...Ethical Issues Related to Fetal Tissue Research The use of fetal tissue in biomedical research has been a hot topic for debate in social and political forums ever sense the landmark decision in the 1973 case of Roe vs. Wade (Beller & Weir 182). The decision of the Supreme Court to give women the right to abort a fetus without having a medical reason for doing so, sparked controversy which has affected any medical procedure or research dealing with fetuses (Bellar &Weir 182). Supporters of fetal tissue research believe it has too much potential to provide cures for many of the diseases and medical problems that plague today’s society for it to be halted. Opponents of this type of research believe it should be stopped because it is unethical to take the life of one human being in order to preserve the life of another. Until the ruling in Roe vs. Wade experiments involving fetal tissue were conducted without any scrutiny from the public sector (Maynard-Moody 13). The first documented procedure involving the transplant of fetal tissue was carried out by Italian researchers in 1928, doctors transplanted the pancreas of a fetus into a diabetes patient, the patient showed no signs of improvement (Maynard-Moody 11). Research involving fetal tissue didn’t become widespread until the 1960’s. In 1957, a non-habit-forming sleeping pill was released in Europe. The pill was widely used in Europe, but not approved in the United States. A few years after the release of the...
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...Planned Parenthood is currently under a great deal of scrutiny concerning whether or not they violated Federal Law by selling aborted baby parts. The Federal Government is also trying to decide if they should cut the $500 million of funding that Planned Parenthood receives. While Planned Parenthood may have been breaking Federal Law, I do not believe that the government should defund them. Planned Parenthood does much more than just abortions; they do STI/STD testing and treatment, provide multiple types of contraception, cancer screenings and prevention, pregnancy tests and prenatal services, adoption referrals to other agencies, and urinary tract infection treatments. All of these services are available for men, women, and teenagers. They...
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...Sexson Stem cells are a difficult topic to breach without heated words arising on both sides of the debate. Research Legislation on stem cells has a long history, but in the United States, it is quite young. It seems with the change in the political powers of America comes a change in the views of stem cell research and its legislation. The NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 was signed into law by President Clinton. It was through this Act that in vitro fertilization (IVF) research was congressionally sanctioned without prior approval of the Ethics Advisory Board. President Clinton decided still to create a 19 member committee to oversee the ethical dimensions of this research. The committee was called the NIH Human Embryo Research Panel. This committee came back in September of 94’ and their decision was that government spending should be allotted and that human embryos could be specifically created for research. President Clinton decided not to take the panel’s suggestion and enacted an executive directive prohibiting federal funding on research to support the creation of human embryos used exclusively for research purposes. President Clinton mandated that federal funds can only be applied to research using human stem cells derived from frozen embryos that were created for purposes of infertility treatment and were in excess of clinical need or from fetal tissue. In 1996, the executive order was enforced by Congress and they have passed a similar ban restricting NIH funding...
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...a recognizable human embryo. The process of prenatal development takes place in three main stages. The first stage is the germinal stage that occurs in the first two weeks after conception. The second stage is the embryonic period which occurs from the third week up to the eighth week. The last stage in this category is the fetal period that occurs from the ninth week until birth. The Germinal Stage The germinal stage starts at the conception time when the sperm and the egg cell unite resulting in fertilization that occurs in the fallopian tube. The fertilized egg is referred to as the zygote. The zygote then moves towards the uterus. Cell division occurs about 24 to 36 hours after conception (Giritharan, Ilic, Gormley & Krtolica, 2011). The single-celled zygote will start moving towards the uterus from the fallopian tube, this occurs just a few hours after conception the process is referred to as implantation. The process of cell division takes place in the uterus. After the process of implantation, another process called gastrulation takes place and forms three layers that are known as the germ layers. The germ layer differentiates into different structures. The ectoderm forms several outer tissues such as hair and skin and also most of the nervous system tissues that include the brain. The mesoderm forms tissues that are found inside the body, for instance, the bones, muscles, and lungs, and also including the heart. The endoderm forms tissues, for example, the...
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...D01305442 DeVry College of New York LAWS310 – The Legal Environment Professor Steven Maffei Stem Cell Research Essay Majority of the general population knows or has heard something in reference to stem cell research, weather it is from magazine articles or news, at some point in our daily lives we’ve heard the term “Stem Cell Research.” Stem cells due to their controversial nature, has seen numerous changes in the legislation governing its research and the types of stem cells – weather it is fetal, cord, embryonic, etc... – The legislation affecting stem cells can determine where the U.S. stands on this ground breaking research. According to Lanza, A simple definition for stem cells is as follows “a stem cell is a cell that has the potential to develop into a number of different types of cells in the body.” (2011). Basically, stem cells are the base of all organs and tissues in the human body, a master cell of some sort. Stems cell, also have the potential be the backbone of many medical breakthroughs in centuries to come, from age prevention to helping with disabilities such as blindness, inability to walk, etc... As mention earlier in this paper there are many types of stem cells, but for purpose of this paper I shall focus on adult & embryonic stem cells. An adult stem cell is an undifferentiated cell that is found amongst differentiated cells in an organ or tissue that processes the ability to renew itself, as well as differentiate into other specialized cell types...
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...I understand you aren’t sure about being a candidate for stem cell treatment. I have done a bit of research to help you understand the possibilities about being treated with stem cells. I want you to know the pros and cons of the treatment to hopefully help you decide on the best course of action for your injuries. I want you to get better and hope this helps you! Scientists throughout the years have been on the front lines of development for the treatment of diseases, disorders, and injuries for several hundred years now. Until recently stem cell therapy has been a thing of science fiction. But for over 30 years bone marrow has been used to treat cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma. This actually is a form of stem cell therapy that has been used...
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...environmental factor that alters expression of the fetal genome and may have lifelong consequences. This phenomenon, termed “fetal programming,” has led to the recent theory of “fetal origins of adult disease.” Namely, alterations in fetal nutrition and endocrine status may result in developmental adaptations that permanently change the structure, physiology, and metabolism of the offspring, thereby predisposing individuals to metabolic, endocrine, and cardiovascular diseases in adult life. Animal studies show that both maternal undernutrition and over nutrition reduce placental-fetal blood flows and stunt fetal growth. Impaired placental syntheses of nitric oxide (a major vasodilator and angiogenesis factor) and polyamines (key regulators of DNA and protein synthesis) may provide a unified explanation for intrauterine growth retardation in response to the 2 extremes of nutritional problems with the same pregnancy outcome. There is growing evidence that maternal nutritional status can alter the epigenetic state (stable alterations of gene expression through DNA methylation and histone modifications) of the fetal genome. This may provide a molecular mechanism for the impact of maternal nutrition on both fetal programming and genomic imprinting. Promoting optimal nutrition will not only ensure optimal fetal development, but will also reduce the risk of chronic diseases in adults. Maternal nutrition plays a critical role in fetal growth and development. Although considerable effort...
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...STEM CELL RESEARCH AND THERAPYAND ITS IMPACTS ON SOCIETY Abstract There are several types of stem cells being used in stem cell research and therapy today. They are embryonic, adult and induced pluripotent stem cells. Each will be discussed further. This topic has stirred much moral, ethical and political debate as whether cells from fetuses should be used in this research. This impacts governmental policies on laws and funding. Another issue that must be analyzed is the economics and who should have access to this treatment. The views of people and government on this research differ greatly across the world. There are countries that have very strict laws restricting this research while others take an extremely liberal stance. Stem Cell Research and Therapy and Its Impacts on Society Introduction Stem cells are the basic unit of life that gives rise to all living things. They are the undifferentiated cells that transform into the specialized cells that make up all of the tissues in organisms. With further research and understating, these cells can be used in medicine to cure a wide range of diseases. The most important type of stem cell to humans is the pluripotent stem cell which is usually obtained from human embryos. This has sparked controversy in many aspects of human life. In this paper, we will concentrate on animal and human stem cell research, and its impact on society. A Brief Description Of The Technology And An Explanation Of The Associated...
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...STEM CELL RESEARCH AND THERAPYAND ITS IMPACTS ON SOCIETY Abstract There are several types of stem cells being used in stem cell research and therapy today. They are embryonic, adult and induced pluripotent stem cells. Each will be discussed further. This topic has stirred much moral, ethical and political debate as whether cells from fetuses should be used in this research. This impacts governmental policies on laws and funding. Another issue that must be analyzed is the economics and who should have access to this treatment. The views of people and government on this research differ greatly across the world. There are countries that have very strict laws restricting this research while others take an extremely liberal stance. Stem Cell Research and Therapy and Its Impacts on Society Introduction Stem cells are the basic unit of life that gives rise to all living things. They are the undifferentiated cells that transform into the specialized cells that make up all of the tissues in organisms. With further research and understating, these cells can be used in medicine to cure a wide range of diseases. The most important type of stem cell to humans is the pluripotent stem cell which is usually obtained from human embryos. This has sparked controversy in many aspects of human life. In this paper, we will concentrate on animal and human stem cell research, and its impact on society. A Brief Description Of The Technology And An Explanation Of The Associated...
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...anti-abortion group accused Planned Parenthood of selling aborted fetuses for a profit. It is illegal to sell fetal tissue but the tissue can be donated. This is used for research purposes. In the video, senior director of medical services talks about how “tissues can be obtained for fees in the $30 to $100 range.” To some, that sounded like evidence that some sketchy business was going down. However, a law from 1993 speaks on allowances for “reasonable payments associated with the transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control, or storage of human fetal tissue.” That is most likely what the director was referring to. Also, since there is no specific amount of fees stated. Her numbers don’t seem outrageous and institutions don’t have to register fees charged in the supplying of fetal tissue. Even though there were no charges brought against Planned Parenthood, the reputation of the organization took a hit. States called for investigations into the organization’s tissue program. Wisconsin threated to ban fetal tissue donation. The governor of Louisiana canceled his state’s contract with Planned Parenthood when the two facilities in the state didn’t even offer abortion services. Florida cited three facilities for performing second-trimester abortions without a proper license and one for improper recordkeeping. Planned Parenthood claims to only have tissue donations in “less than five” states but they will not disclose which states. Also, there’s no law that says...
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...Benefits of Immunotherapy from advances in immunology and recombinant DNA technology. Immunotherapy is a form of medical treatment intended to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune system to fight infection and disease. This can be by inducing, enhancing, or suppressing an immune response. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as activation immunotherapies, while those that reduce or suppress immune response are suppression immunotherapies. Active immunotherapy has been effective against agents that normally cause acute self-limiting infectious disease. However, a more effective immunotherapy for chronic infectious diseases or cancer requires the use of appropriate target antigens; the optimization of the interaction between the antigenic peptide, the antigen-presenting cells (APC) and the T cell; and the simultaneous blockage of the negative regulatory mechanisms that impede immunotherapeutic effect. Furthermore, passive immunotherapy using monoclonal antibodies and receptor FC-fusion proteins has come of age and has shown great clinical success. Several monoclonal antibodies, including unmodified antibodies and antibodies armed with toxins or radionuclides, have been approved to prevent allograft rejection or to treat autoimmune diseases and cancer. Several others are in clinical trials. Preventive vaccines have been successful against infectious agents such as viruses, which cause self-limiting diseases that are normally...
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...Stem cell research has become one of the most controversial topics next to abortion. Scientist, Researchers, and some medical professionals feel we are loosing precious time with the political, legal and ethical aspect of this topic and should focus more on how modern medicine can be improved and where stem cell research could take us in the future. Stem cell history began in the 1800’s both human and animal stem cells were used. Scientist fertilize egg cells through the vitro process, this was the most successful way to cause reproduction in a human egg, but with more advance research and tools the possibilities could be endless. Stem cell are classified into three categories; Totipotent, which are found in early embryos, pluripotent exist in the inner cell mass and can from over 200 cell types in the human body, and multipotent that are derived from fetal tissue, cord blood and adult stem cells. Multipotent stem cells are more commonly used in cell-based therapies because they have the best success rate. In the 1900’s the first application of stem cell research was bone marrow transplants using adult stem cells. Bone marrow was given to patients orally that had anemia and leukemia, this was proven to be ineffective way to administer and treat the illness. Treatment was only proven to be successful when given through the blood stream from a compatible donor. In 1984 Congress passed the National Organ Transplant Act this led to an increase of people in the bone marrow...
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...Stem Cell Research in Human Transplantation [Name of the Writer] [Name of the Institution] Abstract Skeletal Bone Marrow that is decimated by disease, chemo, or radioactive emission can be refurbished by utilizing stem cell transplants. For certain infectious ailments like leukemia, aplastic anemia, certain inherited body-fluid infections, and some infections of the immune cell, and the stem cells in the skeletal bone marrow do not effectively function the way that it is intended to function. The stem cell is subjected to immunity issues where the recipient body site does not accept the donor cells. This paper will look to enquire the benefits to following stem cell research in human transplantation. Stem Cell Research Introduction Unique functional cells such as for example, a red blood cell start out originally as unspecialized cells known as stem cells. These stem cells have the uncanny ability to keep separating through division and multiplying in culture to produce specialized cell for a specific bodily function. In the context of normal human development, they are best described for their diversity, adaptability and longevity. As the laws of biology dictate, a human being is formed when a sperm cell fertilizing a female egg cell to produce a zygote. The zygote is already specialized in the fact that it is on the way to the formation of a whole individual. Furthermore the zygote, also known as the fertilized egg is tot potent that simply...
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...Jean-Marie Lux Biology 121 Stem Cell Research Paper September 12, 2012 Stem cell research is a relatively new field and has made huge advances in the past fifty years. The idea of stem cells was first made public by a Russian-American Scientist named Alexander Maksimov in 1908. However it was not until 1963 that two Canadian Scientists were able to actually demonstrate the existence of self-renewing cells found in the bone marrow of mice. The Scientists were James E. Till and Ernest A. McCulloch. So although Maksimov was the first person who put the idea of stem cells out there, it is really Till and McCulloch who are credited with proving that stems cells actually existed. Since Till and McCulloch, many Scientist have contributed to the huge advances in stem cell research. In 1968, the first successful bone marrow transplant was conducted on two siblings suffering from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), a primary immune deficiency which typically results in the onset of one or more serious infections within the first few months of life. These infections are usually serious, and may even be life threatening. In 1978, the presence of Haematopoietic stem cells were discovered in human cord blood cells. Haematopoietic stem cells, are multipotent stem cells that give rise to all the blood cell types. In 1981, Scientist were able to derive embryonic stem cells from mice. One of the biggest advancements in all stem cell research came in 1997 when a link between Leukemia...
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...central nervous system, and oligodendrocytes safeguard nerve fibers. Neural stem cells have recently been tested to treat brain disorders and neurological diseases as they can help reconstruct brain tissue that has been damaged. There are many different types of stem cells that can be given to patients; adult, embryonic, and fetal. Adult stem cells are stem cells collected from adults and given to patients. Embryonic stem cells are collected from embryos that are four or five days old, and can become...
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