This article was written by Katherine Brind'Amour of the Embryo Project. The Embryo, "is a collection of researchers who study the historical and social contexts of reproductive medicine, developmental biology, and embryology." So they are clearly a stakeholder on the issue and are supportive of embryonic stem cell research. Despite this, Brind'Amour does very good job of being objective on the issue and outlining the possible problems with induced pluripotent stem cell research. In the ending claim that I have highlighted, she clearly states the possible benefits and problems of iSPC research. She says that the research of iSPCs is very favorable and has a lot of potential, especially, to replace ESC research however it presents it's own moral/ethical dilemmas that have not been considered by most. The basis of her claim is that iSPCs would be induced into embryonic cells which, although is a possibility, isn't necessarily the goal of iSPC research. Using iSPCs in regenerative medicine doe not require that they be reprogrammed to embyronic cells, rather that they be reprogrammed to tissue specific cells. However, it might be ideal that they are reprogrammed to embryonic cells so that they can be specialized into any kind of cell. For the sake of her argument we will assume that iSPCs are being reprogrammed to embryonic cells. She outlines a lot of possible dilemmas in iSPC research including ethical dilemmas, oncogenic or cancer-causing cells, and little regulation. For one, there are a lot of ethical dilemmas that have been overlooked. Using an individuals somatic cells to create embryonic cells would make them an exact replica of that individual's genome and would technically be cloning. This is unethical in many ways and is illegal in most countries. Another ethical dilemma is the creation of chimeras which are organisms with cells from more than one source. Chimeras are also illegal in most countries. The main arguments against ESC research are that it violates informed consent, improper inducement, and health and safety risks of women. However, iSPC research could create a whole different level of moral and ethical problems. Second, the use of iSPCs for regenerative medicine could have unknown effects such as creating oncogenic or cancer-causing cells. Further research could eliminate this risk but it could be something that is being overlooked. Third, there is little to no regulation on iSPC research. We know that there is a lot of regulation on ESC research because it is widely debated that it violates the dignity of life. There is no shortage of publicity and debate on the ethical problems of ESC research, however, the ethical dilemmas of iSPC research are frequently overlooked and do not receive much publicity. If this research is to continue in depth then there needs to be regulation to prevent the ethical dilemmas I already listed. Overall, Brind'Amour does a great job of remaining objective in her argument. She utilizes logos, ethos, and even pathos to win her audience over. She establishes ethos by remaining objective in her argument, logos by presenting citations, and pathos by using ethical dilemmas that most have overlooked.
Brind'Amour, By Katherine. "The Embryo Project Encyclopedia." Ethics and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. The Embryo Project Encylopedia, 10 June 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
Sites used to help interpret article
"Cloning: Frequently Asked Questions." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.
"The Embryo Project Encyclopedia." About. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2016.