Pros And Cons Of Stem Cell Research

Embryonic stem cell research is a highly debated and sensitive topic.  There is a lot of good that can come from researching this technology of stem cell research because many people all across the globe would benefit from it.  The United States will soon fall short while other countries are already using this advancement if we cannot come to a logical conclusion on this vital issue.

If we were unable to research or experiment to better our society, we would not be anywhere near where we currently are in the medical world. The benefits of stem cell research really could push us that much more forward and get us that much closer to possibly finding cures for incurable diseases. This is a huge milestone for science and should continue to be researched. However, no matter the benefits stem cell research has and will remain an ethical debate for many years to come. We need to be able to open our mind to all the opportunities that stem cell research could generate instead of automatically jumping to conclusions regarding

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

Whenever these fertilized eggs are unwanted and unused by potential mothers, they are often donated to stem cell research labs without the full consent and understanding of the person whose genes are in the embryo. The embryo is immediately placed in a petri dish that replicates the environment of a mother’s uterus and allowed to begin growing into the person it would be. At this stage, the embryo can still be placed into a woman and has the potential to form a human life. The life is allowed to grow and form not only more stem cells, but specified cells that would have later formed every part of the natural body, including the building blocks for lungs, a tiny beating heart, and even eyelashes. However, these lives are never given the chance to live. They are rather allowed to begin developing, and then are dissected live, injected with toxic substance in order to gain a reaction, or mixed with the live cells of a deadly disease

Stem cells make up every organ and tissue that reside inside the human body. These cells help to regenerate and replace defective tissues and cells that are injured and destroyed within our body everyday. Former President, George W. Bush, felt so strongly opposed to the development of this research that he cast the first veto of his presidency when Congress tried to broaden the scope of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007. In this veto he stated that, “This bill crosses a moral line that I and others find troubling.” (1)

I am interested in the controversial topic of embryonic stem cell research. It is an interest of mine because I have a strong like for biology, and in my AP biology class we learned about the pros and cons on this topic and it intrigued me. My question for writing projects three and four is; should embryonic stem cell research be allowed? Throughout my essay I will be describing both sides of this controversy and explaining my opinion on it. This is the main controversial topic in biology, many individuals think it is either the killing of an infant, and others believe it is a door opening chance for research to finding many cures or reasons for birth defects. Stem cells are an undifferentiated cell of a multi-cellular organism that is capable

patients become greatly disappointing and disheartening and leads them to seek elsewhere. In a study that interviewed patients and their families after receiving stem cell therapies, one subject wrote, “The Chinese doctors are better than Canadian doctors, Canadian doctors are greedy, they work for the rich, but the Chinese doctors are happy to help, they are more responsible to their patients, and more professional” (Masters). Although whether a doctor decides on performing unproven therapies does not directly correlate with their skill, it does reflect on how they view their patients. Doctors who ensure treatment efficacy for their patient’s safety may be viewed as “greedy” or “unprofessional” for refusing care, but this viewpoint is a

The most notable difference between treatments is the requirements needed for a transplant. Heart transplant waiting times depend upon accessibility of suitable organs, with a wait period of a few months. Individuals waiting for organ transplants can wait an average of one to three years for their life saving transplant. On average, “three people die every day in the UK whilst waiting for an organ transplant. That’s 1,000 people a year, dying due to a shortage of donor organs.” (British Heart Foundation, www.bhf.org.uk)

Opponents of the research argue that embryonic stem cell technologies are a slippery slope to reproductive cloning and can fundamentally devalue human life. Some in the pro-life movement argue that a human embryo is already a human life that is entitled to protection. The National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC) has recommended a ban on human cloning due to the threats it poses to people’s safety. The NBAC position is that, “It is important to recognize that the technique that produced Dolly the sheep was successful in only 1 of 277 attempts. If attempted in humans, it would pose the risk of hormonal manipulation in the egg donor; multiple miscarriages in birth mother; and possibly severe developmental abnormalities in any resulting child.” ("HubPages") With all these risks at hand I do not think it makes sense to continue with stem cell research when there are other methods.

Stem cell research ands it’s funding have caused a lot of controversy over past decades. But is the use of embryonic stem cell research bad or good for the humans? There are many religious groups out there that say it’s destroying human life and should be illegal and there's people that say it can help cure cancer and other diseases in the future that we have not even discovered yet. Stem cells can have the potential to turn into many different cells. They serve as repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replace cells. When a stem cell divides it has the potential of becoming a different cell or remaining a stem cell. Here are only a few religious groups that state if they oppose or agree with use of embryonic stem cells.

Stem cells, which have the ability to differentiate into insulin-producing cells (IPCs) either in vivo or in vitro, would provide a potentially unlimited source of islet cells for transplantation and alleviate the major limitations of availability and allogeneic rejection. Therefore, the utilization of stem cells is becoming the most promising therapy for

Texas high school football player Joe Beene suffered a severe neck injury during an end of the season football practice (Hayes). This torment caused his whole body from his neck down to be paralyzed. Joe and his family who are from Odessa, a very religious west Texas town, are strong in their faith with God. After many long weeks full of different doctor visits, there was little hope of Joe every being able to walk again unless they were able to research embryo stem cells. The decision in the town as well as the country is split on this debate. Although the family is pro-life, they believe that this research is not wrong and may be the only way to ever get Joe back on his feet again one day.

Stem cell treatments have not yet been established as a safe means of medical treatment; it is still considered risky. Some doctors have taken it upon themselves to participate in unauthorized stem cell treatments putting patients at a risk of infection, blood clots or even some cancers. These treatments are still considered to be perilous by most insurance companies, with few willing to cover the cost of these treatments. There are claims from clients that their stem cell treatment did indeed heal the targeted issue however the lack of supporting evidence leaves their miraculous recovery down to the placebo effect. In the case of using stem cell therapy on cancer, you run the risk of aggravating the disease and instead of taking two steps

The Church Supports the research of stem cells as long as there are no forms of immoral intention or processes that go along with the research. Although the church supports stem cells for their ability to heal diseases, the Church’s belief also states “the dignity of a person must be recognized in every human being from conception to natural death” (Levada). This means that the church does not believe in using human embryos for stem cell research because that takes away from the dignity of life which is believed to start at conception. The Church states that “The body of a human being, from the very first stages of its existence, can never be reduced merely to a group of cells. They embryonic human body develops progressively according to a well-defined program with its proper finality, as is apparent in the birth of every baby” (Levada). It is understood that life is sacred, so the use of embryonic stem cells is immoral depending on this belief, similar to abortion and in vitro fertilization. Also the creation of embryonic stem cells is forbidden by the church because an embryo “is generated through an act which expresses the reciprocal love between a man and a woman. Procreation which is truly responsible

The pros include that it can help treat multiple illnesses like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes. It can also help scientists gain knowledge in how to replace damaged organs. These benefits can occur because of therapy such as cell replacement therapy which is to use pluripotent stem cells for transplantation to replace tissues and to restore function. Then there are the cons of stem cell research which is that it messes with the way of natural life, meaning that we can make people perfect by fixing damages and cloning people to have no flaws. This can lead to future consequences like the world having too many people populating it since this science can eventually lead people to not age. This being the main ethical