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AnnaReck
10/23/15
Mr.Rogers
Period4

TheDilemmaofExcessEmbryos

Oneofthemostcontroversialmedicalissuesofourgenerationistheunethicalityof
embryonicstemcellresearch.Stemcellsarecellsthathavenotyetconformedtoaspecifictype
ofbodilytissue,andhavethepotentialto,intheory,becomeanytypeofcellinthebodythrough
variousmanipulations.Stemcellsderivedfromembryosareactuallyextractedfromablastocyst,
presentonly57daysafterazygotehasformed.Extractingstemcellsfromtheinnercellmassof
ablastocystisoneofthefewwaystogainaccesstostemcellsbesidesextractingstemcells
fromthepatientorcreatingthemtediouslyinalab.However,throughthisprocessofextraction,
theembryoisdestroyed.Invitrofertilizationclinicsdiscardanastoundingamountofexcess
embryoseachyearthatshouldinsteadbedonatedtoresearchfacilities,wheretheembryoscould
beputtogreateruse.Manyseethisasdestroyingapotentialhumanlife,andthereforedeclare
embryonicstemcellresearchimmoral.TheEmbryoActof2015shouldbepassedbecauseitwill
allowexcessembryosfrominvitrofertilizationclinicstobeusedinsteadofwasted,embryonic
stemcellresearchcontributestotheadvancementoftreatmentoffataldiseasesmoreeffectively
thanadultstemcellresearch,andtreatmentusingembryonicstemcellsislessinvasivethan
extractingpatientstemcells.
Invitrofertilizationclinicsarepackedwiththousandsofexcessembryosthatcouldbe
puttousebystemcellresearchfacilitiesiftheEmbryoActof2015werepassed.Whenwomen
requestthecreationofanembryousingtheireggs,excessembryosarecreatedjustincasesome

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aredefectiveandharborharmfulmutations.AccordingtoresearchersattheUniversityof
Michigan,
thousandsofembryosthatcannotbeusedforfertilitytreatmentarediscardedas
medicalwasteeachyearbyIVFclinics(StemCellResearch).Iftheseembryoswereinstead
transportedtostemcellresearchfacilities,theywouldbeputtobetterusebyaidingthe
advancementofstemcelltreatments.Womenthatstoreexcessembryosatinvitrofertilization
clinicshavetheoptiontodonatethemtoothercouples.However,itisfoundbyresearchersat
UniversityofMichiganthatforeveryembryothatisdonatedtoothers,morethan100embryos
arediscarded.Fewcoupleschoosetodonate,despitethefactthattheirfrozenembryoswill
eventuallybediscarded.Thereareover400,000embryoscurrentlyfrozeninfertilityclinics
(StemCellResearch).Itisnearlyunavoidablethatthese400,000frozenembryoswillbe
eventuallydiscardedasmedicalwaste.
InastudyconductedbyresearchersattheUniversityof
Pennsylvania,175invitroclinicsoutof217respondentsreportedtobepracticingthedisposalof
excessembryos(ScienceBehind).Thisshowstheincrediblemagnitudeofthemanyembryos
withincrediblemedicinalpotentialthatarebeingwasted.
IftheEmbryoActof2015were
passed,allexcessembryosleftbycouplesatinvitrofertilizationclinicswouldbedonatedto
stemcellresearchfacilities,andvirtuallynoembryoswouldbesimplydiscardedasmedical
waste.Inadditiontoputtingtobediscardedembryostobetteruse,theEmbryoActof2015has
thepotentialtosparkincredibleadvancementsinthetreatmentoffataldiseases.
Embryonicstemcellresearchservesasapromisingstepclosertocuresforcertainfatal
diseases.Astheembryonicstemcellsareextractedfromtheinnercellmassoftheblastocystat
only5daysintoitsdevelopment,theyareundifferentiated,andcanconceivablycureallkinds
ofcancer,aswellasAlzheimers,spinalcordinjuries,andstrokes(FundingtheFuture).

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Embryonicstemcellscanproduceanytypeofbodilytissue,andasaresulthaveagreater
potentialtocurelethaldiseasesthanadultstemcellsthatarealreadyspecifictoonetypeof
tissue.Furthermore,adultstemcellsarefoundinminutequantitiesand
canthereforebe
difficulttoisolate(StemCellInformation).Incontrast,embryosareamoreabundantsourceof
stemcellsasstemcellscanbefoundinalmosttheentiretyoftheinnercellmassofthe
blastocyst.Plus,withsomanyembryosbeingtransportedfrominvitrofertilizationclinicsunder
theEmbryoAct,anevengreateramountofstemcellswouldbeabletobeextractedfrom
embryosincomparisontoadulttissue,provingtobeamorereliablesourceofstemcellresearch
forthetreatmentofdiseases.Supplementarytoembryosbeingmoreefficientsourcesforstem
cellresearchthanadulttissue,embryosasaresourceforstemcelltreatmentsarenotatall
invasivecomparedtousingthepatientstissue.
Extractingstemcellsfrompatientscanbebeintrusive.Usingpatientsasasourceofstem
cellsisgenerallyriskierthanusingembryos,particularlywhendrawingfromthebrainorbone
marrow(Embryonicvs.Adult).Itisimperativetoavoidharmingpatientsatallcoststhereforeif
extractingstemcellsfromadulttissueismoredangerousthanextractingfromembryos,adult
tissueisnotanidealsourceofstemcells.Infact,takinganytypeoftissueingeneralfrom
patientsisnotprefered.Extractingstemcellsfromembryosinflictslessphysicalandemotional
stressonthepatient(EmbryonicStemCells).TheEmbryoActwouldprovideagreatdealof
embryosspecificallyforstemcellextraction,allowingpatientstohavelessstressinflictedupon
themduringtheirtreatmentprocess.Despitetheflexibilityembryosprovidetostemcell
treatmentandresearch,aswellasthecomplicationsassociatedwithadultstemcellsthatare

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eliminatedthroughthesuggestionofembryonicstemcells,peoplearestillhesitantto
acknowledgethemedicaladvancementsthatembryonicstemcellscanlaunch.
SomepeoplemaybeagainsttheenforcementoftheEmbryoActof2015duetoafew
commonmisconceptions.Mostobviously,theuseoftheembryoformedicalpurposesthrough
whichtheembryoisdestroyedisseenbynumerousindividualsasthedestructionofapotential
life,whichthereforesupposedlydeclarestheactasimmoralandunjust.Theseindividualsare
mistaken.TheembryofromwhichthestemcellsareextractedundertheEmbryoActareonly
allowedtogrowto57daysold,asstemcellsareextractedfromtheinnercellmassof
embryosintheblastocyststage(HumanEmbryonic).7daysisonlyatinyfractionofahuman
embryos9monthdevelopmentintoafullyformedfetus.Ifthisminisculeageholdsagreatdeal
ofsignificancetoanindividual,thentheindividualhasamisconstruedfocusinthis
circumstance.ThemaingoaloftheEmbryoActistoprovidetheoptimalsituationsunderwhich
stemcellscanbeextractedtomaximizetheirpotentialtoserveasarevolutionarytreatment.
However,theethicalcontroversyaboutthese5dayoldembryos
haslimited[theembryos]
scientificandmedicinalpotential(Embryonicvs.Adult).Thedebateoverthemoralityof
destroying5dayoldembryoshashaltedtheadvancementinembryonicstemcellresearchthat
wouldprovebeneficialtomanyvictimsoffataldiseases.
Additionally,researchersatthe
UniversityatBuffalohavehighlightedthefactthatsincethespermandeggalonehaveno
potentialforhumanlife,[fertilizing]theminalabculturedoesnotimpacttheLossofFuture
Life(RebuildingtheBody).Thisonlyfurthersupportsthatembryonicstemcellresearchis
becomingincreasingmoreethicalintheeyesofthepublic.Peoplewhocontinuetobelievethatit
iscompletelyunethicalaremissingthepointthatembryonicstemcellresearchhasthe

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incrediblepotentialtosavecountlesslives,andthereforeshouldbeviewedasethicalinthis
sense.Inadditiontomisconceptionsoftheethicalityofdestroyinganembryothroughnecessary
research,itistruethatiftheEmbryoActwereenforced,embryoslabeledclinicallyuseless
wouldbeallowedassourcesforstemcells.Peoplemayassumethatbecausetheseembryosare
deemedclinicallyuseless,theyareunfitanddangerousforstemcellextractionaswell.This
assumptionisfalse,asresearchershavefounditpossibletoderivestemcelllinesfromthese
poorqualityembryos(StemCellLines).Althoughtheseembryosfrominvitrofertilization
clinicsaredestinedtobediscardedduetomutationsandotherimperfections,itisstillpossibleto
extractusefulstemcellsfromthem.Hence,nearlyallembryosbeingdiscardedfrominvitro
fertilizationclinicsarequalifiedtobetransportedtoselectstemcellresearchfacilitiesunderthe
EmbryoAct.
TheEmbryoActof2015shouldbereadilyenforcedbecauseitwillpreventexcess
embryosfrominvitrofertilizationclinicsfrombeingwasted,embryonicstemcellresearch
provestoadvancethetreatmentoffataldiseasesmoreeffectivelythanadultstemcellresearch,
andtreatmentusingembryonicstemcellsislessinvasivethantreatmentusingpatientstemcells.
Embryosfrominvitrofertilizationclinicsthatarebeingfrozenforindefiniteamountsoftime
untiltheyarethrownawayshouldbeseenasunethicallytreated,astheyarebeingultimately
wasted.Transportingthemtoresearchfacilitieswouldmaximizetheirpotentialbysolidifying
ourknowledgeofembryonicstemcellsaswellassavingthelivesofpeoplewithfataldiseases
thatwouldotherwisenotbeabletobecured.Ifsomeindividualsviewusingembryosforstem
cellresearchasunethical,theyareneglectingtheimportanceofafundamentalpoint.Inreality,
whiletheyprotesttheexperimentationofembryonicstemcells,manycitizensoftheU.S.with

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fataldiseasesaredying.Atthispoint,thoseindividualsmustaskthemselvesthisvitalquestion:
whowouldtheyrathersavea5dayoldembryo,orahumanlifewithcloselyheldmemories
andlovedones?

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DeWert,Guido,andChristineMummery."HumanEmbryonicStemCells:Research,Ethicsand
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