Renewing the Stuff of Life: Stem Cells, Ethics, and Public Policy

Stem cell therapy is ushering in a new era of medicine in which we will be able to repair human organs and tissue at their most fundamental level- that of the cell. The power of stem cells to regenerate cells of specific types, such as heart, liver, and muscle, is unique and extraordinary. In 1998 researchers learned how to isolate and culture embryonic stem cells, which are only obtainable through the destruction of human embryos. An ethical debate has raged since then about the ethics of this research, usually pitting pro-life advocates vs. those who see the great promise of curing some of humanity's most persistent diseases. In this book Cynthia Cohen agrees that we need to work toward a consensus on the issue of how we treat the embryo. But more broadly she claims that we need to transform and expand the ethical and policy debates on stem cells (adult and embryonic). This important and much-needed book is both a primer and a means by which to understand the implications of this research. Cohen starts by introducing readers to the basic science of stem cell research, and the core ethical questions surrounding the embryo. She then expands the scope of the debate, looking at the moral questions that will crop up down the line, such as e.g. the use of therapeutic cloning to overcome the body's immune resistance to stem cells; the ethics of using animals to test stem cells; how to disentangle federal and state legal and regulatory policies in pursuit of a coherent national policy; and how to develop an ethics of stem cell research that will accommodate new techniques and controversies that we cannot even foresee now. Her final chapter develops a concrete plan for an oversight system for this research. This is the first single-author book that addresses the many broad ethical and legal issues related to stem cells, and it should be of great interest to bioethicists, researchers, clinicians, philosophers, theologians, lawyers, policy makers, and general readers.

Review :
"This book provides the framework by which the public can intelligently engage in the debate and direct the future application of embryonic stem cell transplantation."--PsycCRITIQUES "Cynthia Cohen's book provides a clear and illuminating overview of the ethical, religious, and policy controversies surrounding stem cell research, while paying close attention to recent scientific developments and promising avenues of scientific exploration. This impressive book not only offers a valuable guide to current debates, it also proposes ways to resolve these disputes that can promote valuable research within defensible ethical limits."--James f. childress, the John Allen Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics and Director, Institute for Practical Ethics and Public Life, University of Virginia "In this timely and comprehensive book, Cohen develops a useful and persuasive framework for thinking about the scientific, ethical, religious, policy and regulatory issues raised by stem cell research. The book contains important contributions to inform the development of ethically sound public policy in the field. Renewing the Stuff of Life is lucidly written and should be essential reading for anyone interested in the subject."--Bartha Maria Knoppers, Canada Research Chair in Law and Medicine, Professor, Faculty of Law and Faculty of Medicine, Senior Researchers, C.R.D.P., Universit� de Montr�al "Cynthia Cohen's well-reasoned analysis and recommendations offer a road map on how to proceed with the contentious and significant field of regenerative medicine. One of the many strengths of this book is that its analysis and recommendations are grounded in careful moral reasoning embedded in the shared values at the foundation of our constitutional system. If you are able to read only one book on the ethics of stem cell research, I recommend that it be Renewing the Stuff of Life."--Audrey R. Chapman, Professor and Joseph Healey Endowed Chair, Medical Humanities and Ethics, University of Connecticut Health Center "It was a pleasure to read this book. Cynthia Cohen sorts out the data and arguments in offering a reliable guide to public policy and the ethics of stem cell research and research cloning."--Timothy F. Sedgwick, The Clinton S. Quin Professor of Christian Ethics, Virginia Theological Seminary "It is certain that this type of research will provide enormous technological possibilities. However, it is not certain that it will be accepted in particular countries without immense public debate.Renewing the Stuff of Life provides the framework by which the public can intelligently engage in the debate and direct the future application of pluripotent stem cell transplantation."--Journal of the American Medical Association "The author uses plain language and well reasoned arguments to provide a book that is informative and accessible to nonscientists and nonethicists. Notably, the readability of the book does not detract from its scholarly weight or the author's authority on the subject."--Doody's