The world’s first monkey-pig hybrids have been born, and it’s all thanks to stem cells. The genetic material of these baby piglets had genetic material implanted from monkeys into their heart, liver, spleen, lung, and skin. Although the success rates were low, this is still a huge advancement for the future of embryonic stem cells, and the future of our existence.
Although embryonic stem cells offer hope for our future, it is a highly debated topic. Embryonic stem cells are made from a human blastula, or an embryo early in its development. Because the blastula must be destroyed in order for stem cells to form, some see it as an unborn child being killed. Others argue that since the blastula is not a child yet, it never had the chance to develop into a baby.
Fertility clinics create blastulas that are destroyed annually due to surplus, so I believe that using excess blastulas to create stem cells is just a more efficient way of using what would otherwise be wasted. The controversy on this topic is much more extensive when it comes to the ability to alter other organisms, like having a pig with a human brain, etc... but the debate over blastulas reminds me a lot about the current debate over abortions. Obviously it’s different due to the aspect of something growing inside of an already living woman, but it is similar in the sense of whether it is ethical or not to be killing something that could potentially grow into a future human. Another difference with stem cells is that they are being used to benefit those currently living, and could potentially save lives and the future of medicine.
Sources:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1214241/Monkey-pig-hybrid-human-experimentation-Chinese-labs-organs
https://www.eurostemcell.org/embryonic-stem-cell-research-ethical-dilemma
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I agree that using the blastulas for stem cells is a more efficient way of using the surplus rather than throwing them out. This is a hard topic to discuss since it is mostly an ethics debate rather than the pros vs cons of using stem cells. I personally think that stem cells are necessary for further medical treatment of diseases since it would be more unethical to use cells of an actual human rather than a potential one. Stem cells are being used to find treatment for type 1 diabetes, Parkinsons, Huntingtons, and much more.
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