Essay on Fetal Tissue Transplants

Fetal Tissue Transplants Term Papers

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Is the transplantation of nueral tissue considered an

ethical procedure?

The transplantation of human fetal neural tissue into

the brains of humans suffering from progressive

neurodegenerative disorders is one of the hottest arguments

currently being debated. Fetal neural tissue is being used

as a possible treatment for some diseases. The treatment

and possible cure for many of these diseases falls upon the

successful transplantation of fetal neural tissue from the

brain, spinal chord and peripheral nervous system. Some of

the possible beneficiaries of these transplants would be

those with Parkinson's disease, a common neurodegenerative

disorder of the nervous system.

Fetal tissue transplantation involves injecting fetal

tissue obtained through electively aborted fetuses into

another human being. Because fetal tissue deemed most

appropriate and acceptable for transplantation is primarily

obtained from elective abortion procedures, many concerns

have arisen in the public, political, and scientific

communities. It is because of their unique characteristics

that fetal cells are far more ideal for use in tissue

transplantation than tissue derived from an adult donor.

Fetal tissue grows much faster than tissue obtained from an

adult donor, a few fetal cells from a donor have the

potential of replacing a large number of host cells.

Fetal tissue transplantation is a relatively new

procedure that has a rather large history behind it. The

first attempts to transplant human fetal tissue into patients

took place in the 1920's. The first major success using

fetal tissue to treat a medical condition was in the 1950's

when a vaccine for polio was developed. There was relatively

little public concern about the use of fetal tissue until the

late 1980's when the procedure of fetal tissue

transplantation became known.

In 1988, researchers in New Mexico reported in The

New England Journal of Medicine their results of human fetal

neural tissue into the brains of patients suffering from

Parkinson's disease. This case later became well known as

the La Roza case. In their report on a transplantation of

fetal tissue substantia nigra, the tissue was transplanted in

the caudate nucleus of a fifty-year old male with a nine year

history with Parkinson's disease. Prior to the

transplantation procedure, he was suffering from severe

symptoms associated with the latter stages of the Parkinson's

disease, particularly severe muscle rigidity and tremor.

Three months after the transplant there was considerable

improvement in his tormenting symptoms. As a result of the

procedure, his ridgedness and tremors decreased noticeably.

Also, the patient was able to control his remaining symptoms

with a much lower dosage of medication then before.

In response to the apparent success of the La Roza

transplants and initial hints of a possible breakthrough cure

for Parkinson's disease, US medical scientists had decided to

join the race to cure this terribly debilitating ailment

through fetal neuro-tissue transplants. They realized,

however, that any truly legitimate effort would require

federal funding. It was the request from the National

Institute of Health (NIH) for funding for human fetal tissue

transplantation research that ignited intense researches into

the procedure of fetal tissue transplantation in the United

States.

With this tremendous breakthrough in biomedical science

that may someday relieve the suffering of millions of people

with various neurological inflections came great controversy.

Intense moral and ethical debates surround the use of fetal

tissue for research and transplantation procedures. Debates

began soon after the United State Supreme Court legalized

abortion in Roe v. Wade and continues to this day with debate

in congress concerning the passage of the Morris K. Udall

Bill, which upon passage will provide one-hundred million

dollars a year for Parkinson's disease research.

In March 1988, Robert Windom, a strong Right to Life

supporter, rejected the NIH's funding request and issued a

moratorium on federal funding for research on fetal tissue

obtained through induced abortions. This effectively stopped

all research on fetal tissue in federally funded

laboratories. Even though the moratorium only applied to

federal funding, in reality it stopped all legitimate

research involving fetal tissue because of the enormous costs

associated with a single operation easily exceeding $50,000.

Private researchers were discouraged and unwilling to take a

chance on such expensive experiments without the likelihood

of being reimbursed for their time and expense. In support of

the moratorium, President Bush stated that the ban was not an

absolute ban on fetal tissue research, nor was it banning

federal funding of all types of fetal tissue research. He

reiterated that the moratorium was only applicable to federal

funding of fetal tissue research obtained from induced

abortions. Federal funding could still be obtained for

research using tissue from spontaneous abortions

(miscarriages), ectopic pregnancies and stillbirths. In

conclusion, President Bush stated that the Nation's best

interest would not be served through granting federal funds

for research that was "promoting and legitimizing abortion"

and which is deemed "morally repugnant" to many Americans.

In May 1992, in an attempt to appear sympathetic to the

needs of medical science while not alienating its close ties

with the anti-abortion groups, President Bush's

administration agreed to establish...

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