The Ethical Issues In Stem Cell Research

Stem Cell Research is one of hot point problems in the contemporary biological science and technology, causing extensive concern of each country government and academic circles. But, the research in stem cell problem from the angle of the ethics seems to be weaker .How to make use of the ethics theories to analyze and inquire into the ethical issues in stem cell research, and put forward a series of the ethical governing principle and management suggestion for the stem cell research, undoubtedly is of great significance in both theory and reality. This article in the first chapter give a brief introduction in the stem cell concept, its type and function, the present research condition and prospect of application, providing a scientific background for the later discussion in the article. The second chapter mainly analyses and inquires into the attitude of every country government and scholars for the stem cell research. Due to the diversity in terms of the stem cell research in culture tradition, religious faith, concept of value, there are different attitude for each country government, academic circles and even the great majority public., The government of the United States and England hold restrictedly approval German government maintain the "careful" attitude .China, Japan have a kind attitude of "support with caution". Scholars of each nation and the public also maintain different attitude to a certain degree in the stem cell research on base of each nation's policy and culture tradition. The third chapter focuses on analyzing and expounding the main ethical issues in stem cell research. The author do a comprehensive and systematic research from four sides in stem cell research such as ethical issues bought by definition between "life" and "human being", ethical issues bought by the origin of human embryo stem cell, ethical issues caused by cloning research into the human embryo and ethical issues of gene treatment of the stem cell. In the forth chapter ,the author conducts a ethical survey in the ethical position of the human embryo stem cell from the biological, psychological ,sociological level of "person" or "human being", the author believes that the embryo is a kind of "life" in biology rather than in "personality". But the embryo has a potential power of being "Social person" with certain value, and deserves of respect,we can't manipulate and ruin it without sufficient reasons. According to analysis and inquiry above, the author in the fifth chapter puts forward ethical governing principle and related management suggestions with regard to the charity and saving, respect and autonomy, non-maleficence and beneficence, knowing-circumstances consent, prudence and secrecy, safety-effective, justice-fair, prevention-commodity and so on. Keywords: stem cell research; human embryo stem cell; the ethical issues...