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Ethics Related to Cell Transformation

Embryonic stem cells possess the greatest ability for cell transformation, developing into all cells necessary to produce a healthy organism. Adult stem cells, found in bone marrow and somatic (body) cells, that are chemically and genetically encouraged to become stem cells also have the potential for cellular transformation. The ethical issues surrounding human cell transformation primarily involve the definition of human life and the right of scientists to dismantle or alter that life for the greater good.

  1. Legislation

    • In September 1999, the National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC) issued "Ethical Issues in Human Stem Cell Research," covering the current stem cell research and the ethical issues involved in the use of embryonic stem cell lines and somatic or adult stem cell lines. The NBAC's final verdict led the U.S. government to suspend funding for embryonic stem cell research. Instead, the federal government encouraged the use of existing stem cell lines and continued research using adult stem cells. In 2009, the ban on federal funding for embryonic research was lifted, so long as laboratories meet the research guidelines established by the National Institutes of Health.

    Embryonic Stem Cell Transformation and Pro-Life Activism

    • The majority of embryonic stem cell research utilizes discarded, frozen embryos originally produced for the purpose of in vitro fertilization. Initially and continued in some privately funded research facilities, however, researchers generate embryonic stem cell lines by in vitro fertilization of a donor egg for research purposes only. To use embryonic stem cells, researchers separate the blastocysts, or primitive embryo, into individual cells, removing the embryo's ability to develop. Many see this as pre-emptive abortion, as well as creating human beings strictly for the purpose of research. Because the definition of "right-to-life" is a philosophical and scientific gray area, the NBAC chose to remove and/or limit funding to a research technique many people found offensive.

    Nuclear Transfer Stem Cell Transformation and "Designer" Children

    • Due to the suspension of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, scientists focused primarily on nuclear transfer techniques. By transferring the nucleus from an adult cell into an anucleated donor egg, scientists have been able to create new stem cell lines that are exact genetic matches for patients. By chemically treating the new stem cell lines, the scientist can encourage directed cell transformation, forming only skin cell or heart muscle, for example. Ethically, this line of research opens doors to human cloning, as well as "designer" children. Scientists could conceivably genetically engineer a single cell, then implant it into a donor embryo to make the "perfect" child.

    The Future

    • Until science, philosophy and/or a governmental body clearly defines the point at which life and the right-to-life begins, the argument over the ethical concerns of embryonic stem cell research and the information gained from stem cell research in general will continue indefinitely.

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