Stem Cell Research

Ethical Science, Human Dignity, and Real Medical Progress

Stem cells are a remarkable and important part of human biology. Their unique ability to divide and develop into specialized cells has led many researchers to hope they could play a role in treating disease and injury.

Tennessee Right to Life supports ethical scientific research that seeks cures and treatments without destroying innocent human life. For this reason, it is essential to understand the critical differences between embryonic stem cell research and ethical alternatives.

What Are Embryonic Stem Cells?

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent, meaning they have the capacity to differentiate into many different cell types. Because of this, they are often described as holding great promise for medical research.

However, these stem cells are necessary for the embryo’s development.
Isolating embryonic stem cells requires destroying the human embryo.

Once removed:

• The embryo’s life is ended
• The stem cells are grown in laboratories
• “Stem cell lines” are created, frozen, or manipulated for experimentation

While embryonic stem cell research is often portrayed as the “holy grail” of medicine, no cures or therapies have resulted from this research, and scientists acknowledge there is no timeline for when, or if, such cures will materialize.

Major Problems With Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Uncontrollable Cell Growth

In natural human development, embryonic stem cells differentiate rapidly and in a highly organized way. Outside the embryo, this process is unstable and unpredictable.

• Differentiation is difficult to control
• Cells may grow abnormally
• This instability can lead to teratomas, uncontrollable tumors containing disorganized tissue such as bone, muscle, teeth, and heart cells

Immune System Rejection

Because embryonic stem cells originate from a different human being:

• A patient’s immune system may reject the therapy
• Lifelong immune suppression may be required

This creates additional medical risk.

No Proven Success

Despite decades of research and enormous financial investment:

• No cures
• No treatments
• No successful clinical trials in the United States

To continue this research, scientists must obtain more embryonic stem cells, which means the continued destruction of human embryos.

How Embryonic Stem Cells Are Obtained

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

In IVF:

• Multiple eggs are fertilized in a laboratory
• Only one or two embryos are typically implanted
• Remaining embryos are frozen, destroyed, or donated for research

Embryos donated to science are allowed to develop to the blastocyst stage, at which point embryonic stem cells are removed, ending the embryo’s life.

Additional Ethical Problems:

• Immune rejection remains likely
• The embryo being destroyed never benefits from the research
• Acquisition depends on parental donation, limiting availability

Cloning (Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer – SCNT)

In cloning:

• The nucleus of an egg is removed
• DNA from a fully formed human cell is inserted
• The egg is stimulated to divide, creating a new human embryo

After 7–14 days, this cloned embryo reaches the blastocyst stage and is either:

• Implanted in a surrogate mother, or
• Destroyed to harvest stem cells

This process treats human life as raw material for experimentation.
Read about the problems with cloning by clicking here.

Why Embryonic Stem Cell Research Must Be Rejected

• It requires the intentional destruction of innocent human life
• It has not produced a single successful cure or therapy
• It creates incentives to exploit women for eggs
• It normalizes viewing human beings as research tools

Scientific progress should never depend on killing human beings, no matter how small or unseen.

Ethical Stem Cell Research: A Better Way Forward

While embryonic stem cell research has failed ethically and scientifically, adult stem cell research has succeeded.

Adult stem cells have been used successfully in treating:

• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Autoimmune disorders
• HIV and other serious diseases

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)

In 2006, Nobel Prize–winning scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered a method to reprogram adult cells to behave like embryonic stem cells.

This breakthrough:

• Avoids embryo destruction
• Reduces immune rejection risk
• Produces ethically sound research pathways

Regardless of potential benefit, the end does not justify the means. Ethical science is not a barrier to progress; it is the foundation of it.

Tennessee Right to Life’s Three Principles on Stem Cell Research

Hope for Healing

Tennessee Right to Life joins others in hoping scientific research can lead to treatments and cures for disease.

Opposition to Destruction of Human Life

We oppose any research, whether abortion or experimentation, that requires the destruction of innocent human life, including embryonic stem cell research.

Support for Ethical Alternatives

We fully support ethical research using adult stem cells and other methods that respect human dignity.

Resources & Further Reading

• Read about the problems with cloning Read about the problems with cloning by clicking here.
• Ethical Stem Cell Research educational materials Click here to download the educational document below.

Closing Reflection

Scientific advancement and respect for human life are not opposing values.
True progress protects both.

Tennessee Right to Life remains committed to advancing ethical science that heals without harming and cures without killing.