Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), also known as therapeutic cloning, is a form of scientific research that has the potential to lead to cures and treatments for serious, chronic diseases; SCNT involves the removal of the nucleus of an unfertilized egg cell, replacing it with the material from the nucleus of a "somatic cell" (a skin, heart, or nerve cell, for example), and stimulating this cell to begin dividing. As differentiated from reproductive cloning, SCNT does not aim to create human beings by cloning human embryos; human "Dollies" are not the goal of SCNT, which focuses instead on generating new cellular tissue that can replaces diseased or damaged human tissues and foster improvements in the quality and even the length of human life (Korobkin & Munzer, 2007). SCNT is controversial, however, because it involves the use of human embryonic tissue.
At issue in this analysis is the question of whether embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are a better medium than adult stem cells (ASCs) for scientific research leading ideally to major medical breakthroughs in terms of the prevention and treatment of disease, trauma, and even birth defects. Debate over this issue is quite intense and often emotionally charged (Korobkin & Munzer, 2007). It is all but impossible, according to Fischbach (2003), to consider this debate without reference to ethical concerns centered on whether or not scientific researchers will overtly or covertly obtain illegal ESCs by destroying embryos, or paying women to induce abortions. The questions of which type of stem cells are most likely to generate medical breakthroughs therefore include both methodological and ethical issues. Methodologically, for example, adult stem cells are seen by Fischbach (2003) as more readily available from such tissue samples of those found in adult bone marrow, which can be donated voluntarily by an adult for use in a specific medical treatment or in research.
Those who ...