Stem Cell Research

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the validity of both the arguments for and against stem cell technology, based on Ronald Dworkin?s ethical writings on ?The Sanctity of Life? and John Rawls? ?Theory of Justice.? It puts forward the argument that because of the potential for stem cell research to benefit millions of people, the ban on creating stem cells for research should be lifted and that the government should extend federal funding for this potentially life-saving research.

Outline
Overview of Stem Cell Technology
Arguments for Stem Cell Research
Argument Against Stem Cell Technology
Evaluating the Moral Arguments
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Aside from regenerative medicine and curing disease, stem cell research also has the potential of helping humans better understand human developmental biology. This has several important implications regarding questions like the causes of premature birth, genetic diseases and infertility, to name a few. Many proponents of stem cell research argue that harvesting cells from embryos is ethical because an embryo is not a human being. Ethicists Helga Kuhnse and Peter Singer contend that early embryos do not have the mental capacity of a human being. As such, the rights of an insentient embryo should not be allowed to prevail over the rights of, for instance, a patient with Parkinson's Disease (Kuhnse and Singer 1990)."

More papers on Stem Cell Research:

• Term Paper # 107047 : "Embryonic Stem Cell Research"
• Argumentative Essay # 148240 : "Stem Cell Research: Ethics and Benefits"
• Persuasive Essay # 85139 : "Stem Cell Research"
• Essay # 71384 : "Alternatives to Embryonic Stem Cell Research "

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