Jen Krannert was a third-year student in the biomedical engineering program at North Carolina State University. She was looking forward to doing a co-op semester in the spring so that she could gain some valuable experience (and earn a little money). She applied to several co-op programs, including programs at Baxter, Biogen, and Boston Scientific. The one that caught her interest most, though, was at GenBenefits, a small biotech laboratory in California. At the interview, GenBenefits’ recruiters talked with her about their work on embryonic stem cell research and how they were on the cusp of some major breakthroughs. She was very excited about the possibility of being part of that kind of research. Two weeks after the interview, Allen Marshall, GenBenefits’ Vice President of Research, called Jen personally to offer her the co-op position. She accepted right away and spent the next hour e-mailing her other co-op opportunities to tell them she had accepted a position. She also called her parents, who were thrilled for her. They were very excited about her being part of this cutting-edge research. The next day, she called her best friend Alice Cravitz, who was a student at Duke University. At first, Alice was enthusiastic, but when Jen told her that she would be working with embryonic stem cells, Alice grew quiet. “What’s wrong?” Jen asked. Alice said, “I just think doing research on embryonic stem cells is unethical. Those are human lives you will be messing around with and ultimately destroying.” Jen became a little defensive. “First, they are embryos, not people. Second, these embryos are the leftover products of fertilization clinics. They will never be implanted and will probably be destroyed anyway. Third, we could save many, many lives with this research.” Sensing Jen’s defensiveness, Alice changed the subject. After Jen hung up the phone, she wasn’t sure how she felt about her co-op now. She realized she wasn’t sure how she felt about embryonic stem cell research, so she didn’t know if she believed it was ethical or not. The co-op was a great opportunity. If she turned it down, she would likely not find another for the spring. Plus, she really believed that this research could lead to some incredible medical breakthroughs. If you were Jen, how might you use the research methods described in this chapter to sort out this ethical dilemma?