Controversial Remaining Ethical Questions

Stem cell therapy offers a unique approach with enormous potential to repair damage caused by diseases, especially those related to degeneration with advanced age. The ethical conduct of controlled studies with appropriate measures is essential to close the gap between basic research and translational medicine. Ethical principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, respect, and autonomy are required. Regulatory agencies are not infallible and often have their own ethical standards. Anti-aging therapy using stem cells does not result in creating a transhumanistic new species between man and machine. Parthenogenesis provides the opportunity to isolate stem cells from unfertilized eggs that do not develop into embryos. The use of human oocytes remains controversially discussed. Modern biotechnology, such as somatic nuclear transfer among other techniques, might represent alternatives to embryonic stem cell usage, but long-term effects still raise ethical concerns, similar to the use of induced pluripotent stem cells. The human right to health and the choice of care must be respected, even if it includes unapproved but potentially beneficial therapies.