About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

65 Alb. L. Rev. 729 (2001-2002)
Ethical Issues in Stem Cell Research

handle is hein.journals/albany65 and id is 751 raw text is: ETHICAL ISSUES IN STEM CELL RESEARCH John A. Balint, M.D., F.R.C.P.* INTRODUCTION Human stem cell research and its possible connection to human cloning (i.e., somatic cell nuclear transfer) has been the subject of much debate recently. Significant confusion exists, however, in the public discourse on this topic-about what an embryo is, as well as about the ethical, religious, and legal issues involved. The aim of this essay is to clarify these issues and lay out as impartially as possible some of the ethical, religious, and scientific questions surrounding these complex matters, in the hope of stimulating and facilitating informed public debate. Professor A.V. Hill in 1923, a future Nobel laureate, in an address to the Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow, urged scientists to take a broad view.' He said: The chief trouble I see with Science is that it is often not philosophical enough; so many of its apostles cultivate some little corner of it so intensively that they never find time or inclination to go up to the top of the neighboring hill in order to see their own little patch in its proper proportions, and to enjoy the romance of the larger landscape.2 I hope to outline in this essay some of this broader landscape-the ethical, scientific, religious, and public policy issues within which we need to think about human stem cell research. DEFINITIONS Gametes-that is, ova and spermatozoa-carry one half of the genetic material, i.e., the DNA, of the female and male putative * Professor of Medicine; Director, Center for Medical Ethics, Education, and Research, Albany Medical College. The essay is based on a presentation given by the author as part of a panel, Ethics and Law in Stem Cell Research, presented at Albany Medical College on October 17, 2001. A.V. Hill, Living Mechanism: Its Physical Analysis and its Biological Synthesis, 52 ROYAL PHILOS. SOC'Y, 58, 58-77 (1923). 2 Id. at 76.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most