Table of Contents
Is it legal or illegal to use stem cells for research?
Stem cell research is legal in the United States, however, there are restrictions on its funding and use. A number of states restrict research on aborted fetuses or embryos, but in some cases, research may be permitted with consent of the patient.
Why Should stem cell research be illegal?
Opponents argue that the research is unethical, because deriving the stem cells destroys the blastocyst, an unimplanted human embryo at the sixth to eighth day of development. As Bush declared when he vetoed last year’s stem cell bill, the federal government should not support “the taking of innocent human life.”
When did stem cell research be illegal?
August 9, 2001
On August 9, 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush introduced a ban on federal funding for research on newly created human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines. The policy was intended as a compromise and specified that research on lines created prior to that date would still be eligible for funding.
Where are stem cells illegal?
In the European Union, stem cell research using the human embryo is permitted in Sweden, Spain, Finland, Belgium, Greece, Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands; however, it is illegal in Canada, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Italy, and Portugal.
What is ethically wrong with stem cell research?
However, human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research is ethically and politically controversial because it involves the destruction of human embryos. As a matter of religious faith and moral conviction, they believe that “human life begins at conception” and that an embryo is therefore a person.
What is the problem with stem cell research?
However, human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research is ethically and politically controversial because it involves the destruction of human embryos. In the United States, the question of when human life begins has been highly controversial and closely linked to debates over abortion.
Is stem cell research legal UK?
Presently, all new medical treatments in the UK, stem cell based or not, are required by law to be tested on animals to make sure they are safe before testing in people. Medical research institutions have to follow very strict rules and regulations set and checked by the UK Government’s Home Office.
What is good about stem cell research?
Researchers and doctors hope stem cell studies can help to: Increase understanding of how diseases occur. By watching stem cells mature into cells in bones, heart muscle, nerves, and other organs and tissue, researchers and doctors may better understand how diseases and conditions develop.
Should stem cell research be regulated?
The proliferation of stem cell research, conflated with its ethical and moral implications, has led governments to attempt regulation of both the science and funding of stem cells. Due to a diversity of opinions and cultural viewpoints, no single policy or set of rules exist to govern stem cell research.
Is human stem cell research ethical?
Stem cell research offers great promise for understanding basic mechanisms of human development and differentiation, as well as the hope for new treatments for diseases such as diabetes, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, and myocardial infarction. However, human stem cell (hSC) research also raises sharp ethical and political controversies.
Is stem cell research legal in Japan?
Japan allows scientists to conduct stem cell research for therapeutic purposes; however, there are no formal guidelines [1]. In November 2007, Japanese researchers collaborating with American scientists reprogrammed human skin cells to behave like embryonic stem cells [2].
Which countries have the most unrestrictive stem cell policies?
China has one of the most unrestrictive stem cell policies [1]. In 2003, guidelines were issued that required that embryos used for stem cell research be left over from in vitro fertilization (IVF); fetal cells from abortions; blastocytes from Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT); or germ line cells voluntarily donated.