Is It Ethical to Obtain Stem Cells from Embryos Respectfully Let to Die?
Stem cells are cells within early embryos prior to implantation in the uterus that have the potential to create tissues which can be given to patients whose own tissues are missing or diseased. Currently, stem cells are being used for research to see how this can be successfully accomplished. There has been much concern by some how stem cells are obtained for this scientific research. The concern revolves around whether embryos are being killed in order to remove these special cells. Some feel that embryos even prior to implantation represent potential persons who have rights that include the right to live and not be killed even to save the life of a patient. To get around this moral dilemma, Mary and Anthony Mahowald writing in The American Journal of Bioethics (volume 2 number 1) suggest an ethical bypass. They argue that “killing: and “letting die” should have the same standard moral and legal distinction in embryos as it has with persons who have been born. In these persons, organs
