Reference no: EM132210282 , Length: word count:600

Assignment - Read the case study. Answer the four questions.

Case Study: Stem Cells

Standing in the voting booth, Raina hesitated. It was November 2, 2004, and she had to make her final decision on how to vote for California Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. Proposition 71, a $3 billion bond measure, would fund embryonic stem (ES) cell research at facilities across the state for the next ten years.

Raina knew that Proposition 71 had widespread support, including that of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and several Nobel Prize-winning scientists, but she was also well aware of the controversy surrounding ES cell research.

Well before Election Day, Raina had taken the time to inform herself about the ongoing ES cell debate. She learned that ES cell lines are obtained by removing a group of cells, called the inner cell mass, from an embryo that is about five days old (also known as a blastocyst), and growing the cells in a Petri dish. The cells are prized by researchers because they are pluripotent, meaning that they have the potential to differentiate into a wide range of different types of cells if properly stimulated. Proponents of embryonic stem cell research say that such cells could be used for a wide variety of purposes.

ES cell research opponents say that it should be restricted because it requires the destruction of human life. Raina found this issue to be one of great concern. She learned that the ES cell lines currently used for research are obtained from embryos left over from in vitro fertilization (IVF). These embryos are voluntarily donated, and otherwise would be discarded. Raina wondered if embryos, even those so early in development, should be considered human beings. If so, then producing an excess of them for IVF and then discarding them would be wrong. Might it also be wrong to benefit from their sacrifice?

Raina had read about stem cells from other sources besides embryos. Some, known as embryonic germ cells, may be obtained from aborted or miscarried fetuses, but this source is subject to the same sort of controversy as ES cells. Some very promising results have come from research using stem cells taken from the umbilical cord and placenta, and adult tissues such as bone marrow and parts of the brain. Such stem cells are obtained without harming embryos or fetuses, and for this reason their use meets with few ethical objections. However, they appear to be more limited in their ability to differentiate than embryonic stem cells.

Finally, after weighing the arguments one last time, Raina cast her ballot. The next day, she learned that Proposition 71 had passed with 59% of the vote.

Questions -

1. It is not clear how Raina voted on Proposition 71. How would you have voted? Why?

2. Do you think that a five-day-old embryo should be accorded the status of a human person? Why or why not?

3. Do a little research to find and summarize two different examples of ways that stem cells are being used today; one example using pluripotent embryonic stem cells and one example using adult stem cells. (Be sure to reference the source of your information).

4. Give two different examples of ways that stem cells might be used in the future. (Be sure to reference your source of information).