P/S/27. Americans stand on stem-cell research: does it require the death of embryos?

The paper comes up with the hypothesis that the terms ástem-cell and áhuman embryo stem-cell are confused by the media and public making opinion poll results unreliable. The controversy of terms is analyzed in regard to moral and ethical implications of using embryonic stem sells for medical purposes. The key issue of the debate is: are deaths of embryos justifiable? The paper surveys various opinions on the problem in question and stresses that using adult cord stem cells for medical purposes does not require the destruction of human embryos: these cells are taken from the patients own organs via biopsy. The issue has an important social consequences since it is connected with public funding of the research.