Human embryos in medical research Embryonic stem cell research
is the utilization of stem cells from embryos which can then be
grown in a laboratory culture and produce specialized cells to
treat diseases or used for research purposes. The most common
source of such cells is discarded embryos at fertility clinics -
the process of IVF typically produces two or three 'leftover'
embryos for each treatment, which are usually discarded. The use
of embryonic stem cells in medicine has met with some
controversy, particularly from the pro-life movement that is
concerned about the destruction of embryos that they believe
constitute human life. Adult stem cell research is similar
except it does not use destroyed embryos, and instead is based
on stem cells that can be taken from adults. These cells are
less versatile than those harvested from discarded embryos, but
they do not raise the associated ethical dilemmas.
Unfortunately, adult embryonic stem cells are of little value to
science as a whole. The primary reason fo