Exploring the Moral Fortress
Exploring the Moral Fortress The controversy of stem cell research raises concerns of immorality as well has benefit of humanity. The immorality possesses a strong basis in religion and principals of life while the benefits of humanity overlook or prove morality on the basis of cost-benefit analysis. Religion and personal beliefs of life create the immorality argument. On the other hand, religion also creates an argument proving forms of cloning were biblically permissible along with research demonstrating its many benefits to humanity. These benefits are a crucial point of the morality argument. Primarily, stem cell research could pose immense benefit to humanity. With research progression, the potential of stem cells could be developed into cures for “a wide array of injuries and degenerative diseases that are disabling or even fatal.” These cures would be developed from the cloning of over 200 tissue types that stem cells have the ability to become. Despite the potential, the research of stem cells has shown little progression since their discovery in 1993. At first glance, stem cell research looks to be going nowhere fast, however there are arguments to be made mentioning factors that pose considerable restriction upon its research. The most controversy causing restriction was George W. Bush’s vetoing of H. R. 810. This would have fueled stem cell research with the donation of embryo, from fertility clinics, that would have been thrown away otherwise. This veto restricted stem cell research facilities to use of embryos coming from the small number of sources from before. Bush’s based his decision off the morality conflict that embryos are destroyed in the process of harvesting of stem cells. This policy was reinstated by president Obama “in 2009, calling the controversy ‘a false choice between sound science and moral values’” (Allen 17). The moral values he speaks of refer to the conflict created by destruction of viable embryo. The harvesting of stem
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