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What are the ethical implications of using stem cells in modern medicine?

Nancy MacCurlye

Stem cells are tiny little cells that can turn into different kinds of cells in the body. These special cells have the potential to help people who are sick or have an injury by growing new cells to replace damaged ones.

However, there are some ethical implications when it comes to using stem cells in modern medicine. This is because there are different ways to get stem cells, and some of these ways can be considered controversial.

One way to get stem cells is from embryos. An embryo is a tiny little organism that grows into a baby. But some people believe that an embryo should be considered a human being and shouldn't be used in medical research. This is because the embryo has the potential to become a person one day.

Another way to get stem cells is from adult tissues, like bone marrow or blood. This can be less controversial because it doesn't involve using embryos. However, it can be harder to get a lot of stem cells from adult tissues.

There are also ethical concerns about how we use stem cells once we have them. For example, some people worry that we might use stem cells to create clones of people. Cloning is when you create a new organism that is genetically identical to another one. This could raise some ethical concerns about the identity and individuality of human beings.

Overall, using stem cells in modern medicine has the potential to help a lot of people. However, there are ethical concerns that need to be considered when we use them. It's important to have conversations about these issues and to make sure that we are using this technology in a responsible and ethical way.