Why is there resistance to using embryonic stem cells in research?
Embryonic stem cells come from a very early embryo, called a blastocyst, which is about five days old and 100 cells. Blastocysts are grown and harvested in the laboratory. When the stem cells are harvested, the blastocyst is destroyed. Biologically, a blastocyst is not yet an individual, yet there is concern among some ethicists and religious figures about the ethical implications of experimenting on what some people consider to be a human being with fundamental human rights.
