Embryonic Stem Cell Research

19 November 2006

I've been meaning to do a blog for some time now about stem cell research and have finally got around to it.  Do you agree with it?  Is it totally unethical, or a legitimate scientific pursuit?

I watched a program not long ago on Insight about embryonic stem cell research called 'Cloning Clash' http://news.sbs.com.au/insight/trans.php?transid=986 , with a focus on therapeutic cloning.  The show talked about how embryonic stem cell research in Australia is currently limited to getting left-over embryos from IVF clinics and using them for therapeutic purposes.  These embryo's have been fertilized with sperm - what therapeutic cloning is on about is getting an egg and implanting a nucleus from human tissue, thereby creating a cloned embryo that is compatible with the donor and has the potential to help combat whatever disability they are experiencing (eg. spinal cord injuries; neurological illnesses).  As far as I know, no-one is suggesting that this embryo be implanted in a uterus - like in the case of Dolly the sheep - because that would be cloning another human being and also the risks of deformity are high.

All the usual questions about "when does a human life begin?" start getting thrown around with debates like these but, quite frankly, therapeutic cloning in and of itself doesn't bother me.  I think the benefits of improving the lot of those currently living with debilitating disabilities far outweigh the issues associated with taking a few cells for the express purpose of destroying them - and remember we are not talking about an embryo that has developed into a baby.

But.... what does bother me is how the scientists will get all these eggs to do research on.  Katrina George from an international group called 'Hands Off Our Ovaries' spoke on Insight about the fact that it can take hundreds of eggs to produce a clone; that in order to produce this amount women need to be given superovulatory drugs which can make them vulnerable to Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome and hormonal cancers.  The UK now have legislation that approves the commercialisation of egg production for research and while the proposals for Australia prohibit this, you can never be exempt from the potential of commercializing a product.

This, to me, opens up a greater can of worms than tinkering around with a few cells.  With absolutely no disrespect for the individuals and families living with disability, this seems like exchanging one difficulty with another!  Great, women being lured into selling their eggs in an unprecedented way and compromising the health of their bodies - not to mention their own potential to have children - for the sake of research; and thereby creating a whole new need in our health system?  Doesn't sound very ethical to me.  IVF is fine by me, but supplying to the stem cell research market is a whole new ball game all together.

Could trying to stamp out disease and suffering just create other problems in our society?

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