What is the ethics hype?
Debates around assistive reproductive technologies which are informed more by speculation of harm and anecdotes than by available evidence
Exaggerated
Not a priority
What are the problems with fake ethics?
Draws public, media, political attention to the wrong issues
Wastes energy of scholars and decision makers
‘Hot topics’ which are unimportant to patients, clinicians and policy makers
What are arguments for hESC research?
- There should be freedom of research
- Benefits from research such as IVF
- Therapeutic benefits (treatments for AMD)
What are arguments against hESC research?
- Destroying embryos (the moral status of the emryo)
- Slippery slope concern- may cause more harm than good
- Rethinking benefits- find alternatives to stem cells
- The principle of subsidiarity- using alternative sources of stem cells to avoid harm to embryos is better
What are the different views on the moral status of the embryo?
- Sanctity of life view (full moral status)
- Potentiality view (gradualist)- time relevant/event relevant moral status
- No moral status view
What are the middle ground approaches (compromises)?
- The discarded-created distinction
* The use-derivation distinction
What is the discarded-created distinction approach?
- Use discarded embryos for IVF and not embryos created solely for research.
- There is a significant moral difference between existing embryo and an embryo created ad hoc
- Research on discarded embryos is less morally problematic as nothing is lost, intentionality and respect is maintained.
What are the critiques of the discarded-created distinction approach?
Inconsistency: surplus embryos are still embryos so there is no significant moral difference
What is the use-derivation distinction approach?
- It is permissible to use embryonic stem cells in research but it is not permissible to derive embryonic stem cells
- This approach allows research to go forward without being complicit in wrongdoing.
- Deriving stem cells for use is worse than just using them.
- hESC’s are not embryos or potential babies (significant moral differences).
- hESC’s are derived anyways and research will not increase the total number of embryos destroyed.
What are the critiques of the use-derivation distinction approach?
Inconsistency and hypocrisy: benefiting from others wrong doing
Moral complicity
Encouraging further wrong doing
Why are regulations needed when selling stem cell therapies to consumers?
Media hype misleads general public to believe that stem cell therapy has curative effect, far beyond any currently available method, and that it will be broadly available within a short time.
