Stem Cell Research - May Not Need Human Embryos

[Xantar]

It's kind of funny watching the news article railing against the immorality of creating an embryo just to destroy it later and harvest stem cells, especially considering that nobody was proposing that we do that in the first place. All anybody wanted to do, in case you didn't know, was use stem cells from embryos in fertility clinics that were going to destroy the embryos anyway.

I wonder if the Associated Press really put in all that stuff about forcing taxpayers to fund the destruction of embryos.

[Jason1]

Yea, I honestly dont understand people who are against stem cell research. I mean what, would you rather they just throw the embryos in the trash? Flush them down the toilet perhaps? Or use them to save lives?

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by Xantar

It's kind of funny watching the news article railing against the immorality of creating an embryo just to destroy it later and harvest stem cells, especially considering that nobody was proposing that we do that in the first place. All anybody wanted to do, in case you didn't know, was use stem cells from embryos in fertility clinics that were going to destroy the embryos anyway.

I wonder if the Associated Press really put in all that stuff about forcing taxpayers to fund the destruction of embryos.

I have never had a problem with science using existing stem cells from fertility clinics and other means as long as long as the embryos were intended to create life. To simply let them go to waste would be silly and would not let something good happen from a noble intention that never came to pass. I am very much against the creation of embyos for the intention of destruction, though, as that would be abhorrent in my eyes. Life has already lost too much value in modern times.

Now on face value I am all for use of these embryos, but then again is everything as it seems on face value? Are these discarded embryos donated or do the clinics charge the research companies for them? If the fertility clinics are charging for them, that is a whole different ethical ball of wax and the whole system could be corrupt and rife with abuses.

Example: A fertility clinic charges for each embryo sent to a fertility clinic. So to make more of a profit, the clinic creates far more embryos than it could ever use for creation of life so it can sell the excess to the research companies for a profit. So there you have what is essentially a black market based on the creation of embryos for the intent of destruction.

Once again, I don't know whether or not this is happening, but it is a subject that should be examined. I'm all for the use of these embryos as long as no form of moneys are exchanged in the process.

[Jonbo298]

People say you shouldnt destroy life but yet not letting life die is whats causing the earth to slowly get overpopulated. Whens the last time the global populatoin fell

[Happydude]

hopefully they will be able to find the cures for all the most dangerous deseases soon...

[Neo]

Originally Posted by Happydude

hopefully they will be able to find the cures for all the most dangerous deseases soon...

If they did that we would then have to find a cure for overpopulation that doesn't start with the letter "g."

[Professor S]

People make far too big of a deal about overpopulation. The situation will take care of itself over time. I was watching Bill Nye (yes, the Science Guy) just the other day and he said that if the child to parent ratio drops from 2.5 to 1.7, we will be down to 3 Billion people on the planet (which is ideal) in just two generations. This is a blink of an eye in world history terms.

The child to parent ratio is already dropping in many western nations, and it will follow in the rest of the world over time as well.

Using overpopulation as an excuse to condone destruction of life in this case is silly anyway, as you are essentially destroying the life to extend anothers.

[Dylflon]

I'm with Strangler here.

Due to cost of living and the fact that we've settled in as first world nations, western countries are producing less babies.

Throughout history, countries that start developing exponentially experience population booms. As soon as China and India get themselves set up I'm sure they'll start having less kids too.



Even the three child family in my parts is becomming somewhat rare. Now if I see a family with a lot of kids, I assume they're catholic.