Human Embryos in Stem Cell Research
The controversy of the use of the human embryo in experimental research centers on the ontological and moral status of the fetus (King et al., 2009; Tauer, 2004). There is no consensus among social, medical, judicial or philosophical bodies to objectively state when the human embryo begins to be recognized as a person and a bearer to moral rights (Johnson, 2004). Even more debatable is the deliberate creation of embryos, such as through cloning, for research purposes and especially for the purpose of acquiring stem cells. The author believes that this is unjustified because it can lead to the treatment of cloned embryos as mere commodities. However, stem cell research is a very promising field; hence it should not be altogether banned. A promising alternative is a method developed by Chung et al. (2008), wherein stem cell lines can be developed from blastomeres (single cells of the embryo) without risking the viability of the donor embryo. The donor embryo can come from surplus of in vitro fertilization procedures that are destined to be discarded or destroyed (Tauer, 2004). Another alternative is the development of blastocysts by activating oocytes without using sperm or transferred somatic nuclei, in a process called parthenogenesis (Tauer, 2004).
Health Care Access as a Universal Right
It is the government's responsibility to provide services for its citizens, with health care being one of those services. The main problem with health care in the United States is that no right of access to care has been formally established (Friedman, 2004). Though it is normally accepted that care is provided to those in need of it and there are laws which requires hospitals not to deny a patient, there are still a lot of ethical issues that challenge health care. A prominent example is whether or not there should be a standard of merit or "deservedness". Universality implies that access to health care must be provided to all people, regardless of their status in the society. It calls for the inclusion of those who practice poor health habits or have irresponsible lifestyles, and those who are considered repugnant to the society (e.g. criminals). The author believes that access to health care is a basic human right and that it should be provided for the government. As stated in a report from the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research in 1983, “society has an ethical obligation to ensure equitable access to healthcare for all” (as cited in Friedman, 2004).
References
Chung, Y., Klimanskaya, I., Becker, S., Li, T., Maserati, M., Lu, S.J., Zdravkovic, T., Ilic, D., Genbacev, O., Fisher, S., et al. (2008). Human embryonic stem cell lines generated without embryo destruction. Cell Stem Cell 7(2): 113-117.
Friedman, E. (2004). Access to Health Care. In Stephen G. Post (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Bioethics (3rd Ed.). New York: Macmillan Reference USA.
Johnson, S.M. (2004). Abortion: Ethical Perspectives. In Stephen G. Post (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Bioethics (3rd Ed.). New York: Macmillan Reference USA.
King, N., Coughlin, C., & Furth, M. (2009). Ethical Issues in Regenerative Medicine (Wake Forest University Research Paper Series in Legal Studies No. 1380162). NC, USA: Wake Forest University.
Tauer, C.A. (2004). Embryo and Fetus: Embryo Research. In Stephen G. Post (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Bioethics (3rd Ed.). New York: Macmillan Reference USA.
