HeLa Essay

Topics: Stem cell, Genetics, Adult stem cell Pages: 9 (2203 words) Published: March 8, 2015
Sohi 

 

Bioethics in Scientific Research and 
Technology Paper 
Tejvir Sohi 
AP Biology 
Period 2 
st​
December 1​
 2014 

 

Sohi 

Tejvir Sohi 
Mrs. McCoy 
AP Biology 
29 November 2014 
Bioethics In Scientific Research and Technology 
In  the  field  of  science,  bioethics  is  a  very  important   subject.  Before  any  experiment  or  research, scientists must ask themselves if what they are doing is morally  correct.  The  word  bioethics  is  defined  as  moral  principles  that  govern  medical  and  biological  research.  The  study  of the ways  in which decisions  in medicine and  science  touch  upon  our  health  and  lives  and  upon  our  society  and  environment  are  all  part of  bioethics. Throughout this essay, the topics of stem cells and genetic testing on humans  will be addressed, along with all the bioethical issues they encompass.   Stem  cells  are  cells  that  have  no  specific  function  or  purpose.  These  cells  are  able  to develop into  any  cell  of the body,  including  skin,  brain,  muscle,  and many other  types  of cells.  There are  two types  of  stem  cells  produced in  our  body: embryonic cells  that  form  during  embryo   development,  and  adult  (somatic)  stem  cells  produced  throughout   our  lives  to  replace  other  cells.  There  are  few  people  who  are opposed  to  adult  stem  cell  research  because  adult stem  cells  can  be  safely extracted from people  without risking  death.  Thus,  there are  few governmental limitations and laws prohibiting  the  use  of  adult  stem  cells  for  research  purposes.  While  this  type  is  safe,  embryonic  stem  cells  are  more  versatile  and  durable  but  can  only  be  obtained  from  living  human  embryos. The  extraction and  use  of these cells can  often result in the tragic destruction 

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of  the  embryo  itself.  There  are  many  people  who  proclaim  that  since  the  embryo  is  a  human,  it  is  protected  by  law  and  no  one  has  the  right  to  harm  it.  Scientists  and  researchers  argue  that  embryos  are not fully  humans  but, rather,  a  cluster  of cells, and  that  the  consequences  of  losing  a  few  embryos  far  outweigh  the  benefits  of  possible  cures  to  many diseases,  such  as parkinson's, alzheimer's, heart diseases, birth defects  and many more abnormalities. Stem cells work by first being grown in a culture medium,  then  being  inserted  into  a patient.  The  injected  stem cells can then change into the cell  that is  in particular  need, an example would be bone marrow transplants, which result in  the  stem cells being  transformed  into  the  different  types of cells present  in blood. Stem  cells  are  a  safe  way  to  lessen  the  damage  done  by  disorders  or  abnormalities.   Many  people,  including scientists  and  researchers,  approve of  stem cells and think  that  stem  cell  research  should  continue because  of the  potential it could hold for all sorts of major  breakthroughs.  If  research  is  not  being  made  into  the  uses  of  stem  cells,  there  are  a  number  of  opportunities  that  are  being  missed,  such  as  creating  cures  and  advanced  treatments of  various  abnormalities that  would  usually  be impossible  to stop,  even  with  modern  medicine. Stem  cells  can even be  used  to  create whole or parts  of organs that  can them  be  transplanted  to replace  a damaged or otherwise nonfunctional organ. With  enough  research,  stem  cells  may  be  able  to  recreate  whole  body  parts  that  can  be  stitched  onto  people  who have  had  unfortunate  accidents in which they have lost limbs.  As the benefits  of  the use  and  research of stem cells are understood, the importance of  gathering support  for them  is evident. The  only issue  that prevents complete support of  stem cell research is the question of where they originate from. Since abortion is legal in 

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Cited: . New York: Crown, 2010. Print. 
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Ethics of Abortion" Web. 1 Dec. 2014. 
 
Actionbioscience​
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What Is Genetic Testing?​
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Journal of Medical Ethics​
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