Destruction of Life

Hey, there's a rally going on in my town discussing stem cell research, and I had an insanely intresting conversation with a person against and a person for it over dinner. The points from both sides were intreaguing. The first's argument was the destruction of a sentient human being in the fetal stage for harvesting, and likend it to the enslavement in the Matrix (Harvesting human bodies for one specific purpose, only stem cell doesn't give the luxury of a sim-world or life.) The one for it ran the mentality for 'the needs of the few are second to the requirements of the many' and described that the potential benefits of stem-cell research "far outweigh the petty whims of a disillusioned individual." (At that point, the discussion ended pretty abruptly.) so I'm wondering...further in, what's the goals, the drawbacks, and your ethical standpoint on the issue? I'm listening- I have a debate in two weeks on the subject and I haven't chosen a side until I've been informed by both sides.
So.....PLEASE HELP ME!

read all this for a good start

http://www.captaincynic.com/thread.php3/thrdid=17488-u-frmid=21

stem cells are just that, cells. they may be the start of a person but they cannot think, see, feel, or hear. you have to look at the subject from either a scientific or a religous standpoint. you cannot do both, they are incompatible. i choose scientific fact over religion any day. if we followed the church we would still be in the dark ages and throwing women in water to see if they float. religion has no place in science unless your trying to be "politically correct" which is a whole other area of b.s. that should go away also.

thanks wyote- missed that.

Point 1: I've never seen anyone, even a good christian girl, give a funeral to a tampon. Though there is a 'potential human' somewhere among its weaves.

Point 2: The emptied egg is filled with YOUR DNA. Essentially, making a copy of you, not a new human being, and as you are still alive after the stem cells are harvested(Not to mention put back where they came from... you), you can't really say you've killed yourself.

So where's the moral problem? No murder has been commited, and the egg used is the same as all the eggs that end up in the rubbish or down the toilet each and every day.

stem cell research apparently is harvesting those cells which have the potential to become any cell in the body, which can only be obtained from a fertilized fetus. Obtaining those cells results in DESTROYING the fetus as a result. The moral issue is wheather or not a fetus is conscious at the early stage of developement, and if it is, then the argument is the destrucion of a living soul is without question murder.

Quote:
The emptied egg is filled with YOUR DNA. Essentially, making a copy of you, not a new human being

Huh? The copy of you is a completely independant organism from the host, and hence is an individual human being. The genetic info is the same, but he/she is an individual.

Yes but it's only a single cell. you probably lose thousands or millions of cells over the span of a week. Personally I don't have a problem with stem cell research becasue a stem cell can be used to grow an arm, leg, organ, etc... and the organ would be an almost identical copy of the one you were replacing. Furthermore, the cell does not have a conciousness, and while it is alive, so is every oneof your blood cells, but people routinely kill blood cells when they cut themselves.

Stem cell research would allow people who desperately need an organ transplant to essentially receive their own organ, meaning they would no longer have to wait for someone genetically simmilar to them to die before they can get the organ they so desparately need, and sometimes these people die while waiting for the organ.

I understand why some people are opposed to stem cell research, and they have a good reason to be. Genetically it involves taking human life. However, the chance that the same stem cell would develop into a human through natural means is extremely remote. Furthermore, not all stem cells develop into a person. Some stem cells are only intended to develop into a bone, or a hand,and it is these cells that the reasearch is mainly focused on.

If stem cell research were allowed to continue, there would be almost no complications due to incorectly matched organs, and there would be far fewer deaths casued by the fact that the person could not receive the appropriate organ in time. with stem cell research diabetes could potentially be cured with an operation, and far fewer people would suffer becasue no organ could be found for them.

Well, seeing as how the stem cells are harvested at 2 weeks, the small beginnings of a brain are visible, but it's size/computing power - therefore chance of consciousness - is equivalent to that of a large insect.

Would you call a large insect conscious? Do you have any problems with killing insects?

This, as always, should be a personal decision. If I want a new arm, and I find someone willing to donate their eggsfor the purpose, or in the future, buy artificial eggs, then the arm is as good as mine(Excuse the pun ).