Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
through the California State Legislature, with one observer calling
him 'Mr Prop 71' (cited in Dolgin, 2010). While the implementation
of Proposition 71 has been controversial, the effect of injecting a
significant amount of funding into human embryonic stem cell
research in one state alone is argued to have been vitally important
for the continuing success of the industry, especially given the
restrictions on federal funding (Dolgin, 2010). Overall, the victory
of Proposition 71 in California demonstrates the role that the
community can have in transforming the implementation of
experimental technologies.
2.1.2 Stemcelltourism
Stem cell tourism is another area that is having a significant impact
on the potential market share of stem cell products. A form of
medical tourism, stem cell tourism is becoming increasingly
widespread (Qiu, 2009). Stem cell tourism is a much maligned
practice, with critics arguing, on the one hand, that it involves
unethical conduct on behalf of the suppliers, that such dubious
practices will undermine the future success of the stem cell enterprise,
and that governments should do more to crack down on these
unscrupulous practices (Qiu, 2009). On the other hand, patients and
their representatives argue that there is insufficient evidence of the
effects of the treatments to insist that such procedures be banned
outright (Qiu, 2009).
Travel for medical reasons has been long-established (Connell,
2006). In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, for example,
'taking the waters' was a confirmed practice for Europe's middle
classes (Connell, 2006). In more recent years, significant increases in
the costs of healthcare and the growing length of waiting lists for
non-urgent procedures in developed economies have combined with
the emergence of high-tech health sectors in developing or newly
industrialized nations and decreasing costs of air travel. This
has made the option of relocating elsewhere for treatments like
cosmetic surgery and other kinds of non-urgent healthcare and
dentistry, potentially combined with some more traditional tourist
