General Medicine

» tinuviel - Stem cell research

I hope you notice that I didn't actually state my position on the former issue. Nor did I point toward the moment that I think life does begin. I left it up to you to think of that moment on your own.

I am aware that people do grapple with that issue, especially as it concerns abortion. It is just my opinion that sometimes people invent complications in order to give themselves time and space to do what they want.

Of course I do realise that stem cell research is for a noble cause. I don't want you to think of my comments as evidence that I disagree with it. Even if scientists hadn't found a way to get these cells from the amniotic fluid (and not the zygote), I would still not really be against it--not because I don't consider a fertilised egg to be a life, because you can obviously tell that I do. Rather, it would be because I understand that the issue might come down to sacrificing the potential of that one life to save thousands or even millions of others who do have cancer. I would certainly chose the life of a mother over a foetus at such an early stage in her pregnancy if complications were to arise. And I think it is easier for people to choose the lives of the many others that such research will benefit over the life that that one zygote represents.

Of course, with the isolation of stem cells from amniotic fluid, thankfully we should no longer have to make that choice. And I can certainly understand why you would scoff at those who regard the one cell (taken from the eight in that blastomere procedure you mentioned) as having the potential to go on and create a new life. In such a case, I would be satisfied with the other seven cells that go on to create a perfectly normal human being.

Overall, I'm glad we humans are discovering new and less harmful ways of studying cancer. I can't think of a better way for us to use our minds.

-- posted by tinuviel