The Debate Over Stem Cells

There are only a small number of issues that are controversial as far as the public, the government and scientists are concerned. The father of all issues, however, is the debate that revolves around the ethics of stem cell research. Stem cells can be defined as "those cells in an embryo that essentially give rise to the entire organism" (Capra, 1999).

“Over 100 million Americans suffer from diseases that eventually may be treated more effectively or even cured with embryonic stem cell therapy. Some researchers regard this as the greatest potential for the alleviation of human suffering since the advent of antibiotics” (White). However, not everybody agrees with this. While embryonic stem cells offer much hope for medical advancement because of their ability to grow into almost any kind of cell, the moral debate of the destruction of an embryo continues. Embryonic stem cells are taken directly from an embryo before the embryo 's cells begin to develop into their specific cells. While there may be promise of embryonic stem cells triggering medical advancements, the ongoing controversy continues to hinder research.

With the possibility to cure all those diseases, no one should have an issue with such positive outcomes. Yet in reality, ethics plays a huge role against science research like embryonic stem cells. The embryonic stem cell treatments have cured some diseases such as vision loss and diabetes. In addition, the embryos that are used to research embryonic stem cells are not considered human and should not be considered as murdering a human being. Furthermore, with the possibility of receiving IVF

Pro-lifers do not seem to have a problem with this. Their problem only seems to be with using the stem cells from these embryos for life saving research. Does not the need of the many, outweigh the need of the few? (Star Trek, The Wrath of Khan, 1982) This researcher believes that it does.

In the past decade, Australia has become a leading country in stem cell research however there has been lots of talk regarding the ethics behind stem cell research. But first,

“Researchers derive the human embryonic stem cells from the “inner cell mass” of blastocyst stage embryos that develop in culture within five days of fertilization of the oocyte. To obtain the embryonic stem cells, the early embryo has to be destroyed.” (Human embryonic).

Scientists remove the blastocyst by microsurgery and transfer it to a nutrient broth known as the culture medium. Not all the cells will survive some will differentiate prematurely, and cells that do not differentiate, will still have the ability to generate any type of cell. As cells grow and crowd the dish, individual cells are removed and placed in a new dish to continue the cell culture, cells that grow and do not differentiate for at least six months are called a stem cell line. These cells are described as being pluripotent, which means they are able to generate cells of any tissue in the body. Stem cells are then grown in the laboratory and may be used to generate specialized cells that differentiate, in order for scientists to get this to happen they add new growth factors and change the chemical composition of which these stem cells grow.

in their respective country. It shows that despite the location of the country, Hindus seem to hold a similar viewpoint on the stem cell research in all Hindu dominating countries.

Despite different views about stem cell research, on the scientific and technical level stem cell research does not breach ethical values. Many stem cell methodologies now circumvent embryo death which is at the forefront of this ethical debate. In a process known as in vitro fertilization, “researchers mix a man’s sperm and a woman’s eggs together in a lab dish. Some of those eggs become fertilized and begin developing” which are then “implanted into the woman in hopes that she becomes pregnant” (CIRM). After the woman becomes pregnant and a family is started, the couple is given options in regards to the remaining embryos. They can “continue paying to store the embryos or they can defrost the embryos which destroy them or they can choose to donate the embryos for adoption. [They] can also choose to donate the frozen embryos for research” (CIRM). Embryonic stem cells collected in this way through in vitro fertilization may be viable alternatives to proceed with stem cell research. This very sensitive issue can thus be ethically remediated.

Stem cells are essential for all living organism for many reasons. Without stem cells the human body is incapable of living. According to University of Nebraska Medical Center, “In the 3- to 5-day-old embryo, called a blastocyst, the inner cells give rise to the entire body of the organism, including all of the many specialized cell types and organs such as the heart, lung, skin, sperm, eggs and other tissues”. Stem cells are mother cells that have the potential to become any type of cell in the body. One of the main characteristics of stem cells is their ability to self- renew or multiply while maintaining the potential to develop into other types of cells. In other words stem cells can develop into any type of cells. Clinical research regarding

Everyday people come face to face with the choice of protecting an unborn child or treating the ill. In this case the unborn child is in the form of an embryo and the treatment comes from the usage of embryonic stem cells. This up and coming treatment has gained a lot of praise as well as speculation from the media, medical and religious officials. Deciding whether to preserve the unborn, or treat the ill, leads to the question of the morality of using embryonic stem cells. There may be controversy over the use of embryonic stem cells but despite moral convictions, this type of research provides hope and promise to researchers and patients in need. Some believe the use of adult stem cells can abolish the use of embryonic stem cells but embryonic stem cells hold the most promise, and despite disagreements, could provide the most benefits.

“Embryonic Stem Cells.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, stemcells.nih.gov/info/Regenerative_Medicine/2006Chapter1.htm.

Imagine, one day, being able to own your own biological repair kit, designed specifically for your body. This repair kit could have the ability to heal you from the majority of injuries or diseases, without fear of rejection or mechanical parts. This all could potentially be possible with the proper research into stem cells to treat injury or disease. However, the procedures followed for the research of stem cells have stirred up a hefty amount of controversy in the past and the present. Stem Cell research has been argued to be an ethical choice due to its possibilities for simplified treatments in the future, yet it is controversial due to the destruction of embryos, and the undecided moral status of the embryo, which is why

Funding stem cell research will allow medical research to advance and create a new field of innovative medicine. People often question the use of stem cells due to the ethical concern of embryonic use. Despite ethical

Stems cells are immature cells found in embryos that can develop into any kind of specialized cells. They can form virtually any cell of the human body. These types of stem cells are known as pluripotent cells. Multipotent cells are stem cells that are more mature; they can be found in adults and children. Multipotent cells are not as flexible as pluripotent cells, as they have already developed into more specialized human cells.