Equity for the Unborn

This is simultaneously a very simple, and extraordinarily complex issue. Those who believe that life begins after the point at which embryos used in stem cell research are destroyed get a "pass" from this debate. Much to my chagrin, I've still not found myself a firm footing along the path of demarcation. This is so core to the entire stem cell debate (and the even more volatile abortion debate, which also seems to rob me of any easy answers) because until one defines where life begins, how can one assign rights to a biological entity? As a Christian, it would be easy to pass the thinking off to others and just accept the conventional wisdom within that realm that life begins at conception, and any interference after that point is morally unacceptable. However, I don't find it quite so simple.

If one takes the position that personhood is achieved in stages, then we get back into the communitarian vs. individualism argument. In Ruse & Pynes chapter 14, McGee and Caplan make the argument that even if an embryo has the moral status of a a person, that status neither guarantees "the right to gestation, or a risk free path into maturation". Further, they argue that it is wrong to attribute a "super status" that outweighs the needs of others in the human community. These are good points, but they conflict with my support of the individualist arguments. That is to say that I feel that the rights of the individual do outweigh those of the community.

I find encouragement in the recent developments around induced pluripotential stem cells. To be able to continue stem cell research and to possible realize some of the things that have been promised while sidestepping the issues of demarcation seems to be a huge benefit. However, in my term paper, I looked at this issue and don't think that there will be any escape from this debate any time soon. As I discussed in my paper, even if iPS cell research comes to fruition, embryonic stem cell research isn't going away, for a variety of reasons.

I'd like to say that I've come to some sort of conclusion on this, but throughout the readings and discussion, I find myself more conflicted than when I began.