Now, however, the nascent and remarkably revolutionary field of tissue engineering allows us to think forward and to ponder potential areas of moral controversy before they surface. This is preventive ethics, and the fact that the PTEI has solicited these comments is a testimony to its commitment to sustaining a high level of responsible science. As I see it, there are five general areas of ethical concern in tissue engineering. The development of cells, tissues and, eventually, organs will, in many cases, require stem cell research. Here there is heated debate concerning the use of stem cells derived from early embryos, despite the growing evidence that embryonic stem cell research will enable the cure and treatment of an array of intractable diseases and conditions.
Opponents decry the use of embryos for utilitarian purposes.
Embryonic stem cells are derived from excess IVF embryos and terminated pregnancies. Critics raise questions regarding the moral status of these early embryos. One way to alleviate these concerns lies in the direction of continued efforts to obtain stem cells cultured from non-embryonic cell lines, such as current research on neural stem cells from adult brains. Besides stem cell research, there are also a host of issues pertaining to tissue engineering s impact upon xenotransplantation. For instance, critics point to the need to draw parameters around breeding animals solely for human benefit.