Rose Hercilla
Mr. Hoffman
Biology
Viewpoint: Political
Stem Cells Stem cells are cells that are undifferentiated and can develop into any kind of cell needed in the body. The most common stem cells used for research and referred to are human embryonic stem cells. They are formed in embryos to help establish the body and organs for the fetus. Scientists can now fertilize eggs in a lab, which is a process frequently used for people who have difficulties becoming pregnant naturally, also known as infertility treatment (Coghlan par. 2). The leftover fertilized eggs will go to waste or be donated by will of the patient. Often the eggs sent to go to waste will be used by scientists for their stem cells, which can infinitely multiply to the
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As the modern world enters an era of new ideas and more freedoms, conservative notions are being left behind rapidly.
Embryonic stem cells are found in three to five day old fertilized eggs (Vestal par. 1). The method of using stem cells from embryos is the most commonly used example to fight against stem cell research, however there are various other methods. Stem cells can also be taken from adults, found in “small numbers in most adult tissues, such as bone marrow or fat” (Mayo Clinic Staff par. 14).
Another new technique, which has of late only been tested on animals, is removing one of the eight cells (blastomeres) from the embryo which developed into usable stem cells. The embryos continued the pregnancy to term at a survival rate of 49%, reportedly the same rate for other subjects who had not been tampered with (Coghlan par. 6). The credibility may appear questionable, especially because it has only been performed on mice, but scientist Bob Lanza, who has conducted this experiment, is very sure of his work: “This procedure has been done hundreds of thousands of times, so we know it has a minimal or negligible effect on the embryo” (Coghlan par. 8).
However, not everyone agrees with Lanza: “ ‘It is politically naive to talk about alternatives, and this terminology undermines the moral stance of scientists pursuing the other techniques,” says Arthur Caplan of the Center for Bioethics at the
There are two different types of stem cells that are used in research: embryonic stem cells and non-embryonic “somatic” or “adult” stem cells, (NIH). Embryonic stem cells are derived from human embryos and are usually obtained through the process of in vitro fertilization in a laboratory setting. According to Bevington, embryonic stem cells are left over from attempted fertilization in fertility clinics and are donated to research by the patient with consent, (Bevington 2005). What makes embryonic stem cell research unethical is that the human embryo is destroyed through the research process. Adult stem cells are found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ. The purpose of adult stem cells is to
Most people are against Embryonic Stem Cell research mainly because they consider it unethical to use aborted fetuses for research. The two main issues concerning the research are the ethics (Cons) and the benefits (Pros). In any scientific case, ethics must always be considered. But the use of fetuses is something that is of the utmost importance. The costs are generally measured based off of people’s feelings, morals, and knowledge about the subject up for debate. The use of aborted fetuses for stem cell research may have many positive outcomes that can come of it, but many negative outcomes as well; If using aborted fetuses for research can, in the near future, save lives, then it is a research that should be supported, even though some
There are other less controversial methods of obtaining stem cells, however none of those methods seem to retrieve stem cells with the same “vitality and versatility” as those taken from embryos (Reaves). Umbilical cord blood has proven to be effective in some cases. Keone Penn, a fifteen year old from Atlanta, Georgia, was cured of his sickle cell anemia by receiving a stem cell injection. Although stem cells from umbilical cord blood are high proportioned compared to are own bone marrow and circulating blood (Dr. Andrew Yeager), they are still pluripotent, meaning that they can develop into many of the 220 cell types in the human body, but not all, therefore limiting their usefulness. Another and most obvious alternative would be to take stem cells from already grown adult stem cells. However, scientists around the world soon discovered that there were many setbacks to using adult cells. The first is that adult stem cells are already specified, meaning that if a biomedical technician were to take out a blood stem cell, it could only be used for the replacement of blood cells. Embryonic stem cells, on the other hand, are not specified, or have not yet developed into a certain type of cell. The process is controversial because of the cloning that takes place in a culture. First, the nucleus from an unfertilized egg is extracted. The nucleus contains the chromosomes of the cell, and in this case, the chromosomes of the egg. An egg alone only
All the human embryonic stem cell lines currently in use come from four to five-day-old embryos left over from in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. In IVF, researchers mix a man 's sperm and a woman 's eggs together in a lab dish. Some of those eggs will become fertilized. At about five days the egg has divided to become a hollow ball of roughly 100 cells called a blastocyst which is smaller than the size of the dot over an “i”. ("Myths and Misconceptions About Stem Cell Research.")
There are two main types of stem cells. The first is the Embryonic stem cell. Embryonic stem cells are obviously found in embryos. Human embryonic stem cells are generated by transferring cells from a preimplantation-stage embryo into a plastic laboratory culture dish that contains a nutrient broth known as culture medium. Many people are against embryonic stem cell use because by extracting stem cells from an embryo it destroys it. Also opponents of the research argue that embryonic stem cell
There is a debate over the ethics of stem cell research and many people on opposing sides of the issue are not aware of all aspects. In order to intelligently debate the legal and ethical issues regarding stem cell research, one must understand what stem cells are, the applications currently available, and the impact of the research. It is also important to understand the distinction between adult and embryonic stem cells before exploring their uses and impacts
Stem cells are cells which can essentially form into any type of cell that can be found in the body. There are various types of stem cells. These include embryonic, adult, genetically reprogrammed adult stem cells, and perinatal stem cells. The most versatile, as well as controversial, type of stem cells are embryonic stem cells. These cells are found in 3-5 day old embryos which are formed through in vitro fertilization ("Stem Cell Basics" 1). While scientists have been able to reprogram adult stem cells to act as if they were embryonic, there is yet to be any conclusive evidence as to how the use of the altered cells will affect humans ("Stem cells: What they are and what they do" 1). The use of stem cells is largely focused on regenerative medicine which takes advantage of the stem cells versatility to create and replace damaged tissues in
Firstly, what even are stem cells? Stem cells are cells that can turn into many different types of cells throughout your bedy. Think of it like a mother cell creating endless amounts of children. There are two kinds; pluripotent, ones that can turn into basically every cell in the body, and multipotent, ones that can only for a small number of cells.
Embryonic stem cells are undifferentiated cells from a human embryo which is the beginning development of a baby. Due to the cells being undifferentiated that gives researchers the opportunity to give them a function without problem. Unlike adult stem cells, which are differentiated, that doesn’t give as many opportunities because the area it came from for example a spine cell it has to be put in another spine or it can cause complications. But this is one of the most controversial topics in the science world today due to many not minding the use of embryos but others have religious reasons that say they aren’t allowed to use embryos.
Research regarding each type of stem cell gives way to a moral conflict for many people. In particular, there is much controversy surrounding the advancements and use of the human embryonic stem cells. This is in large part due to the way they are harvested, as extraction cannot be done by doctors and researchers without killing the embryo. There is also a perceived idea that researchers are "playing god". In regard to this moral dilemma, Caulfield and Zarzeczny state "While the majority of these technologies do not involve human embryos and may have distinct scientific purposes and advantages, they are nonetheless commonly linked with hESC research in the prevalent discourse." In other words, despite the fact that stem cell research only involves a small percentage of hESC in the grand scheme and also offers many advantages, people tend to be focused on the morality involving the use of hESC, possibly blinding them to all of the potential positive advantages of the other forms of stem cell research.
Stem cell research is conducted with embryonic stem cells, as well as adult stem cells. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have great potential to develop into many different type of cell and have the ability to treat a wide range of diseases. The main controversy is over the use of embryonic stem cells, these include fertilized eggs created for in vitro fertilization (Camp, 2013).
The answer is subjective, and SCNT faces many opponents from religious and pro-life organizations, since it involves the creation of an embryo with the purpose of destroying it. On the other hand, supporters believe that the treatments that could potentially be developed outweigh its
Adult stem cells can be found in various parts of the body and are used to repair specific tissues in the body, for example stem cells found in the heart turn into heart cells when needed. These cells have been established to become a specific type of cell and are not as easy to manipulate in a lab. The controversy of stem cell research comes to the surface when we examine embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are taken directly from an embryo, before its cells to differentiate. At this stage the embryo is classified as a "blastocyst." There are about 100 cells in a blastocyst, a very large percentage of which are stem cells, which can be maintained in a lab indefinitely, grown in cultures, where the stem cells continue to double in number every few days. A replicating set of stem cells from a single blastocyst is called a "stem cell line" because the genetic material all originated from the same fertilized human egg. President George W. Bush authorized federal funding for research on 15 stem cell lines made available in 2001. Other stem cell lines are also available for research but are currently funded by private
The human embryo for embryonic stem cell research requires the ova from a woman to make this possible. This requires many risks to the woman giving the egg. “Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells positioned in the early embryo” (Miller Ph.D., Levine Ph.D.). Pluripotent means that the cells are capable of developing into most of the body’s cell types and have the ability to aid and cure diseases. (Miller Ph.D., Levine Ph.D.). This pluripotency is what distinguishes between embryonic and adult stem cells. The embryonic stem cells can be generated in every cell type in the body and can indefinitely create themselves making it possible for tissue replacement in addition to finding cures for diseases. “Embryonic stem cells are human embryos that develop after fertilization into a blastocyst” (Miller Ph.D., Levine Ph.D.). Hundreds of immune system diseases and rare genetic disorders are believed to be among the possible to be aided or cured using embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells
Embryonic stem cells are cells found in the human body that have not yet differentiated, or specialised meaning that they have not yet received the specific instructions to become a specific cell. They can be manipulated to turn into any kind of cell, for example, new skin cells for someone with melanoma. Stem cells are found in the placenta, umbilical blood, fat tissue, bone marrow and mew embryos. Embryonic stem cells have an advantage over the other sources of stem cells because the cells have less exposure to the outside world and are relatively easy to access, in situations like in vitro fertilization.