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Ethical Issues In Stem Cell Research Essay

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The 21st century is characterized for its technological advancements. Rapid renovation in medical research, disease treatment, and advanced quality of life has marked the turn of the century. Recent development in stem cell research has brought forth an ethical debate; whether research to achieve new medical remedies is permissible at the stake of, arguably, the unborn life of frozen embryos or if stem cell research should cease at the cost of disease stricken people worldwide to preserve an embryo that may never be born.
1. Massage (Articulate) the Problem: a) What is the current undesirable situation? Identify and define issues in the dilemma.
The current undesirable situation pertaining to frozen embryo donation is the donor being forced to keep frozen embryos against their own discretion. It may be unfavorable to keep embryos frozen for an extended period of time because of the financial burden. To extract, freeze, and preserve embryos, clients can expect to pay an initial fee of approximately $10,000. According to USCFertility, client can also expect a storage fee of $500 per year and to thaw frozen embryos an additional payment of $5,000 is required (uscfertility.org). Another issue apart of this ethical dilemma is whether embryos are classified as a person or property. If assumed to be property, it is debatable whether preservation of embryos can be mandated. Lastly, and perhaps the most controversial component of this dilemma is defining “conception” to establish when life begins. …show more content…
There are four options to consider with the outcome of frozen embryos: donate embryos for attempted childbirth and pregnancy, release remaining embryos to scientific research, keep the embryos frozen, or dispose of the remaining embryos

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