What are the different ethical positions on using embryonic stem cells? Megan Best reviews the Australian debate of the past few years.

I expect that most readers were aware of the stem cell debate that continued through 2002. It culminated in the passing of federal legislation that decided the fate of excess human embryos which are stored in assisted reproductive technology (ART) labs around the country. The public debate surrounding the development of stem cell research in our community was often as heated as it was ill-informed. The intense attention given to the legislation debated by the Australia government suggests that our society does not see stem cells as ‘just another medical treatment’. This article aims to help put the ethical debate into perspective. I want to focus on the ethics of stem cell research. Ethics should not be seen as a poor relation to factual science, but as an intrinsic part of the research method. The Oxford Dictionary defines ethics as “the science of morals, or the principles of human duty”. Ethics may be influenced by cultural factors, but in essence it is a form of rational enquiry that concerns how we should live and what we should do. Medical ethics is actually a branch of philosophy. It is not ordered by gut feelings or consciences, however well informed.

While much of the debate has been fairly superficial and media-driven, we have also heard mention of profound issues raised by the stem cell debate. Our rapidly developing ability to manipulate the unborn is raising ethical questions that we have never previously had to consider. However, while many ethical values are universal, with stem cells there is currently no consensus.

In this paper I will outline the three main ethical positions in the stem cell debate and try to give you an idea of the main areas where ethical concerns have been raised. We will then consider the future of this work.

(See PDF for complete article.)

Files: best-stem-cells.pdf