• Question: Do you have any moral preservations about stem cell research?

    Asked by samuellaurie to Ollie on 17 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Ollie Russell

      Ollie Russell answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      Hi,

      In my work I use blood stem cells which are found in everyones blood, so using them doesnt really harm anyone as all i need to do to get them is take a blood sample.

      Other stem cell research involves stem cells taken from embryos. These cells have the ability to form any cell in the body. The vast majority of work done on embryonic stem cells in the UK is done using embryos that have been donated when a woman is undergoing IVF. During IVF a womans eggs are taken from her and fertilized with her husbands sperm and then they are placed in her womb. however, not all embryos function correctly and wont go on to make a baby. If an embryo is abnormal then it wont be put back inside the mother. It will be destroyed. However most of these embryos are given to scientific research.

      By looking at these embryos, whcih can’t form a baby, we can learn about all sorts of disease such as cancer and mitochondrial disease. I think that morally this is OK as you are using something that otherwise will end up in an incinerator to help save lives.

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