Think for a moment. Imagine the cure for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, heart disease, spinal injuries and almost every other cruel disease being at the world’s fingertips, but no further research is being done to interpret the use of these treatments. The miracle cure for many terminal illnesses is embryonic stem cells, which are in theory nothing but a ball of around 100-150 cells, yet numerous countries across the world have made their use illegal because it is ‘unethical’. Many people believe that because the embryo has the potential to become a human being, the destruction of these embryos is basically murder. However, the embryo is no older than fourteen days. This means it has no human features and has not differentiated into distinct organ tissues; …show more content…
The woman, who refrained from giving her name for privacy, received embryonic stem cell treatment in trial an attempt to cure Stargardt’s macular dystrophy which she had been battling for 20 years. She has a growing blind spot in the centre of her vision which would only continue to get bigger until she became completely blind and she would have to turn her head to the side to see people’s faces. After the surgery, were 50,000 cells were injected into one eye, she said: “I noticed my vision was so much better overall, and the blind spot seemed smaller” She also stated: “I am really happy with the way it came out, its more than what i can hope for”. This just shows the medical possibilities created by embryonic stem cell research are immense. To miss the boat on carrying out this research could result in thousands, even millions, of unnecessary deaths, not to mention great pain and misery. In spite of this, a vast percentage of the population think that the value of human life out does the ability to alleviate
The transfer of information, often shared through scientific reports and research, puts this topic in a highly international spotlight. Many supporters believe that stem cells will be able to help solve once untreatable diseases or injuries such as spinal cord injuries, skin burns, Parkinson’s disease, and some blood disorders. However, the main argument is if stem cells should be used in finding therapeutic treatments. The use of embryonic stem cells is viewed by many as a moral inconsistency; it is opposed by religious organizations and individuals believing that this research should be abandoned and existing, alternative methods be adapted.
Do the benefits of stem cell research and more specifically embryonic stem cell therapy outweigh the ethical controversies? Answer/Thesis Claim: Stem cell research and therapy is a promising field being held back by ethical issue. Stem cells are a regenerative medicine that can cure numerous diseases such as, cancer, diabetes, leukemia. The main ethical question society presents is, when does life start and what is ethical? The future of medicine and abolishment of diseases is being halted by ethical stigmas, once society accepts this form of regenerative medicine disease control and abolishment will be available.
Medical science has improved exponentially since the 1980’s, when research on stem cells gained interest. Stem cells, found in embryos, blood, bone marrow, and adipose tissue, are undifferentiated, meaning they can change themselves and become more specialized cells. In 1998, a method to derive and grow stem cells in a laboratory from human embryos was discovered, and since then, it has been one of the most debated areas of medical study. Those who oppose research on stem cells argue that experimentation on human embryos and reproductive cloning in any form, such as in Huxley’s Brave New World, is unethical, and often reference the lack of results from said experiments. However, a more realistic view is that stem cell research is an important field of medical science, and while significant advancements have been surely made, more breakthroughs in this field can lead to considerable societal improvements and benefit thousands of patients globally.
Through change and uttermost struggle, the people who care about a subject always seem to push through for what they believe in. For the sake of Embryonic Stem Cell research, the advocates tried their best to show the advancements stem cells may withhold, and for the people who disagree with the research, always seemed to put a new light on the subject, simply humanizing the research. Although the destruction of a human embryo is not something many people would view as ethical, it is something that could hold much promise for those who suffer from terminal illnesses (Sherley). When the miracle of assisting those who could not reproduce children through In Vitro Fertilization transpired the world of stem cell research was acquired (Tauer 924).
The importance of ethical issues is often understated in public knowledge. Embryonic stem cell research should be of the utmost importance in the American society due to increased federal funding and the promises research in this field hold. As with many other controversies, embryonic stem cell research can be described as a dispute between religion and science due to the destruction of a viable human embryo. Depending on the status an individual grants an embryo will likely determine their stance on the issue. Next, many changes in legality and public acceptance have prompted leaders to increase funding and expand research nationally. Since taxpayers’ dollars are at work, the public should be aware of this prevalent and advancing ethical issue and be informed of its specifics. The public should also be aware of the advancements in healthcare that this research promise. Due to the changes in funding and legality, many discoveries have been made, pushing this science further. Many scientists believe embryonic stem cell research holds the key to curing many bodily injuries and deadly diseases such as spinal cord and brain injuries, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. Also, many scientists conceive that, in the future, it will be possible to “grow” human organs from an individual’s stem cells for transplantation. The latter are only a few of the plethora of anticipated and promised treatments research in this field holds. Lastly,
What if there was a way to cure previously in-curable diseases with the help of something in the very first stages of human life, but thousands upon thousands of lives had to be taken to perfect the use of this material? That is exactly what is happening with embryonic stem cells around the world. Pro-life activists, who originally organized to stop the abortions of unborn fetuses, were most angered with the process of actually destroying an embryo solely for research purposes. However, scientists, such as Dr. Andrew Yeager of the University of Pittsburgh, argue that embryonic stem cells are the future of medicine. “This is really where, I think, so much of biomedicine is going to be going in the twenty
Using various academic journals and articles found online (Internet), this paper seeks to cover the use of human stem cells (hSCs) in research for disease modeling and drug development.
Embryonic stem cell research and use is a scientific advancement that could change medical history. There are two types of stem cell research, adult stem cells, and embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells receive a very negative connotation in society, and there are many misconceptions about the process and the ethics of embryonic stem cell research. A large majority of society immediately assume that it is the use of aborted embryos because of the word embryonic, and adult stem cells are not as effective as embryonic. However, this is not the case. Embryonic stem cell research is in progress to help cure and reduce the effects of very fatal and harmful diseases that take many of societies precious lives. If research continues to
Imagine living in a world without cancer, Parkinson 's, or even diabetes. While everyone may wish this is true, people are against a way that researchers can make this possible, which would be by the use of stem cells. There is major controversy on whether or not stem cell research should be allowed, especially when it comes to embryonic stem cell research. Although many consider it to be killing a potential life form, embryonic stem cell research may eventually be acceptable to use because there is consent and a lengthy process to make sure the donor understands what their embryonic stem cells will be used for. That may be viewed as a much better
Researches are continuously looking for ways to cure and treat all kinds of diseases, so why are there limits being put on the kinds of treatments that can be used to treat or cure a disease? Embryonic Stem Cells can be used to treat many different diseases, but some people have their opinion that using these stem cells in medicine is unethical because they are coming from a human embryo. There are countries that have banned the use of embryonic stem cells in medicine, and in America there are people arguing that it should be banned here. But what about all of the lives these stem cells are saving, what if research continues and these embryonic stem cells end up being a cure to a disease? With this in mind, human embryonic stem cells
Through the history of medicine there have been different interventions, inventions, patents, breakthrough discoveries, and cured diseases. However, some of these crucial discoveries have come at an ethical cost to the scientific community which has raised concerns among the different populations of the world. A critical discovery in the world of medicine was the development and use of stem cells to cure tissue, organ, and endothelial damage; the regeneration of hair and auditory neurons; and the potential to cure some of the world’s most puzzling diseases.
Embryonic stem cells research has challenged the moral ethics within human beings simply because the point at which one is considered a “human,” is still under debate and practically incapable to make a decision upon.
While some people might say that stem cell research is immoral and unethical, others believe that it is a magical solution for almost any problem, thus leading to a very controversial issue. Scientists have been searching for years for ways to eradicate incurable diseases and perform other medical procedures that yesterday's technology would not fix. With the rapidly arising, positive research on stem cell technology, the potential that exists to restore any deficiency is in the same way, likely to destroy humanity. America is suffering from its inability to choose who holds precedence over this issue. Too many of us find it impossible to reach a basis for which our differing opinions can be shared and formed into a universal and
Embryonic stem cell research is a highly controversial topic in today's society, this kind of stem cell commits to regenerate any type of tissue. Unfortunately, Embryonic Stem Cell Research has a dark side. To obtain these cells will kill the embryo automatically. In other words, the acquirement of the Human Embryonic Stem Cell includes performing an abortion. To obtain these cells, it would kill the embryo. This has created controversy since abortion is such a divisive topic. Politicians are uneasy to take sides. The Human Embryonic Stem Cell issue is today's Pandora's Box due to all the unwittingly chaos that it can bring to our lives. By having this new option available in the medical world,
The opponents of embryonic stem cells stick to the belief that destroying one human’s life to save and cure others is not worth it because it makes you wonder, where will the line be drawn? Can the killing and experimentation of homeless people, for example, be justified by the possibility of saving a few Alzheimer’s patients’ lives? Will the world allow the destruction of the elderly just to save the younger generation? The opponents of embryonic stem cells realize that if the world begins using embryonic stem cells to make everyone healthier, than there is no telling what the world is willing to sacrifice in order for them to survive and if the world does go down that path, who gets to decide who deserves to live or die? (“Using Embryos is Immoral”). The destructive view that the world has towards embryonic stem cells is made evident not only by the ongoing debate about whether or not embryonic stem cells should be used but also by the restriction placed on embryonic