Ethics of Embryo Research and

Human Cloning

M.C.PrabhathUniversity of Sri Jayawardenepura

Sri Lanka 4th Year 1st Semester

27.01.2016

Rapid development of Science and Technology creates the era of new biotechnological advances.

Every aspect of human life is directly affected by the development of science and technology.

People search answers and solutions for issues and problems they suffer.

Ultimate answers and solutions may create controversial facts.

In that case , ethics appears.

01. Introduction

Distinguish between right and wrong. Distinguish between acceptable and

unacceptable. Specific values ,standards, rules and

agreements ,that people adopt for conducting their lives.

02.Ethics.

Seeking solutions for degenerative diseases. Parkinson's Disease Multiple Sclerosis Myocardial Infarction etc…. Embryo Research ,mainly “Stem cell therapy”

could alleviate or even cure some of these diseases. But unfortunately, harvesting of stem cells

destroys the embryo, which has the ability to develop into a perfect animal

03. Embryo Research

Embryo is a new organism in the earliest stage of development.

In humans, developing organism from the fourth day after fertilization to the end of the eighth week.

Embryo

Embryos have status as Human beings or persons Divine Creations Human life with intrinsic value Mere body parts. Embryos are harmed by their destruction.

3.1. The value of embryoThe final outcome – Life

Stem cells are primitive cells with the capacity to divide and give rise to more identical stem cells or to specialize and form specific cells or somatic tissues.

-Wert and Mummery,2003 First isolated in 1998.

3.2. Stem Cells

Totipotent stem cells – has the potential to give rise to any and all human cells.

Pluripotent stem cells- can give rise to all tissue types but cannot give rise to an entire organism.

Multi potent stem cells-give rise to limited range of cells with in a tissue type. Much more differentiated.

Adult stem cells- use to replace cells that have died or lost function.It renews it self and can specialize to yield all cell types present in the tissue from which it originated.

Types of Stem cells

Fundamental research on early human development.

Toxicological studies.

Clinically in transplantation.

Frozen embryos.

Potential applications of hES cells in Embryo research

Human embryo and life. Embryo donation. Medical risks of oocyte retrieval. ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome. Bleeding Complications of anesthesia. Commercialization of oocytes. Somatic cell nuclear transfer. Use of fetal tissue.(after an abortions) Clinical trials and ethics.

3.3.Major ethical issues in conducting Embryonic Research.

Greek word ‘klwn’- breaking into two A clone is, “ a group of cells or an individual organism or group of organisms derived from a single cell. Thus a bacterial colony is a clone, as are identical twin human beings.”

04.Cloning

Recombinant DNA Technology

-Also known as DNA cloning ,gene cloning or molecular cloning.

4.2. Types of Cloning

Reproductive Cloning-The generation of a new animal that has the same nuclear DNA as a previously existing animal.

2 methods Artificial Embryo Twinning: A blastomere is induced to split, forming identical twins.Nuclear Somatic Transfer: The nucleus of an adult body (somatic) cell is transferred into an egg which has had its nucleus removed. After treatment to make it begin dividing, the embryo is transplanted into a host uterus.

Dolly was created using nuclear somatic transfer.

Therapeutic cloning-Uses the process of nuclear somatic transfer to create an embryo.

However, the embryo is destroyed and harvested for stem cells.

Stem cells are undifferentiated and retain the ability to develop into many cell types.

These cell cultures are maintained in a “lineage.”

Can possibly use stem cells to treat cancer, regrow damaged nerve or muscle cells, etc.

It is liable to abuse. It violates a person’s right to

individuality ,autonomy ,selfhood. It violates a persons right to genetic

individuality. It allows eugenic selection. It uses people as means.

4.3.Major ethical issues in Human cloning

AGAINST…….

Clones are worse in terms of wellbeing, especially psychological wellbeing.

There are safety concerns, especialy an increased risk of serious genetic malformation, cancer and shortened lifespan.

Threatening the stability of the family. Can diminish our respect for human life.

4.3.Major ethical issues in Human cloning (Contd)

General liberty justifications Freedom to make personal reproductive

choices. Freedom of scientific enquiry. Achieving a sense of immortality. Eugenic selection. Social utility- cloning socially important

people

4.3.Major ethical issues in Human cloning(Contd)

For……

Treatment of infertility. Replacement of a loved dead relative. Insurance Source of human cells or tissue. Cloning prevent genetic diseases. Research into stem cell differentiation to

provide an understanding of ageing and oncogenesis.

4.3.Major ethical issues in Human cloning(Contd)

For……

Public debate – Both human cloning and embryo research are matters of intense public debate.

Moral status of embryo – Persons view, increses gradually or not any.

Distruction of embryos- alternatives (Dead embryos,Blastomere extraction ,Biological artefacts,somatic cell differentiation-ips)

5.Discussion

Stem cell research around the world- Norway, Iran, USA, South Korea, South Africa, Sri Lanka.

Considering cloning, therapeutic cloning and recombination DNA technology are favored.

Reproductive cloning of humans is prohibited and banned.

USA- variation of regulations according to the president.

The cloning of human beings would fit precisely into Adolph Hitlers world view- Die Welt(German magazine)

The use of cloning for the replication of human individuals to be ethically unacceptable as it would violate some of the basic principles which govern medically assisted procreation. These include respect of dignity of the human genetic material.

- WHO

Human beings must not be cloned under any circumstances. Moreover UNESCO’s International Bioethics committee, which has been reflecting on the ethics of scientific progress, has maintained that human genome must be preserved as common heritage of humanity.

- UNESCO

Questionaire- Students under Department of Zoology ,USJP

1. Do you think it is ethical to use embryos for research? Yes No

1. If embryonic research helps to find a cure for a disease would you approve it?

Yes No

1. Do you think all type of embryonic research must be stopped? Yes. Embryonic research on all living animals must be stopped. Only human embryonic research must be stopped. All types of embryonic research must be continued for the betterment of the medicine.

1. Would you ever volunteer to donate your sperm/ovum for a research?

Yes No

1. Human cloning is acceptable? Yes No

1. Would you like to see a human clone of you?

Yes No

Ethical issues must be considered in fields of embryonic research and human cloning,

Human cloning is banned. But therapeutic cloning and gene cloning

can be allowed under certain rules and regulations.

Summary

Curzer,J.H. (2004) ‘The Ethics of Embryonic Stem Cell Research’. Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 29(5):533-562.

Harris,J. (1997) ‘Goodbye Dolly?The ethics of human cloning’.Journal of Medical Ethics, 23:353-360.

Hyun,I. (2010) ‘The bioethics of stem cell research and therapy’. The Journal of Clinical Investigations, 120(1): 71-75. Jaenish,R. and Wilmut,I .(2001) ‘Don’t Clone

Humans!’.Science,291:26 Jaenish,M.D.R. (2004) ‘Human cloning – The Science and Ethics

of Nuclear Transplantation’.Massachusetts Medical Society , 30 December :p 27

07.References

Landry,W.D. AND Zucker, H.A. (2004) ‘Embryonic death and the creation of human embryonic stem cells’.The Journal of Clinical Investigations, 114(9) : 1184-1186.

Lo,B. and Parham,L (2009) ‘Ethical Issues in Stem Cell Research’.Endocrine Reviews, 30(3): 204-213.

Mertes,H. Pennings,G and Steirteghem, V.A. (2006) ‘An ethical analysis of alternative methods to obtain pluripotent stem cells without destroying embryos’.Human Reproduction, 21(11) : 2749-2755.

Savulescu,J. (1999) ‘Should We clone human beings? Cloning as a Source of tissue for transplantation’.Journal of Medical Ethics, 25: 87-95.

Wert,G. and Mummery , C.(2003) ‘Human embryonic stem cells-reseach ,ethics and policy’.Human Reproduction, 18(4): 672-682.