The Stem Cell Controversy: Debating the Issues
The Stem Cell Controversy: Debating the Issues (Contemporary Issues (Prometheus)) Michael Ruse, Christopher A. Pynes
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1591020301
Edition: Paperback; 2003-06-01
Summary:
Recent advances in medical research have shown that embryonic stem
cells can be used to treat some of the most debilitating diseases,
notably Parkinson's disease, spinal injuries, and nerve cell damage.
Yet the troubling ethical downside of this promising technology is
that up till now the main source of stem cells has been tissue taken
from aborted fetuses. This practice has raised sharp criticisms from
opponents of abortion who charge that science is capitalizing on an
abhorrent procedure. Proponents of stem cell research argue that
scientists are making legitimate use of already aborted fetuses and
it is unfair to deprive those suffering from serious diseases and
injuries of a potentially revolutionary therapy. The issue became so
divisive that in August 2001, President Bush addressed the nation on
new developments in stem cell research and the ethical dilemmas this
technology poses. Should such research be permitted? What, if any,
moral, religious or political objections might be raised?
Philosophers Michael Ruse and Christopher A. Pynes have compiled this
valuable collection of articles by noted experts to address all
aspects of this question by examining one of today's most challenging
and fiercely debated new areas of science. They explain the
scientific research, explore the medical promise that it offers, and
present the many sides of the ethical, religious, and policy debate.
The contributors--scientists, medical practitioners, philosophers,
theologicans, historians, and policy analysts--offer a variety of
perspectives, to give readers the critical tools they need to shape
an informed position on the topic. This important resource will be
useful and accessible to educated readers with no prior knowledge of
this contentious issue.
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