The Controversy Over The Ethics Of 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

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

Embryonic stem cells have the ability to save countless of lives and not just in the United States but throughout the whole world. There are many unlimited capabilities to generate better health to the human body with the studies of embryonic stem cells. It can really make a difference in the world of medicine with astonishing breakthroughs. Embryonic stem cell research is ethical and should be acceptable in society rather than wasted aside, because it can cure diseases, save lives, and can extend the human life span. There are limited of acknowledgment for embryonic stem cells, and yet they hold the key to a promising future.

Embryonic stem cells research has challenged the moral ethics within human beings simply because the point at which one is considered a “human,” is still under debate and practically incapable to make a decision upon.

Are stem cells ethical? In recent years, the uses of stem cells have widely expanded for human benefit. There are countless questions about working with stem cells but there are many misconceptions which contribute to the disapproval of the science behind this specific study. It is important to understand what stem cells are, how exactly they work and the potential benefit to human beings.

A little girl named Maia was born with a serious brain injury that was predicted to cause her to never lead a normal life. Within just a few days after treatment, her condition has improved dramatically and Maia is now a normal kindergartener. When it comes to stem cell research the question remains, is it ethical to take a life to save another? The controversy against stem cell research mainly is applied to embryonic stem cells, or cells from an unborn child. These cells are the most versatile of all of the stem cells. After reading so much on stem cells I believe that most people who are opposing the use of stem cells do not realize all the different kinds of stem cells that can be used and where they come

As modern medicine advances, new techniques such as regenerative medicine can be used to help aid in the treatment of diseases through the use of stem cells ("Stem cells: What they are and what they do" 1). The use of stem cells has been an ongoing debate between whether or not it is actually ethical to use embryonic stem cells, as well as if the embryo has any rights which should be protected. Since it is difficult to place a concrete definition on what exactly makes a person a person, this adds to the controversy surrounding stem cells. The central conflict that is faced when speaking about stem cells is whether or not using the research to help those suffering from diseases is worth using an embryo that possibly could have held life.

Despite the new technological advances that bring promise to many medical treatments, few issues cause concern when implementing the research into clinical studies. Many ethical dilemmas slow the progression of research due to the variety of opinions influenced by moral beliefs. Resembling abortion, the process of fetal stem cell research includes destruction of the embryo five to seven days after conceived, in order to obtain the needed stem cells. Stem cells main function is to divide and regenerate into new more specially designed cells. In 1981, mice stem cells were obtained but over ten years later, researchers were able to extract stem cells from human embryos. It is believed the stem cells of a human embryo could better the treatments of birth defects, diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and cancer. The finding of these stem cells and their uses established a moral standstill within medicine and society.

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

Almost all religions look down on embryonic stem cells because that the baby has to be killed and the life has to be taken. For this reason the field is looked down upon and thus research and funding is slow, but we may not have to use embryos to gain these stem cells. A paper published by Shoukhrat Mitalipov, a reproductive biology specialist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Beaverton, and his colleagues is sure to rekindle the debate for not using embryos. Mitalipov and his team have finally created patient-specific embryonic stem cells (ESCs) through cloning, and they are set to prove that the technology is worth pursuing. A donor cell from a body tissue such as skin is fused with an unfertilized egg from which the nucleus has been removed. The egg 'reprograms' the DNA in the donor cell to an embryonic state and divides until it has reached the early, blastocyst stage. The cells are then harvested and cultured to create a stable cell line that is genetically matched to the donor and that can become almost any cell type in the human body. (Cyranoski) With this method we don't have to use stem cells from embryos to heal someone, we can simply use egg cells along with a donor cell to create almost any

President George W. Bush looked stern and confident as he addressed the American people on August 9th, 2001. It was an historic day for the 43rd president, as he explained the debate surrounding embryonic stem cell research, including its possible benefits for science but also its problems surrounding morals and ethics.

Adult stem cells, like embryonic stem cells, have the ability to differentiate into several more specialized cell types, but the potential number of cell types is far smaller than that of an embryonic stem cell. Embryonic stem cells, by nature, eventually turn into every type of cell in the body, whereas adult stem cells will only turn into a few cell types. For example, a blood stem cell, one type of adult stem cell, will eventually turn into one of eight types of specialized blood cells (Jordan 116.3).

MLA style also specifies guidelines for formatting manuscripts and using the English language in writing and also provides a writers with a system for cross-referencing their sources--from their parenthetical references to their works cited page. This cross-referencing system allows readers to locate the publication information of source material. This is of great value for researchers who may want to locate your sources for their own research projects. The proper use of MLA style also shows the credibility of writers; such writers show accountability to their source material. Most importantly, the use of MLA style can protect writers from accusations of plagiarism--the purposeful or accidental use of source material by other writers

     The topic of stem cell research does not affect me so much at the moment. It might in the future, but for now it does not. I do believe that stem cell research should be used for cloning organs that will be used for organ transplants. I do not however think that parents should place the doctors on pedestals just because these “mad scientists” supposedly have the power of God.

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