On Moral Incoherence and Hidden Battles: Stem Cell Research in Argentina

Abstract

In this article, the authors focus on Argentina's activity in the developing field of regenerative medicine, specifically stem cell research. They take as a starting point a recent article by Shawn Harmon (published in this journal) who argues that attempts to regulate the practice in Argentina are morally incoherent. The authors try to show first, that there is no such 'attempt to legislate' on stem cell research in Argentina and this is due to a number of reasons that they explain. Second, by examining the role played by different values, conflicting legal and moral views, and the influence of various actors, they attempt to show that the legislative silence regarding stem cell research may not necessarily be a manifestation of a legal/moral disconnection but rather a survival strategy for navigating the long and heated battle on the moral status of the embryo and the kind of treatment it deserves.

Regulating in developing countries: Multiple roles for medical research and products regulation in Argentina and India

“…One institution is the Catholic Church. While there is a risk of broad-brushing away the diversity of opinions toward science within the Church, it can be said that it has acted suspicious of, and resistant to, many aspects and aspirations of regenerative medicine [41,1,39]. This view was widely held by respondents, many of whom viewed the Church, or at least its formal, public positions, as antagonistic.…”

Ethical aspects of aging research

“…Based on significant advances in this research, a new field-regenerative medicine has emerged, with holding promises of opening novel possibilities in the repairing or replacing tissue or organ function lost due to aging, chronic diseases and congenital defects. At the same time, hSC research has raised novel and serious ethical concerns with respect to the source, standardization, banking and distribution of hSCs, obtaining of informed consent, and expectations for clinical treatment (Hovatta et al 2010;Lo et al 2010;Luna and Salles 2010;Ilkilic and Ertin 2010;Á rnason 2010;Kawakami et al 2010).…”

From the Middle Ages to the 21st Century. Abortion, Assisted Reproduction Technologies and LGBT Rights in Argentina

“…Laws regulating these practices were not sanctioned, but in 2005 a particular judicial figure was created thanks to a ruling of the City of Buenos Aires: the special guardian of embryos. This figure could register and protect embryos, much like the legal guardian of minors [9]. The latter legal figure is used in the case of orphans but, in this case, the guardian of embryos oversees ex-uterus embryos.…”