Stem Cells Essay, Research Paper
Stem Cells
Stem cells are considered ?master cells? with the ability to divide for indefinite
periods in cultures and can be manipulated and transformed into any type of cell in the
body. The most common use would be the generation of cells and tissues that could be
used to either create organs or tissues to be used in transplantation and to treat many
diseases and disabilities. There is a great difference of opinion surrounding stem cell
research; conservatives and pro-choice activists are highly against further research, but the
tremendous advances in health care and President Bush?s recent decision to fund more
research, have made the future of stem cells seem much more promising.
In every ground breaking scientific topic there seems to be controversy, and stem
cells are no exception. Stem cell research is so controversial because the best source of
stem cells are derived from human fetal tissue. Removing the stem cells destroys the
embryo, which leads many people to believe this process to be immoral. One advantage of
using stem cells found in embryos is their ability to transform themselves into almost every
type of cell in the body. There are also not enough adult stem cells to allow for therapeutic
applications, like transplants to regenerate tissues or organs that were damaged by disease.
Adult stem cells are rare and are many times hard to identify, isolate, and purify. However,
stem cells found in the embryo can be generated in large quantities in the laboratory. Many
people argue that human embryos should not be the subjects of stem cell research that
would benefit anyone other than the embryos themselves. Embryos are still human beings
and just because they are immature human beings does not give anyone the right to
destroy them for research. Even if the embryos were going to die anyway, there is still no
justification in killing them to improve the lives of others. Therefore many people say that
embryonic stem cell research is unconscionable.
Even though many people stand firmly against stem cell research, the benefits are
exceedingly important in the advancement of health care. Stem cells give us a better
understanding of the complex events that go on during human development. One goal of
this research would be to identify the factors that are involved in the cell making process
that determines cell specialization. A few of our extreme medical conditions, like birth
defects and cancer, are a direct result of abnormal cell specialization. If researchers obtain
a better understanding of the normal cellular process, they can isolate the causes of these
deadly illnesses. The most exciting potential use for stem cells is the generation of tissues
and cells. Many diseases are a direct result from complications of cellular functions or
destruction of tissues in the body. Many people donate organs and tissues to replace
failing or destroyed tissues. Unfortunately, there are many more people suffering from
these disorders than there are organs to transplant. That is where stem cells step in. They
will give humans a chance to have a renewable source of cells and tissues that will treat a
slue of diseases, and disabilities such as, Parkinson?s, stroke, burns, Alzheimer?s, spinal
cord injury, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis. Virtually every realm of
medicine will be positively affected by this new innovation.
Obviously President Bush saw a marvelous discovery in stem cell research,
because he decided to allow government-sponsored research to utilize the sixty existing
embryo?s stem cells for further research. The decision to allow the research was long
awaited and extremely controversial, but nevertheless a good one for the future of
mankind. Within this executive decision, Bush will still maintain his ban on human cloning
and will increase government support for adult stem cell research. The plan is allowing
frozen embryos, that would just be thrown away, to be used for research. There is also a
limit of the number of embryos used to the number that is actually needed to carry out the
research. Another aspect of this law is that no citizen can create an embryo for the sole
purpose of stem cell research. Generous funding on ethical issues was spent on current
and future research, along with generous funding for research relevant to fetal, embryonic,
and adult stem cells.
With the enormous potential of stem cells developing new treatments for some of
the most devastating diseases, it is crucial to search for the best sources of stem cells,
regardless of where they come from. There are many pros and cons encompassing this
issue with the pro-choice activists and conservatives being so avidly against it, with the
remarkable advances in health care the research brings, and with President Bush?s decision
to go ahead with further research. Even though there is still a great deal of controversy
surrounding the issue of stem cell research, I think all people can agree that whoever saves
one life is as if he saved an entire world.