Stem Cell Research in Nursing: Ethical Problems_Please Help

[dobletruble]

Hey guys,

Lets say i was a mother of a patient and my daughter had leukemia. But, the doctors say that stem cell research can be used to save my daughter's life. I ask the nurse what i should do?

1) What ethical principles are associated with such a scenario? (like autonomy vs nonmaleficence)

2) Also, can anyone maybe refer me to a book or website that talks about the nursing ethical issues with stem cell.

Please help answer the above questions

[llg, PhD, RN]

Before we do your homework assignment for you (and maybe be inconsistent with what you teacher is looking for) ... why don't you tell us a little about what your textbook says? ... and maybe a little about what you have learned in class about such things?

Begin to let us know the context of your class and maybe we can be of more help.

[One1, BSN, RN]

I don't think you should have a problem finding peer-reviewed articles about the topic through your school library.

[dobletruble]

This is a general concern of mine. Nothing really to do with class. I know that there are ethical principles in conflict in such a situation but I'm having difficulty figuring them out.

[llg, PhD, RN]

There may be no ethical dilemma here. If the mom has no problems with stem cell research, there is no conflict. She wants her child to live, so she would have no trouble accepting the benefits of the stem cell research.

On the other hand ... the mom may not approve of where those stem cells came from. On one hand, she would want to save her child's life. On the other hand, she would not like to use stem cells that came from a source she disappoved of (e.g. aborted embyos or unused ova that had been harvested for in vitro fertization). That would be the central confict: in order to save her child's life, she would have to support the use of a therapy she disapproved of. Her values would conflict with each other (save child vs. use stem cells from sources she didn't approve of).

That conflct is what makes it a dilmma. In order to do something "good" (save child), she has to do something she thinks is "bad." (use stem cells)

Autonomy: The stem cells might come from an embryo that was prevented from developing into a person without that embryo's consent.

Beneficence: Doing something good to save the child

Nonmaleficence: Violating this principle by "harming" the source of the stem cells

etc.

Personally, I wouldn't have any conflict in that situation because I would not hesitate to use the stem cells. There would be no ethical dilemma for me as I do not consider unused ova and embryos to be full persons entitled to the same rights as viable people. But some people do ... and thus, such a scenario causes a conflict for them. They feel it is wrong to use the stem cells, but they don't want to watch their loved one die, either.