The Heated Debate Concerning Stem Cell Research Essay

Stem cell research has been quite a controversial topic since its origin in the 1960s by Gopal Das and Joseph Altman. Of course, anything that uses a human embryo would be. Stem cell research could open a vast number of new doors for modern science, it could let us test new drugs, one of which could be the unfound cure for AIDS or Alzheimer’s disease. However, this branch of science comes at a high price, the price of a human life that is only five to six days

In the past two decades, many technological and scientific advances have been made in order to make life easier for many people who suffer from cancer, disease and sickness. Among these advances there is something revolutionary called stem cells. Stem cells can help restore and regenerate almost all parts of the human body such as the heart, kidney, liver, and many other organs. Although stem cells offer a lot, there are many views against and for stem cells, and among these views lies the debate of whether stem cells should be legalized or not (NIH 2). Stem cells offer exciting new opportunities in the field of science such as regenerating human body parts, but many people are still debating whether or not the use of stem cells is

The Alliance for Aging Research is a non-profit organization that promotes the use of federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. As an agency geared toward improving the health of human beings as they age, some of their responsibilities include lobbying for federal legislation, conducting studies and surveys, and creating and distributing educational materials to health care professionals and the public. With Baby Boomers closely reaching the later stages of life, this group has found themselves focused primarily on research programs for the geriatric.

In recent years, stem cell research has become a prominent way of treating: heart disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, spinal problems, and much more ; moreover, in recent years as Stem cell research became more popular, it has sparked controversy over the religion aspect of stem cell research. Stem cell research begins with culturing an embryonic cell and then injecting the stem cell into the area of concern(Robertson). Pluripotent stem cells are gathered and used to treat the areas, pluripotent stem cells are those that are in the earliest stages of development ; in addition, at this stage, cells can learn the jobs and take shape of cells that did the job once before (Robertson).

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).

He states, “You must never use a human being as a means for even the noblest ends. To use stem cells obtained by killing living human beings in their embryonic stages is still using them as a means. It is not enough to say that the wicked deed has already been done – that the

to think that the research is actually murder. However, there are ways that stem cell research can

Abortion, gay marriage, and illegal immigration are all hot button topics currently being faced by Americans. As ardently as each side defends their stance on a controversial issue, an opposing side fights with equal diligence for the beliefs they feel should be valued by our nation. Perhaps nowhere is this battle more heated than in the fight over stem cell research. While supporters of this new field of science tout it’s potential to cure everything from blindness to paralysis, those against stem cell science liken the procedures used by scientists to murder. It is my intention to bring to light the positive benefits of stem cell research as well as counter the claims used by many Pro-life groups who believe the scientists driving this

In the final analysis, the debate about embryonic stem cell research is not primarily about medical benefits.

The society has evolved over the decades. Medical advances, greater technologies, better understanding of the world around us, the sky is the limit! The progression of a society is astounding from where it was just twenty years ago. One is able to do things that the forefathers would have never dreamed! Science has discovered ways to travel to the moon and back, reach some of the deepest depths of the oceans and discover new species, and drive hybrid cars. The achievements of today’s society have reached a new high; however, with great achievement comes great questions of ethics.

As with all fields of science, stem cells have, and are still, been the subject of multiple court cases, some of which conclude with the defendant 's case winning. For example in the Moore v. Regents of University of California et al, the plaintiff accused the Regents of University of California, specifically Dr. Golde, of using his cells for lucrative medical research without his permission (Moore v. The Regents of The University of California et al., 1990). This case doesn’t specifically address stem cells, but it opened the door to how much ownership a patient really has over his cells once they have been removed. It affected the position that donors of stem cells, embryos and adults, have in these types of controversial cases, and thus had a negative impact on the ethics of stem cells.

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

Due to discovery of new medical progress, humans become healthier and their life expectancy tends to increase. Among these breakthroughs, stem cell research shows to be useful in finding ways to a better and longer human life. The development of such technology could yield significant medical potentials. However, there has been numerous arguments, going against the stem cell research due to ethical and [other types of] issues. Despite its rapid success, many people did not want this process to continue. This essay will argue that the stem cell research should go uninterrupted, in order that there can be further enhanced discoveries, in relation of medical and scientific fields. It will investigate the issues, that are connected with the research,

Research on stem cells is knowledge constantly being explored about how an organism evolves from a single cell and how cells in good condition are put in place of cells that no longer work. The outcome that is anticipated from doing this research is that if scientist can fine tune stem cells into regular cells like blood or heart muscles and put it back into the body, then possibly they may find a cure for some of the widespread diseases that exist in our world today such as diabetes, leukemia, and many more by replacing those weak cells with youthful cells. Eventually this research might lead to realistic, reasonably priced ways to get rid of many diseases through DNA engineering but is it really worth

Stem cell related diseases affect over 100 million americans (White). Right now, there are plenty of government funds for stem cell research, and if we continue on the same path as we are now, stem cell research should be successful; however, the ethics used for embryonic stem cell research are incomprehensibly horrific (Stem cell policy). If this continues to be funded, it could have answers to numerous major diseases, including why they are caused, prevention, and cures for the diseases. More scientific research, however, needs to go into more possible solutions, to find a more humane method of treating these diseases that pleases both sides of the stem cell research debate, for the solutions, now, are not very strong. Because stem