Today, our technology is advancing at an ever increasing rate. Science and medicine are making breakthroughs that improve everyone’s quality of life. Life saving medicine, previously limited to the realm of science fiction, is within our grasp. And part of that future is due in part to the amazing research being done with stem cells. However, there are laws in place that prevent scientists from getting as much use as possible from cells derived from embryos, which is the most abundant source. Although some people may believe that embryonic stem cell research is immoral, scientists and doctors should be allowed to use them in research and medical treatments.
Embryonic stem cells have garnered some controversy since the discovery of their use in medicine back in 1998. Researchers James Thomson and Jeffery Jones discovered a method to derive the first human embryonic stem cells. However, they were met with immediate backlash. The public was upset that human embryos were being used, and were convinced that this kind of experimentation was inhumane. What the public refused to consider, however, was the potential that stem cells had in medicine. Scientists believed that they could be used to develop
…show more content…
It is true that there are alternatives. Scientists have derived stem cells from patients’ bone marrow, from their skin, and even made their own lab-grown stem cells. There are issues with these alternatives, however. Gathering stem cells from these methods are either expensive, inefficient, intrusive to the patient, or any combination of the three. To this day, embryos remain the most effective method of obtaining stem cells, in terms of both yield and cost. Perhaps through less-restrictive research with embryonic stem cells, better alternatives can be found. At the moment, unfortunately, there is no better method than the use of human
Though technology at some point will likely make this possible, “human cloning is scientifically distant at best” and “the scientific community has universally condemned it” (Acost and Golub 429). Without the support of the possible creators of this technology, there is no way that this would ever come about, and it remains irrelevant to the known information about the benefits stem cell research would have on the world of healing medicine. At the center of the controversy lies politics and the continuous battle between being supportive of the research and respecting the beliefs of American groups. Starting in 1995, legislation took on the topic of stem cell research by creating the Dickey-Wicker Amendment.
This is because embryonic stem cells are a type of unspecialized cell, so they can form into any type of cell. As Junying Yu and James A. Thomson say in their article about Embryonic Stem Cells, “human [embryonic stem cells] promise an essentially unlimited supply of specific cell types. . . for transplantation therapies for diseases” (Thomson). This explains that this course of treatment would allow not only the treatment of, but possibly even a cure for, diseases that are caused by either malfunctioning cells or the loss of them.
Over the years, there have been many controversial issues surrounding medical research, but one of the most arguable topics of all time is the use of embryonic stem cells. Some individuals believe that extracting stem cells from unborn babies will be useful to create new medications or, in most cases, help regenerate damaged cells. Although, many people disagree with the process scientists use to obtain these stem cells. By continuing embryonic stem cell research, scientists are denying an unborn child the chance to live, they are not letting nature take its intended course, and they are not adhering to the religious or moral beliefs of many people.
Many people argue that the embryo dies from this, which is why I thought I was going to be against this. But, there ways that stem cell research can be done without killing embryos. Also, the research from this could potentially lead to the cure of cancer which would save millions of lives. One of the biggest
Embryonic stem cell research was established in the early 80’s and has since sparked into a highly controversial issue involving religious debates over the use of human embryos. Embryonic stem cells are considered to be unspecialized cells, which can be manipulated into specialized cells such as a skin cell or a heart cell. The specialized cells could potentially cure conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and spinal cord injuries. Despite the large amount of ethical complications that come along with the utilization of stem cells, I advocate that stem cell research should be expanded and developed more widely in the medical field.
With such practice, which does not create ethical problems, more than sixty types of treatments have been developed for blood, corneal and skin transplants (Kaushansky,2016). In addition to this, clinical experiments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, ALS, and Taya-Sachs's (child's) illness continue to look for treatments (Clemmitt,2006). In this case, clinical trials are underway in which in vitro parental stem cells are transplanted for therapeutic purposes to a damaged brain. Although this is not always the best choice, stem-like brain cells, often of fetal origin, can be acquired in the event of a natural abortion, which also excludes possible ethical dilemmas. In the case of embryonic stem cells, the ethical problem is more
With the possibility of endless cures and treatments to all kinds of diseases, it’s no wonder embryonic stem cell research is the topic of discussion among Americans. However, disagreements between religious parties and our government has slowed the process of conducting these studies. Multiple religions including the Roman Catholics, Christians, Lutherans, Buddhists, and many others are against studies on embryonic stem cells due to the fact that during the process of extracting the stem cells, the embryo is killed. They feel that this form of research is unnecessary and that life is sacred from the moment of conception (Abernethy). On the other hand, some Christians believe that it is the world's job to conduct these experiments because it can save lives (Pelosi).
As expected simple research is permitted by human es cells is likely to make a big change in human health in ways that’s not linked to transplantation medicine . Several groups have made an gesture to explain growth factors that assist human ES cells to non human animal products . Here are some more reasons that embryonic stem cell research is a good thing . At many different tips during the procedure of cause embryonic stem cell research stem cell lines scientists experiment to see whether or not they show
Stem cells have the potential to cure specific diseases such as Parkinson 's, Alzheimer 's, Diabetes, and Cancer. A few years ago, you could only get stem cell transplants from specific doctors, But as of 2015 there are 170 clinics that can do the procedure. The way that they implant the stem cells into the patient 's body is by putting the cells straight into the bloodstream or by inserting the cells into the patient 's bone marrow. They extract all of the stem cells that they need and then they take out the patient 's dead stem cells and put in the donor 's healthy stem cells.
This process provides a safe alternative to embryonic cells, as the stem cells did not produce tumors. Adult stem cells are also being found in more tissues than ever thought (Stem cell Basics). This would allow many different uses of the adult stem cells, as they can only form certain major cell types of a tissue or
I too agree with his opinion. There is just too high of an exploitation rate. Another downside to embryonic stem cell research is that it raises ethical issues. Overall, we should control stem cell research in order to prevent it from being placed in the wrong hands.
Embryonic stem cells have lifesaving qualities and should be used to do as such. The controversial nature of obtaining these cells should be considered less important compared to the benefit they provide. According to “Embryonic Stem Cells,” embryonic cells “maintain the ability to form cells ranging from muscle to nerve to blood—potentially any cell type that makes up the body” (Thomson and Yu). This means once stem cells were removed from the embryo, they can replace a person’s damaged cells and become any cell needed. In addition to cell damage caused by injury, stem cell extraction can also lead to defeating diseases, such as Parkinson disease, diabetes, liver and heart failure, and osteogenesis imperfecta (Henningson et al.).
List of pros of stem cell research. i. Cures for diseases The idea that stem cell research could unlock the potential cure for a plethora of diseases is reason enough for scientists to dedicate a great deal of time and money towards utilizing the research ii. Ease of Treatment It is widely believed that stem cells of the embryonic variety can potentially contain the cure for several injuries and diseases that have plagued mankind for centuries now.
Scientists have become very excited about the almost endless possibilities that come from one thing: stem cells. A stem cell is a wonderful thing found in multicellular organisms and it has the ability to become infinite amounts of any cell type. Stem cells are considered to be totipotent (the ability to change into other cell types). Stem cell research has both great pros and shocking cons. The ability to cure disease and alleviate suffering is intermingled with the destruction of potential human life.
Destroying these embryos in research would not deprive them of a valuable future. It would be unethical, under whatever circumstances to practice wanted embryos for research. Human animal chimera, an experiment was conducted using the genetic material from human convey to an animal. In addition they argue stem cell research paid minor contemplation to the potential of the umbilical cord. The therapy point out that no medication have been yet produced.