The concerns and benefits of cloning.
-Siddhartha Rana / Writing in Sciences ENGL 21003
Could the Inquiries raised upon the HeLa experiment and the organ trafficking scandal from California planned Parenthood Facility guide to a progression in the field of science, or chaos and treachery can take place against humanity?
Author of the Scientist Magazine, Katrin Zimmer stated that the way the professionals treated ms. Lacks, it is “nationally acknowledged as a shameful episode in the history of biomedical research” (Zimmer,2019,p.1). The issues raised in response to individual privacy and especially the color of her skin. Ms. Lacks story is very similar to the Tuskegee’s syphilis study in which government researchers followed “poor African- American men with syphilis for 40 years” and neither they were told or talked about the existence of its cure (Klitzman,2017,p.2 ).
Actions from the HeLa incident, it was a six-year-long debate about how it violates the “common rule.” It is a set of regulations entrusted in the 1990s to “ensure that all federally funded research conducted on human subjects is done ethically”(Zimmer,2019,p.1).
Affairs regarding the planned parenthood subject, The chairman of the House energy and commerce subcommittee on health, Rep.Joseph R.Pitts stated the incident is “especially gruesome, and it shows, once again, the barbarity of what takes place at planned parenthood clinics across the country” (Wetzstein,2015,p.2).
Regarding the issue, 5 U.S states have already defunded planned parenthood due to the admit of overlooking the procedures to harvest intact body parts for trafficking and “seeking 10 years of data about all abortions, late-term abortions, born-alive … abortion techniques to increase the odds of preserving intact fetal tissue and organs” the top-level employees.
Also, California law forbids any experimentation on a fetus with a perceptible heartbeat. That proposed the “federal government to halt its $500 million a year support to the planned parenthood” and to put in an investigation (Wetzstein,2015,p.3).
With all the ethical concerns regarding these science-based experiments, it will be tough for the general public to ensure trust upon the professional doctors and scientists. Also, to construct a proper balance between the question of privacy and the development of science by projecting research will be arduous. But, overlooking the concerns and emphasizing the benefits of advancements through cloning is quite shocking.
Both planned parenthood and Ms. Lack’s incident it is based upon the therapeutic cloning technique, which is aimed to create tissue to replace damaged tissues. This technique uses the embryonic stem cells, to grow healthy tissues in the laboratory that can be used to replace injured or diseased tissues. It has a unique ability to generate virtually all types of cells in an organism. The public outrage regarding how Planned parenthood in California violates its the law and is an inhumane procedure against the fetus is reasonable. But, it allows the possibility to learn more about the molecular causes of disease. With the study of embryonic stem cell lines of cloned embryos derived from the origin, it “allows to differentiated tissues derived from ES cells, which are excellent tools to test new therapeutic drugs.”
Also, allowing the research by balancing the concerns, it supports the “compassion and dignity for women’s most personal medical decisions,” as stated by Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood (Wetzstein,2015,p.3).
Concerning the HELA experiment, it is a valid issue of privacy and race, regarding the time period. But, the product of the operation allowed saving many lives and advancements in medicine. The development of HPV vaccines are now widely available, “reducing cases of HPV infection in teenage girls by almost two-thirds” (Samuel,2017,p.1).
By the HeLa experiment, it has opened many doors for knowledge of “how some cells manage to stay young” even over time (Samuel,2017,p.2). The experiment allowed the development of education for the younger generations. During the period of Ms. Lack’s death, the polio was the most dangerous viral disease, but with the HeLa cells, it helped the vaccines to be available sooner. Which efficiently helped to eliminate polio in the rest of the world.
With the availability of HeLa cells, malignant diseases, i.e., HIV, herpes, Zika, measles, and mumps, can be studied to ascertain the cure shortly. Which allows constructing a world to treat any disease and have a healthy population.
In the endnote, with the concerns regarding the HeLa experiment and the Planned parenthood story. By the power invested upon them, it is for the public to decide whether there should be an improvement in the name of science or follow the moral decisions that have kept them alive.
Work Cited:
- Zimmer , K. (2019, February 19). Scientists Raise Concerns About Revisions to Human Research Regulations. Retrieved from https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/scientists-raise-concerns-about-revisions-to-human-research-regulations-65485.
- Klitzman , C. (2015, August 19). Planned Parenthood kept aborted babies alive to harvest organs, ex-technician says. Retrieved from
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/19/planned-parenthood-kept-aborted-babies-alive-to-ha/
- Leah , S. (2017, April 14). 5 important ways Henrietta Lacks changed medical science
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