Sperm Cells from Stem Cells

Scientists in Newcastle, England say they've managed to make human sperm cells out of human stem cells. This is an extension of earlier research done on mice, and it looks like it may still be five years before the technique is perfected. The research promises to eventually cure infertility. If this technique works as advertised, and if viable stem cells can be produced from adult stem cells, then you can make sperm even if the normal process is not working. Good news for infertile men, but there are a lot of other implications here too, which I'll get to in a moment. First, a quote from Josephine Quintavalle from Comment on Reproductive Ethics:

"This is an example of immoral madness. Perfectly viable human embryos have been destroyed in order to create sperm over which there will be huge questions of their healthiness and viability.

"It's taking one life in order to perhaps create another. I'm very much in favour of curing infertility but I don't think you can do whatever you like."

Who is Josephine Quintavalle and why does she get a quote in this BBC article? Scanning the website of CORE, they appear to be little more than a tiny group that believes that embryos should be considered people. I'm not sure what she is talking about when she says that this is 'immoral madness'. So far we are only talking about single cells, grown in culture, and the possibility of restoring lost fertility to men. I highly object to the statement that this constitues taking a life. I also don't think you can do whatever you like, but what does that have to do with the topic at hand? Why did this squeamish prude get the only word on the ethics of this?

If she's going to be so outraged, let's at least give her something to really be outraged about. If stem cells can be harvested from adult humans, and if sperm cells can be thusly created, then women will soon be able to produce sperm! How long will it be before the first lesbian couple has their own child, fully biologically their own? How long will it be before we have the first parthenogenic human? Pretty soon the virgin Mary will seem more like a trailblazer and less like a divine miracle.

Expect a lot of outraged whining from other men who feel like their existence has to be justified by their capacity to reproduce.