Stem Cells Should Not Be Used Therapeutically
A stem cell is a cell in the body that can differentiate into almost any other type of cell in the body. Stem cells come from sites in the bone marrow, as well as the tissues of developing fetuses. The most controversial issue in stem cell therapy is the use of fetuses for their stem cells. Scientists want to clone human embryos, and use the stem cells long before the embryo matures (when it is only about 36 cells). This causes a large amount of unease in society, because people fear that stem cells and therapeutic cloning will lead us into disgusting and horrible experimental practices, as well as therapies. Most people in America do not want this horrible vision of the future to come
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People view them as madmen playing God, under the guise of “helping humanity as a whole”.
There are many reasons that embryonic stem cells should not be used. The main reason that the embryonic stem cells should not be used is because the embryo is terminated when the cells are extracted. Bush has passed a bill stating that he was “banning federal funding for stem cell research that involved the destruction of living human embryos,” (Commonweal, 2002, p8). This ban does not outlaw privately funded projects, so there could be many people working on embryos that they have attained. Bush did ban “therapeutic cloning” (cloning humans for “body parts” if the need should arise later in one’s life). If he did not step in and ban therapeutic cloning there would be free reign for anyone who had money to spend. There are many scientists world- wide who would like to clone their embryos from their patient’s DNA. The blastocyst of a developing fetus has “the ability to continuously and seemingly indefinitely proliferate.” (Economist, 2003, p 1005). This allows scientists to produce a fetus for an individual that will keep on producing stem cells for the life time of the patient. To have your DNA in the stem cells, gives you the advantage of less chance of rejection. Not all scientists want to clone embryos which will only be terminated for their stem cells. Most only want to use
As Meilaender states, declining to use embryos would only make us more creative in finding other ways. There are other means out there and they should be utilized. The overall goal of stem cell research should be
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
Stem cells are basically the building blocks of life. Some type of these cells can be engineered into any type of cell in the human body. There are three types of stem cells currently. Adult or somatic stem “cells can generate replacements for bone and muscle cells that are lost through injury, disease or normal wear and tear.” Another type of stem cells are embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells “are “starter cells” that can be coaxed into becoming any of the specialized cells of the body, meaning they are “pluripotent.” The final type of stem cells are induced-pluripotent stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells “are adult stem cells that have been genetically altered to behave like embryonic stem cells”(National Institute of Health). Due to the advancement in medical technology scientists and doctors alike are now able to use stem cells for a variety of reasons like research and also in patient care. The benefits of this research can lead to the cure of diseases like diabetes, some cancers, and even neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s Disease and spinal cord injuries. The controversy behind stem cells lie from where these stem cells come from. The source of stem cells are plentiful. Some stem cells can come from human embryos that are a few days old. Stem cells can also be engineered in a laboratory setting using the cells from human embryos. Also there are certain stem cells that can be harvested from adults and
The embryonic stem cells can be a very good use in surgeries. Can even help cure cancer. But why embryos? Why not use adult stem cells. By permitting this research we don't only increase the number of dangerous procedures women go through. But we also make people think that abortion is a good and can help others. Not everyone agrees with the destruction of their embryos to do research. Some others simply just don't want to get their embryos experimented on. By this research abortion would most likely have to become legal. These treatments go against our lifes rights. The people in need of these treatments would most
Dr. Oz made a statement about embryonic stem cells, he said, “The problem with embryonic stem cells is that embryonic stem cells come from embryos, like all of us are made from embryos, and those cells can become any cell in the body, but it’s very hard to control them and so they can become cancer.” One disadvantage of human embryonic stem cells is that they require the use of a lot of drugs to prevent immune rejection. Immune rejection is when the body notices that these stem cells are intruders to your body, and they will fight off these cells in your body. Another disadvantage is that stem cells can produce tumors caused by rapid growth when injected into a patient. These tumors can lead to cancer. An article on Scientific America says that in May of 2001, parents of an Israeli boy that was nine years old, and had a crippling disease went to Moscow to get embryonic stem cell injections into his brain. Four years later, doctors had discovered a tumor in his brain caused by the stem cells. Lastly, it is very hard to control what type of cell that stem cell will turn into once it is in the body when using embryonic stem cells. If stem cells are unpredictable and can cause harm to the body, then why should we use embryonic stem cells and waste precious
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
Stem cells are cells in the body that can become many other parts of the body. They are a very important part of the body and the way it functions. Stem cell research has been studied for many years but the findings have recently been applied to the real world. With the new discoveries from stem cells, clinical trials can be more accurate and cost effective. The stem cells can be reprogramed and sent to parts of the body to help repair cell damage in the body, giving them the name the black box of reprogramming. Stem cells can also be used to help cure cancers and other diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson. Some think that stem cell research is wrong and goes against their religious beliefs.
Concrete detail. “The embryonic stem cell is related to human cloning because an individual’s cells are duplicated to keep off illnesses and personal diseases, or the effects that occur from serious injury. This is the therapeutic form of cloning and begins using the same procedure as reproductive cloning. The goals of therapeutic cloning are to produce embryonic stem cells whereas the goal of reproductive cloning is to produce a baby”.( Embryonic Stem Cell Research Pros and Cons List
We should allow the use of stem cell research because stem there are alternatives to using embryonic stem cells to further our understanding. Embryonic stem cells are wanted because they have pluripotent abilities. Pluripotent means that cells can turn into the tissue it was helping
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.
Many controversial and moral stricken issues have been put into question in today's modern society. Some of which include gay marriage, and abortion. Yet one of the most controversial has to be stem cell research. A Stem Cell is a "generic" cell that can make exact copies of itself indefinitely. It also has the ability to make specialized cells for various tissues in the body such as the heart muscle, brain and liver. But why exactly is stem cell research so controversial? Well mostly those who oppose embryonic stem cell research do so on the grounds that the cells die in the process. But what those people might not know is that an embryo is no bigger than a pinhead. And therefore there is no human suffering. Stem cell
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
Stem cell research is a very interesting topic. Many people debate over the ethics of stem cell research. This correlates with dangerous knowledge and it having a loose definition because of the fiery debate behind it. The central topic behind the debate over stem cell research is when a person “becomes a person.” This is because in stem cell research, they take an aborted fetus (about 10 days old), and they take the embryonic (best form) stem cells out of it.
Stem cell therapy has been an issue for debate as long as I can remember. The potential cure for any number of diseases is exciting and gives us reason to be thankful for the potential for healing in the people that we love. There is a real potential for stem cell therapy to be the future when it comes to health and humanity. However, the story doesn't end without controversy. Since the beginning of this particular type of research, groups vehemently debated its ethical outcome. On one hand, there is a real possibility to save lives or help people who are hurting. On the other hand, when stem cells are gathered from an embryo, that embryo is destroyed. Those who believe human life begins at conception, believe that this process is killing a human person. Proponents of Embryonic stem cell research say that the embryos that were used to extract stem cells were either a byproduct of abortion or gathered from the aftermath of the birth of a living child.
Stem Cells: What, How and Why? Stem cells are infinitely valuable when considering their potential applications in the medical profession. While current legislative restrictions have halted the development of new ?stem cell lines? to any agency or company that receives any form of governmental grants, there is no question that the medical profession is standing at the brink of a new era of technological advancements in healthcare and research.