This week, we will examine the concept of autonomy, power and morality as it applies to embryonic tissue. You will have the option to choose one issue and then expand fully on your thoughts for that one topic.

We have discovered, over the course of this term, that society helps to determine what we as individuals and we as a collective society, finds to be acceptable and responsible and ethical to do with embryonic cells or tissue. Focus on only one topic for your initial post. Feel free to respond to any of the four topics in your response posts. Make sure that your thoughts are academic in nature and are supplied with evidence in the form of citations and references. Have fun, as you explore they many ways that humans identify with embryonic cells and tissues. Some will see these are potential therefore, human, some will see these are no more than a part of what is a human, but tissue and cellular in nature. We will identify with these arguments based on education, religion, psychology and all other factors that create the very complex animal, the human.

Choose ONE of the following issues and post to its thread with supporting evidence.

1. Discuss what you feel are the potential benefits of stem cell research for Alzheimer’s patients and their families.
2. Share your perspective on the stem cell debate regarding donation of surplus embryos to couples for “embryo adoption.”
3. Why is the task of disposing unused frozen human embryos different from disposing of other medical tissue?
4. Discuss why you think embryonic stem cell research “crosses a moral boundary.”

Use the provided pdf as one of the references.