PHI 2396 Lecture Notes - Embryonic Stem Cell, David Alan Stevenson, Deontological Ethics
Document Summary
Ethics and policy in embryonic stem cell research by. Embryonic stem cell research raises ethical questions because the stem cells in question need to be first derived either from human aborted fetuses or from preimplantation embryos. The research which uses these stem cells that have already been derived for a specific research, is not complicit, and therefore, should not be considered immoral: another principle of complicity is the no benefit principle. According to this principle, if the research(s) somehow benefit(s) from an immoral derivation (wrongdoing), then the research should be considered immoral. Robertson cautions again that this principle seems to be too broad to be taken seriously. The first case scenario that robertson explores is when the stem cells are derived from aborted fetuses. According to him, people that oppose abortion should not feel the embryonic stem cell research is immoral on the same grounds as abortion, because the stem cells are removed from the fetuses after they"re already dead.
