Public policy on research involving stem cells is yet to be developed. Human embryonic stem cells have the potential to grow into any type of body tissue, and so hold the hope of effecting repair to any type of damaged organs or tissues, thereby improving quality of life and reducing suffering.
One valuable source of these cells is fertilized eggs (spare embryos) left over after artificial insemination (in-vitro fertilization) has taken place. More controversial are those obtained from therapeutic cloning (the creation of embryos solely for research), regarded by some as destructive embryo research (under the argument that an embryo has the same moral worth and warrants the same protection as a human being).
In 2004, recently disgraced South Korean scientist, Dr. Hwang Woo-Suk, claimed to have cloned a human embryo. This initial claim brought in large sums of money in sponsorship for the continuance of his work. Later, he purportedly developed nine of eleven embryonic stem cells lines from patients with spinal cord injury using the cloning technique. However, by his falsified claims, he misled paralyzed patients into believing that cloning might soon help to restore the lives they had lost. Out of this negative came what others regard as a positive - the initial reported success of Hwang's research led to calls for more cloning research in Australia, and California's residents entrusted stem cell researchers with three billion dollars of public finds. The message was - spend more on cloning now, lest you fall further behind in the biotech race for treatment and cures.
Trust is everything in Science - the lives and future of the human race is entrusted to Science, with the primary goal of scientists presumably being to improve our lives and safeguard our future. Yet what society wants from Science and what scientists want from Science may not be the same. Ordinary people care about the destinations of Science (the answers, the miracles and the cures), but some scientists care more deeply about the journey itself. The challenge for us is how to stay the course while overseeing and regulating the work of scientists in areas where we are pygmies in the font of knowledge.
Public policy on research involving stem cells is yet to be developed. Human embryonic stem cells have the potential to grow into any type of body tissue, and so hold the hope of effecting repair to any type of damaged organs or tissues, thereby improving quality of life and reducing suffering.