Stem Cell Bio Ethics Annotated Bibliography

STEM CELL BIO-ETHICS ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Introduction
Embryonic stem cell research offers much hope for new remedies to some devastating diseases such as Leukemia and Parkinson’s disease. However, its adoption has faced numerous challenges, most founded on ethics and morality. The main conflict in this debate arises from the dilemma of having to choose one of two moral principles: the responsibility to prevent or reduce suffering (from diseases), and the responsibility to respect the value of human life. This annotated bibliography reviews some of the views of the different voices who have had their say on this hotly debated issue.
Veatch, Robert M. The basics of bioethics. Routledge, 2016.
In this third edition of The Basics of Bioethics, the author provides a balanced and systematic ethical framework to allow readers to analyze a broad range of ethical systems from different religions and secular cultures and consider an array of controversial issues in medicine. The author takes a ‘Principalist' approach and outlines the principles that are generally accepted to make specific actions morally right or wrong. This book also presents alternative approaches to healthcare decision making, which are founded on ethics and morals. One of the many alternatives The Basics of Bioethics presents is Hippocratic ethics. The book also has an all-encompassing ethics chart presenting all the major ethical questions and all the important answers to these questions.
Additionally, the book simplifies some of the information in it through case studies, diagrams, and other tools that enable effective presentation. Since this research is from the perspective of ethics, information in this book is of great importance to my inquiry as the author explicitly delivers a practical ethical framework which also considers the views different religions and other secular cultures. Additionally, the ethical questions in this book offer some valuable insights into the issue of embryonic stem cell research.
Singer, Peter. "Research Using Human Embryos Is Morally Acceptable." At Issue: The Ethics of Abortion. Jennifer A. Hurley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Washington State. 7 June 2010
The author of this research, Peter Singer, is an ethics researcher and a strong proponent of animal rights. He is a Decamp Bioethics Professor at the University Center for Human Values, Princeton University. Some of his other works include Animal Liberation and Practical Ethics. Singer's viewpoint is in support of stem cell research in search of a cure for Leukemia and other diseases. He argues that people raise lots of objections when a bunch of cells or pre-embryonic state with no brain or consciousness are used in research that when rats, which do feel pain are fully developed living things are used for research. Singer uses the religious argument that embryos have immortal to arrive at his conclusion that more protection should be afforded to non-human animals. He argues that, if a fetus could feel pain, then it would be unethical and morally wrong. However, an embryo only has 64 cells which are not near enough to have a developed nervous system of the brain. This source will contribute to my research by bringing in the religious perspective of Stem Cell Bioethics Research. In this research, Singer uses the religious perspective to defend non-human animals.
"What are the similarities and differences between embryonic and adult stem cells?", In Stem Cell Information. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009 http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics5.
This article is a combined effort of the National Institute of Health and the US Department of Health and Human Services. The perspective from this article supports stem cell research. According to this article, the ultimate difference between adult stem cells, and an embryo's stem cells are elasticity. Embryonic cells are more elastic as they are yet to solidify into a specific cell. Embryonic cells have the possibility of developing any possible cell. The article, however, does not explain what embryonic stem cells can do that adult cells cannot do.
On the other hand, adult stem cells can only grow into specific cells with specific roles. According to scientists, the chances of embryonic and adult stem cells being rejected in the course of a transplant differ. Adult stem cells have the least chance of being rejected. The explanation is that since the patient already has their adult stem cells, the body is more likely to recognize the transplanted stem cells and therefore more likely to accept them. Although rather vague and shallow, t...