Bioethics Test on Stem Cell Research, Genetic Engineering, and Cloning

What are some possibilities of genetic engineering?

\-get rid of genetic limitations

\-genetic diseases, from cancer to crohns, can be altered or eliminated

\-cure lifelong inherited diseases

What is genetic engineering?

• the three ways genetic engineeering has worked

• Suppression: whatever characteristic it is, they are trying to modify it so that it doesnt show up as a disease

• Insertion: the most popular, and they introduce new genes into a cell and splice it together (They graft in new genetic info and hope it does what they want)

• Revision: this is the one with CRISPR where there is a targeted RNA, uses the cells own

What are the Catholic Moral Theological Ethical considerations of genetic engineering

• yes, it is for the good

• The worst part is that most of the experimenting happens on embryos that are then destroyed

• The church would approve of this for therapeutic means

◦ prevent genetic mutations inutero

• Church would stand against wanting to modify us as we are now

• In contemporary scientific circles, we see and name our deficiencies more clearly

definition of a stem cell

An undifferentiated cell of a multicellular organism which is capable of giving rise to indefinitely more cells of the same type, and from which certain other kinds of cell arise by differentiation

What kind of cell is an example of an "adult" stem cell?

Bone marrow blood cell

What sort of cells used in research are harvested for their totipotency from human blastocysts?

Embryonic stem cells

"Nothing will be lost and something may be gained" is the ethical principle argued by those who advocate for research done on what kind of test subject?

Frozen surplus embryos from the IVF process

Why do some researchers advocate for the use of embryonic stem cells in experimentation?

\-physicians have an obligation to use best available treatments-hESC tech is potentially that

\-hESC hold potential for foundational breakthroughs in multiple medial fields

\-the lives of those who suffer from diseases that hESC may treat are of greater value than embryonic human life

Current embryonic stem cell research in the US is limited to what standard?

14 days of embryonic development

If researchers adopted the principle that any medical progress that alleviates suffering is good progress, such researchers may advocate for \__________ embryonic stem cell research.

Cloned

What is another name for "cloning" discussed in our ethics class?

Somatic cell nuclear transfer

What form of cloning requires a surrogate to bring to term?

Reproductive cloning

A common ethical objection to human cloning

\-the clone cannot consent to the act of being cloned

\-the clone is used as a means to another person's end

\-the cloned individual should be afforded rights and dignity rooted in their humanity

The Pontifical Academy for Life concludes a human-rights based argument against cloning that depends on which two principles?

\-equality of all human beings

\-non-discrimination

What kind of cloning was unanimously condemned by Leon Kass and the President's bioethics council?

Reproductive

For what kind of cloning did the Leon Kass and President's council recommend a 4 year moratorium for research and discussion?

Therapeutic

Cloning in which a cloned embryo for the sole purpose of producing embryonic stem cells with the same DNA as the donor cell

Therapeutic

Cloning for the deliberate production of genetically identical individuals

Reproductive

The Roman Catholic moral theological position on cloning holds that human cloning is...

Intrinsically evil

How many human clones are known to exist in the current ethical landscape?

No human clones are known to exist (Raëlian Church claimed to have made one, however their claim is highly unlikely)

What exactly is cloning?

Nuclear transfer that involves the transfer of the nucleus from a donor cell (an adult somatic cell) into an oocyte or early embryo from which the chromosomes have been removed (pluripotent cell)

What is reproductive cloning?

the deliberate production of genetically identical individuals

What is therapeutic cloning?

involves creating a cloned embryo for the sole purpose of producing embryonic stem cells with the same DNA as the donor cell

What is the Catholic moral perspective on cloning?

The official position of the Church both in America and the universal Church holds human cloning to be intrinsically evil, an ethical category typically reserved for things like murder or racism

What is the Pontifical Academy for Life's position on cloning?

The spiritual soul, which is an essential constituent of every subject belonging to the human species and is created directly by God, cannot be generated by the parents, produced by artificial fertilization or cloned

What did the President's Council on Bioethics say on cloning?

The Council holds unanimously that cloning-to-produce-children is unethical, ought not to be attempted, and should be indefinitely banned by federal law, regardless of who performs the act or whether federal funds are involved

What did Leon Kass say about cloning?

\-cloning represents a turning point in human history

\-the crossing of an important line separating sexual from asexual procreation and the first step toward genetic control over the next generation

\-it thus carries with it a number of troubling consequences for children, family, and society

Stem cells

Some cells have regenerative capabilities and have a vast (pluripotent) or nearly total (totipotent) capacity to change or differentiate themselves into specialized cells

What makes the case of embryonic stem cells special?

\-on the one hand, they are thought by many to have greater intentional for differentiation into a wider range of tissues

\-on the other hand, procuring them requires destruction of the embryo

What is an embryo?

1- A human being in their undeveloped state.

What are the stakes for stem cells?

\-potential cures for disease

\-government money

\-loss of embryonic human life

\-scientific researchers' exodus to countries with no research regulation

What are some potential uses of stem cells?

\-missing teeth

\-stroke

\-wound healing

\-spinal cord injury

\-crohns disease

\-certain cancers

What happens after the first 14 days of embryonic development?

The embryo is destroyed at that point