'Research ethics' Category
Hype or Real Hope in Biotechnology?
Ethicist Nigel Cameron has called this the “Biotech Century,” which is certainly apt, given all of the excitement over new ways to intervene into biology and medicine, even tantalizing research to change our genetic makeup and to lengthen human life. But here’s a sober bit of perspective. “Biotech” has become such a holy grail, attracting [...]
A Pearl on Stem Cell Research
Since the bioethics news has been so serious lately, I thought we should take a break this week, and just enjoy my favorite (slightly warped) comic strip, Pearls Before Swine. This one is about stem cell research (just left click to enlarge). I promise to return to my usual commentary next week! Pearls Before Swine [...]
Stemming the Tide of Controversy
A little bit of perspective can go a long way. If one believes the media, Dr. Catherine Verfaillie is a biased scientist whose research has significant flaws. Just as we suspected all along (they seem to say), the defects in her work “prove” that adult sources of stem cells are of no value, and we [...]
Centering on Bioethics (5)
Our February Podcast features an excerpt from a radio interview about the new Center for Bioethics at Cedarville University. We also examine three news stories with bioethical implications: a new, ethically neutral source for ‘embryonic’ stem cells, a controversial medical treatment for a handicapped child, and a happy ending for a Katrina baby that was [...]
An Advance in Stem Cell Research
Good news from the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. As lead researcher Dr. Anthony Atala has just reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology, human stem cells can be found in the amniotic fluid. Stem cells are the “starter” cells that may become various mature cells of the body. Such [...]
Stem Cells, Embryos, & Ethics (3)
Our January podcast is about embryonic stem cell research. We feature some interesting interviews with the public and an analysis of the ethics. We also look at a report on a conflict between Dr. Peter Singer and the animal rights movement, and we ask this month’s Tough Ethics Question. Special thanks to senior biology major [...]
A Black Market for Stem Cells? (2)
Our short interim podcast for mid-December, where we analyze two items from the news. The first is a disturbing report from the Ukraine, where it appears that live babies may have been murdered to obtain bone marrow stem cells. The second is a discussion of bioethicist Arthur Caplan, and his endorsement of the “morning-after” pill, [...]
Of Bunnies and Men
Scientists are moving forward with plans to create hybrid human and rabbit embryos. This was the news three days ago from the U.K., where three teams of researchers were seeking to gain approval from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to create embryos that are 99.9 per cent human and 0.1 per cent rabbit. They [...]
A New Idea in Stem Cell Research?
It was too good to be true. A recent report from Reuters documents a new technique that produces early stem cells, but without destroying embryos. But the devil is in the details. As I discussed in my July 30th post, destroying embryonic humans for the supposed betterment of others violates long-held ethical standards against the [...]
Stem Cell Stalemate
I asked my Sunday School class this morning a question. Enshrined in our religious heritage and law is the command, “Thou shalt not kill.” Are there any legitimate exceptions? We came up with three: 1) wartime, 2) self-defense, and 3) capital punishment. Of course, we could debate the nuances of each of these. For example, [...]
