A Christian perspective on stem cells

Stem Cell
Research

A basic introduction
- taken from a number of different sources

Wednesday 14 September 2011

What Are Stem Cells and why
are they special?

Stem cells are the raw
material from which all of
the body’s mature,
differentiated cells are
made. Stem cells give rise
to brain cells, nerve cells,
heart cells, pancreatic cells,
etc.


They have the potential to
replace cell tissue that has
been damaged or destroyed
by severe illnesses.
They can replicate
themselves over and over
for a very long time.
It is said that understanding
how stem cells develop into
healthy and diseased cells
will assist the search for
cures.


Can we vs. should we

There have been dramatic
advances in modern molecular
genetics - we are capable of
doing amazing things.

Should we ask the morality
questions before attempting
the “can we” questions?


Stem cell
type Description Examples

Each cell can develop Cells from early (1-3
Totipotent
into a new individual days) embryos

Some cells of
Cells can form any
Pluripotent blastocyst (5 to 14
(over 200) cell types
days)

Cells differentiated, but Fetal tissue, cord
Multipotent can form a number of blood, and adult stem
other tissues cells


There are 2 sources of
stem cells:
Embryonic (also called
“pluripotent”) stem cells
are capable of developing into
all the cell types of the body.
Adult stem cells are less
versatile and more difﬁcult to
identify, isolate, and purify.


Researchers extract stem cells from a 5-7 days old blastocyst.
Stem cells can divide in culture to form more of their own
Embryonic stem cells
kind, thereby creating a stem cell line.
The research aims to induce these cells to generate healthy
tissue needed by patients.


Researchers extract stem cells from a 5-7 days old blastocyst.
kind, thereby creating a stem cell line.
The research aims to induce these cells to generate healthy
tissue needed by patients.


Researchers do we get embryonic stem cells?
Where extract stem cells from a 5-7 days old blastocyst.
1. Excess fertilized cell line. IVF (in-vitro
kind, thereby creating a stem
eggs from
fertilization) cells to generate healthy
The research aims to induce these clinics
tissue needed by patients. (somatic cell nuclear transfer)
2. Therapeutic cloning


Stages of Embryogenesis



Day 1
Fertilized egg



Day 2
Day 1 2-cell embryo
Fertilized egg



Day 2
Day 1 2-cell embryo Day 3-4
Fertilized egg Multi-cell embryo



Day 2

Day 5-6
Blastocyst


Day 2

Day 5-6
Day 11-14 Blastocyst
Tissue Differentiation

Where do we get stem
cell lines?


cell lines?

Day 5-6
Blastocyst


cell lines?
Outer cells
(forms placenta)

Day 5-6
Blastocyst


cell lines?
Outer cells
(forms placenta)
Inner cells
(forms fetus)

Day 5-6
Blastocyst


cell lines?
Outer cells Isolate inner cell mass
(forms placenta) (destroys embryo)
Inner cells
(forms fetus)

Day 5-6
Blastocyst


cell lines?
Inner cells
(forms fetus) Culture cells

Day 5-6
Blastocyst


cell lines?
Inner cells

Day 5-6
Blastocyst “Special sauce”
(largely unknown)
Liver

Kidney Heart muscle

cell lines?
Inner cells

Day 5-6
Blastocyst “Special sauce”
(largely unknown)
Liver
Heart
repaired
Kidney Heart muscle

Tens of thousands of
frozen embryos are
routinely destroyed
when couples ﬁnish
their treatment.
These surplus
embryos can be used
to produce stem cells.
Regenerative medical
research aims to
develop these cells
into new, healthy tissue
to heal severe
illnesses.

Somatic Cell Nuclear
Transfer
The nucleus of a donated egg
is removed and replaced
with the nucleus of a mature,
"somatic cell" (e.g. a skin cell).
No sperm is involved in this,
and no embryo is created to
be implanted in a woman’s
womb.
The resulting stem cells can
potentially develop into
specialized cells that are
useful for treating severe
illnesses.

Moral and Ethical
Considerations of Stem Cell
Research

• Adult stem cells
• Embryonic stem cells
• Embryo must be destroyed
• When does human life/personhood begin?


The Ethical Debate
In favor:
Embryonic stem cell research
(ESCR) fulﬁlls the ethical
obligation to alleviate human
suffering.
Since excess IVF embryos will be
discarded anyway, isn’t it better
that they be used in valuable
research?
SCNT (Therapeutic Cloning)
produces cells in a petri dish, not
a pregnancy.

Against ESCR:
In ESCR, stem cells are taken
from a human blastocyst, which is
then destroyed. This amounts to
“murder.”
There is a risk of commercial
exploitation of the human
participants in ESCR.
Slippery slope argument: ESCR
will lead to reproductive cloning.


The blastocyst used in stem cell
research is microscopically small
and has no nervous system. Does
it count as a “person” who has a
right to life?
When does personhood begin?
Does science have a view on this?
In a society where citizens hold
diverse religious views, how can
we democratically make humane
public policy?


When Does Human Life Begin?
Medical Embryology Textbooks
The Developing Human: Clinically
Oriented Embryology

“Zygote: this cell results from the
union of an oocyte and a sperm. A
zygote is the beginning of a new
human being (i.e., an embryo).
Human development begins at
fertilization… This highly specialized,
totipotent cell marks the beginning
of each of us as a unique individual.”

Essentials of Human Embryology

“In this text, we begin our
description of the developing
human with the formation and
differentiation of the male and
female sex cells or gametes, which
will unite at fertilization to initiate
the embryonic development of a
new individual.”


Human Embryology &
Teratology

“Fertilization is an important
landmark because, under
ordinary circumstances, a new,
genetically distinct human
organism is thereby formed…”


When Does Human Life Begin?
What Do Medical Doctors Say?
• Dr. Alfred Bongioanni (University of
Pennsylvania):

“I have learned from my earliest medical
education that human life begins at the
time of conception.”
• Dr. Jerome LeJeune (University of
Descartes):

“after fertilization has taken place a new
human being has come into being.”


• Dr. Hymie Gordon (Mayo Clinic):

“By all criteria of modern molecular
biology, life is present from the
moment of conception.”

• Dr. Micheline Matthews-Roth
(Harvard University Medical
School):

“It is scientiﬁcally correct to say that
an individual human life begins at
conception”


The Embryo Is Not
a Person
“Persons . . . are members of a social
community that shapes and values
them, and personhood must be
deﬁned in terms of interactions and
relationships with others.”
Susan Sherwin. 1999. Ethical Issues:
Perspectives for Canadians


Embryo Is Not a Person
– Rebuttal
Personality definition problems
• Does a human non-person exist?
• What traits define personhood?
• Who makes the definition?
• Society has excluded certain
humans from personhood before
(e.g., African slaves, Chinese, etc.)
Should we make a new list of human
non-persons?


• The lack of certain
personality traits would
remove from personhood:
• Those who are in a coma
• Elderly with degenerative
disorders (Alzheimer's, etc.)
• Mentally deﬁcient
•Genetic
•Neurological disease
•Mental illness
• Is is okay to consider these
human beings as non-persons?


Deﬁnition of Personhood
One who is consciously
performing personal acts
eliminates those who are
sleeping
One with a present
capacity to perform
personal acts
eliminates those who are in a
coma


One who has a history of
performing personal acts
eliminates one who was in a
coma from birth, but wakes up
One with a future
capacity for performing
personal acts
makes those who are dying as
non-persons


Implications of Functionally-
Deﬁned Personhood
• Newborns lack the ability to
perform personal functions – in
fact, newborn humans are less
capable physically and mentally
than virtually all other mammals
• Therefore, on the basis of
functionally-deﬁned personhood,
newborns fail the test could be
killed on the basis of “non-
personhood”

At Conception, It Is
Only a Single Cell
Claim:
Fertilized eggs are single cells, like
blood cells or other parts of the
body
Rebuttal:
This single cell is unique from both
the father’s and mother’s cells and is
the beginning of every new human
being

Only a Small Percentage
of Embryos Implant
Claim:
Embryos are only potential life. Most do not
result in births
Rebuttal:
33% of implanted embryos die before birth
There are countries in which over 25% of children
die before age 5. Should we allow killing of
children?


Frozen Embryos Are
Going to Be Discarded
Anyway
• Proponents of human
embryonic stem cell research
say that embryos from IVF are
going to be discarded and, so,
should be used for research
• Prisoners on death row are also
going to die, so why not do
research on them?


Devaluation of Human
Life
Right now it is only 5-12 day
embryos:
When science discovers it is
impossible to produce organs/
tissues in the absence of
surrounding developmental
processes, scientists will demand
the tissues be allowed to
“mature” prior to harvest

Christian Arguments
and Response
• We may not do evil so
that good will result
(Romans 3:8)
• Humans are created in
the image of God
before birth
• The human soul begins
before birth


Bible: Human Life
Begins Before Birth

"Did not He who made me in the
womb make him, And the same
one fashion us in the womb? Job
31:15
Psalm 22:9-10
Psalm 139:13-16
Isaiah 44:2, 24


When Does Ensoulment
Occur?
John the Baptist: "For he will be great in the
sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or
liquor; and he will be ﬁlled with the Holy Spirit,
while yet in his mother's womb." (Luke 1:15)
Paul: But when He who had set me apart, even
from my mother's womb, and called me through His
grace… (Galatians 1:15)
Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb I
knew you, And before you were born I consecrated
you; I have appointed you a prophet to the
nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)

Murder Deﬁned by the
Bible
• People are not to be murdered because
they are created in the image of God.
(Genesis 9:6)

• Murder must be intentional, with
premeditation (Joshua 20:3)
• Killing of embryos is intentional,
and premeditated


Biblical Arguments:
Summary
• The Bible indicates that God recognizes
human beings as persons prior to
development in the womb
• Bible deﬁnes murder as being intentional
and premeditated
• ESC research destroys embryos that are
considered as ensouled human beings


Morality of Human
Reproductive Cloning
• “Be fruitful and multiply” – assumed to be
natural, but IVF and cloning not mentioned
in the Bible
• Problems with cloned animals – most suffer
premature aging and other genetic
problems. Might be avoidable with better
techniques?
• Biblical basis to condemn human
reproductive cloning?

Stem Cell
Research

This is a good primer on the subject - taken from
the Centre for Bioethics and Human Dignity
website
http://cbhd.org/stem-cell-research/overview


An Overview of Stem Cell Research

In November of 1998, scientists reported that they had
successfully isolated and cultured human embryonic stem
cells—a feat which had eluded researchers for almost two
decades. This announcement kicked off an intense and
unrelenting debate between those who approve of
embryonic stem cell research and those who are opposed
to it. Some of the most prominent advocates of the
research are scientists and patients who believe that
embryonic stem cell research will lead to the
development of treatments and cures for some of
humanity’s most pernicious afﬂictions (such as Alzheimer’s
disease, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, and diabetes).


Among the most vocal opponents of the research are
those who share the desire to heal, but who object to
the pursuit of healing via unethical means. CBHD’s view
is that because human embryonic stem cell research
necessitates the destruction of human embryos, such
research is unethical—regardless of its alleged beneﬁts.
Ethical alternatives for achieving those beneﬁts should
be actively pursued.


1. What are human embryonic stem cells
and how are they obtained?
Human embryonic stem cells are the cells from which
all 200+ kinds of tissue in the human body originate.
Typically, they are derived from human embryos—often
those from fertility clinics who are left over from
assisted reproduction attempts (e.g., in vitro
fertilization). When stem cells are obtained from living
human embryos, the harvesting of such cells
necessitates destruction of the embryos.


2. How are adult stem cells different from
embryonic stem cells?
Adult stem cells (also referred to as “non-embryonic”
stem cells) are present in adults, children, infants,
placentas, umbilical cords, and cadavers. Obtaining stem
cells from these sources does not result in certain
harm to a human being.


3. Is it ethical to obtain stem cells from human
fetuses and umbilical cords?
Fetal stem cell research may ethically resemble either
adult or embryonic stem cell research and must be
evaluated accordingly. If fetal stem cells are obtained from
miscarried or stillborn fetuses, or if it is possible to
remove them from fetuses still alive in the womb without
harming the fetuses, then no harm is done to the donor
and such fetal stem cell research is ethical. However, if the
abortion of fetuses is the means by which fetal stem cells
are obtained, then an unethical means (the killing of
human beings) is involved. Since umbilical cords are
detached from infants at birth, umbilical cord blood is an
ethical source of stem cells.

4. Have scientists been successful in using non-
embryonic stem cells to treat disease?
Yes. In contrast to research on embryonic stem cells, non-
embryonic stem cell research has already resulted in numerous
instances of actual clinical benefit to patients. For example,
patients suffering from a whole host of afflictions—including (but
not limited to) Parkinson’s disease, autoimmune diseases, stroke,
anemia, cancer, immunodeficiency, corneal damage, blood and
liver diseases, heart attack, and diabetes—have experienced
improved function following administration of therapies derived
from adult or umbilical cord blood stem cells. The long-held
belief that non-embryonic stem cells are less able to differentiate
into multiple cell types or be sustained in the laboratory over an
extended period of time—rendering them less medically-
promising than embryonic stem cells—has been repeatedly
challenged by experimental results that have suggested
otherwise.

5. Have scientists been successful in using
embryonic stem cells to treat disease?
Though embryonic stem cells have been purported as
holding great medical promise, reports of actual clinical
success have been few. Instead, scientists conducting
research on embryonic stem cells have encountered
signiﬁcant obstacles—including tumor formation,
unstable gene expression, and an inability to stimulate
the cells to form the desired type of tissue. It may
indeed be telling that some biotechnology companies
have chosen not to invest ﬁnancially in embryonic stem
cell research and some scientists have elected to focus
their research exclusively on non-embryonic stem cell
research.

6. What is the relationship between
embryonic stem cell research and
"therapeutic" cloning?
Another potential obstacle encountered by researchers
engaging in embryonic stem cell research is the possibility
that embryonic stem cells would not be immunologically
compatible with patients and would therefore be
“rejected,” much like a non-compatible kidney would be
rejected. A proposed solution to this problem is to create
an embryonic clone of a patient and subsequently destroy
the clone in order to harvest his or her stem cells.
Cloning for this purpose has been termed “therapeutic”
cloning—despite the fact that the subject of the research
—the clone—is not healed but killed.

7. Why should we value the human embryo?
Underlying the passages of Scripture that refer to the
unborn (Job 31:15; Ps. 139:13-16; Lk. 1:35-45) is the
assumption that they are human beings who are
created, known, and uniquely valued by God. Genesis
9:6 warns us against killing our fellow human beings,
who are created in the very image of God (Gen.
1:26-27). Furthermore, human embryonic life—as well
as all of creation—exists primarily for God’s own
pleasure and purpose, not ours (Col. 1:16).


8. Shouldn't it be ethical to allow the destruction of
a few embryos in order to help the millions of
people who suffer from diseases such as
Parkinson's and heart disease?
Many proponents of human embryonic stem cell research argue
that it is actually wrong to protect the lives of a few unborn
human beings if doing so will delay treatment for a much larger
number of people who suffer from fatal or debilitating diseases.
However, we are not free to pursue gain (financial, health-
related, or otherwise) through immoral or unethical means such
as the taking of innocent life (Deut. 27:25). The history of
medical experimentation is filled with horrific examples of evil
done in the name of science. We must not sacrifice one class of
human beings (the embryonic) to benefit another (those
suffering from serious illness). Scripture resoundingly rejects the
temptation to “do evil that good may result” (Rom. 3:8).

9. What does the law say and can I have a
voice?
No forms of stem cell research or cloning are
prohibited by federal law, though some states have
passed partial bans. Private funds can support any
practice that is legal, whereas federal funds cannot be
used for research on embryonic stem cell lines unless
they meet the guidelines set forth by the National
Institutes of Health in July 2009. For the latest
developments you can stay informed via the
www.bioethics.com and the CBHD-maintained site:
www.stemcellresearch.org.


A Christian perspective on stem cells

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to A Christian perspective on stem cells

Similar to A Christian perspective on stem cells (20)

More from Richard Chamberlain

More from Richard Chamberlain (20)

A Christian perspective on stem cells