Extending human life: O what end?

Abstract

The burgeoning field of regenerative medicine is poised to transform healthcare. Advances in genetics, stem-cell research, and cloning hint that we may be on the brink of a golden age of medical care, culminating in greatly extended longevity. These advances, however, are accompanied by a number of troubling and divisive religious, moral, and political issues. Although careful analysis and scrutiny are rightfully being devoted to resolving a wide range of discrete problems, the larger concern of toward what end regenerative medicine is taking us has received inadequate attention.