Thanks to the progres in science the man of the beginnings of the third millenium uses the technologies which have been reserved for the highest entities. The development of physics has resulted in discovering many mysteries of nuclear physics and the development of biology and genetics has enriched man’s knowledge of the origins of living organisms and their regeneration. As a result, mankind has been introduced in the fascinating world of stem cells.
For several dozen years stem cells have been used in therapy as bone marrow transplants, in the treatment of leukaemia or other blood diseases. Stem cells are also used in the treatment of burns, non-healing wounds or cornea damages. According to popular conviction, stem cells are identii ed with embryonic cells, which provokes both interest and emotion. Undoubtedly, the embryonic stem cells have the biggest potential to diversify and that is why they may be the best source in the cell therapy. However, because of ethic reservations accompanying these procedures, their use in many countries, including Poland, is much limited or even forbidden. For a few years research has been done to show the possibility to use somatic cells (iPS), whose potential seems to be equal to that of the embryonic cells. The author discusses the qualities and ways of obtaining and using both mature and embryonic stem cells, with particular regard to the necessity for the liberty of scientii c research and a patient’s right to make a choice.
It is often claimed that from the moment of conception embryos have the same moral status as adult humans. This claim plays a central role in many arguments against abortion, in vitro fertilization, and stem cell research. In the paper I show that this claim leads directly to an unexpected and unwelcome conclusion: that natural embryo loss is one of the greatest problems of our time and that we must do almost everything in our power to prevent it. I examine the responses available to those who hold that embryos have full moral status and conclude that they cannot avoid the force of this argument without giving up this key claim. The original version was published in 'The American Journal of Bioethics' 8(7), 2008, 12-19. We would like to thank the Editorial Staff, and particularly the Executive Managing Editor, Summer Johnson PhD, for giving their permission to publish a Polish translation.
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