Stem cells, embryos and ethics: Is there a way forward?

Abstract

A century of advances in molecular and cell biology have brought us at the dawn of the 21st century back to the study of whole living beings. When these studies are applied to human biology, we must once again consider the fundamental questions about the meaning and significance of nascent human life. The current conflict over embryonic stem cell research is only the beginning of a series of difficult controversies concerning scientific manipulation of human life in its early stages of development. What is needed now is a coherent and reasonable definition of the boundaries of humanity that we seek to defend, one that takes into account the vast wealth of human tradition - social, political and scientific. This would facilitate a resolution that would make possible the advance of science while achieving social consensus. Several proposals have been advanced to achieve this end. One of these methods, altered nuclear transfer, proposes to make use of the technology of somatic nuclear cell transfer, but with a pre-emptive genetic or epigenetic alteration that precludes the integrated and coordinated organization necessary for embryogenesis. The moral and scientific aspects of this proposal are discussed as a way forward for embryonic stem cell research. © 2008 Springer Science + Business Media, B.V.