preview

Embryonic Stem Cells Essay

Good Essays
Open Document

Embryonic cells should be allowed to be used because of the medical benefits they provide. They can be used to cure diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, traumatic spinal cord injury, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, heart disease, and even vision and hearing loss (nih.gov 2009). There is no problem using them for medical purposes and it is not immoral to use them for this reason. Embryonic cells have the potential to save lives. Therefore, the usage of embryonic cells outweighs the ethical issues.
Although many people argue that the usage of embryonic stem cells is immoral, they are thought to have much greater developmental potential than adult stem cells (nih.gov 2009). While stem cells are not taken from an embryo and are …show more content…

Others develop into muscle cells that can contract and also into nerve cells. Because they have the potential to become such a wide variety of specialized cells, embryonic stem cells are described as pluripotent. Plurip.0otency is one of two key features of embryonic stem cells. The second key feature of embryonic stem cells is their ability to divide or self renew for an indefinite period while retaining their undifferentiated, pluripotent state. As the cell mass grows, the population can be further expanded by growing in larger tissue culture flasks. An unlimited number of undifferentiated, pluripotent stem cells can be produced (Sumanas Inc. 2007).
Once there is an understanding of how embryonic cells are taken from the body, it can be explained why they should be used contrary to the beliefs some people have. First, Embryonic cells can cure diseases. For example, if someone is paralyzed, doctors can take an embryonic cell and use this to cure the patient (nih.gov). A man named Rusty Leech, from Michigan, was able to regain sensation in his body, when he previously could not because of a car accident. Two months of physical therapy and embryonic stem cell injections enabled him to regain feeling below his waist again. He has regained limited muscle use to help him go to the bathroom and move his legs a little on his own. “The results were unbelievable, to feel the sensations in my body that weren’t

Get Access