Stem Cell Research: Friend or Foe?Essay Preview: Stem Cell Research: Friend or Foe?Report this essayStem Cell Research: Friend or Foe?As college students, it is important that we know and care about the issues in stem cell research. Stem cell research is currently legal in most countries except the United States. Normally a leader in new frontiers is one of the last to explore this territory. As technology keeps advancing, stem cell research is slowly being pushed forward. Eventually, we are going to have to do something about it. Especially, if it keeps progressing, we as citizens will have to vote on whether is it beneficial or harmful. So, is stem cell research valuable to our society or not? As a Biomedical Engineering major I support research in this field but there is some opposition. Most people know at least one person with diabetes, Alzheimers, or Parkinsons. Perhaps even you will face one of these illnesses at some point in your life. It is important to know about issues like stem cell research, which can help many people in our society.
Stem cell research is becoming an issue that is one of the most profound of our time. The issue of research involving stem cells derived from human embryos is increasingly becoming the subject of dinner table discussions across the nation. The issue is confronted every day in laboratories as scientists ponder the ethical consequences of their work. It is agonized over by parents and many couples as they try to have children, or save children already born. The issue is debated within the church, with people of different faiths, even many of the same faith coming to different conclusions. Many people are finding that the more they know about stem cell research, the less certain they are about the right ethical and moral conclusions.
[quote=Haley]A key part of the ethical problem in research on stem cell technology is deciding what makes good and bad things when a child is born. If the parents had a specific goal for the end goal, then they do not see any problems with that, and children born with a stem cell from human embryos are being treated in the same way as they would with any other human life.[/quote]
While it’s true that the human embryo will eventually be implanted into a healthy human being, it could always be damaged before we get there, due to our genetic predisposition, and the fact that we grow too quickly. If this is true, then the process of implantation will be fraught with dangers, and it will be critical to protect the integrity of all life and the rights of unborn human beings when the human body is a living object of biology.[/quote][quote=Stem cell]I see no reason here why stem cell research would not be a good solution for a human being. No longer are there limitations to the use of stem cells and for those who wish to use them in scientific research, those limitations are taken up by a wider population, for that is what we all love most and want the most. If stem cells were not necessary in any normal way for a human child, then they would be no more likely to serve that “life,” or to be more beneficial to humans. It is not about making a baby smarter to be able help or protecting the world, but rather to make a baby smarter to live in. I am certain that, without a better solution, there will still be a lot of people who will refuse to give birth with any other life-saving technology they have. Such people will be either dying of cancer, aging (or simply living on their own), or going into some other painful situation with less potential for hope and more suffering to come. There would still be a very good possibility for them to live on in ways that would benefit the world, but it would tend to go against the fundamental principles of science and reason.[/quote][quote=Stem cell]Of course, this is not the kind of thing that you would think would always be the case where the results of scientific research be treated with more scientific care and consideration. It is always and probably always the case that any research will be conducted scientifically, and only when we can use and appreciate it. This is something I have heard many times and in many of my contacts. I believe that any scientific work will be tested properly by some of those who are willing to accept and care about a life as it exists.[/quote] [quote=Stem cell]But it sounds like you were telling me that you couldn’t really trust the results of stem cell research. Why would you not trust them?[/quote] I could not see the point if it was because of your naivety. While I understand you have spent more time with your patients
What is stem cell research? It starts with an embryo. An embryo is created when a male sperm and a female egg are joined. A large number of embryos already exist outside the natural environment (Snow 24). They are the product of a process called in vitro fertilization, which helps many couples conceive children. When doctors match sperm and egg to create life outside the womb, they usually produce more embryos than are planted in the mother. Once a couple successfully has children, or if they are unsuccessful, the additional embryos remain frozen in laboratories. Some will not survive during long storage; others are destroyed (Snow 27). A number have been donated to science and used to create privately funded stem cell lines. A few have been implanted in an adoptive mother. They are eventually born, and today they are healthy children.
Based on preliminary work that has been privately funded, scientists believe further research using stem cells offers great promise that could help improve the lives of those who suffer from many terrible diseases — from juvenile diabetes to Alzheimers, from Parkinsons to spinal cord injuries. While scientists admit they are not yet certain, they believe stem cells derived from embryos have unique potential. Stem cells can also be derived from sources other than embryos — from adult cells, from umbilical cords that are discarded after babies are born, and from human placenta. Many scientists feel that research on these types of stem cells is also promising. Many patients suffering from a range of diseases are already being helped with treatments developed from adult stem cells. However, most scientists believe that research on embryonic stem cells offers the most promise because these cells have the potential to develop in all of the tissues in the body.
“Alright!” you say, “Lets use these embryos to save some lives!” This may sound like a good idea, but research on embryonic stem cells raises profound ethical questions, because extracting the stem cell destroys the embryo, and by doing that, destroys its potential for life. Each of these embryos is unique, with the unique genetic potential of an individual human being. As President George Bush put it, the issue is centered around two fundamental questions: First, are these frozen embryos human life, and therefore, something precious to be protected? And second, if theyre going to be destroyed anyway, shouldnt they be used for a greater good, for research that has the potential to save and improve other lives? (Bush)
Ask a handful of people these two questions and chances are you will get different answers from all of them. Is stem cell research ethical? To see what the true ethical issues are, you need to look at the approaches of these three groups: medical, social, and profit oriented. When talking about stem cell research, the first group you will most likely encounter is the medical group. The medical field right now is providing us with endless opportunities regarding improving health technology. With stem cell research providing a possible way for us to cure many fatal illnesses, medical proponents argue that stem cell research creates a promising pathway for the future of world health (Medicine 54). Stem cells have the ability to divide for an indefinite period in lab culture and can develop into most of the specialized cells and tissues of the body, such as muscle cells, nerve cells, liver cells, and blood cells. Stem cells stimulated to develop into specialized cells could be used to treat diseases such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers, spinal cord injuries, stroke, burns, heart disease, and diabetes. Using stem cells could reduce the dependence on organ donation and transplantation.
Seeing such great benefits in stem cell research, people in the medical group argue that the research is necessary for the societys general health benefit. Michael J. Fox best summarizes this approach by saying “stem cell research offers the chance of a medical miracle” (OConnor). Stem cell research could not only help people like Michael J. Fox, but also people like the old man down the street with Parkinsons, or the child with diabetes. There are three very passionate and well known people driving this side of the debate: Christopher Reeve, Mary Tyler Moore and Michael J. Fox who say stem cells could cure their diseases. Michael J. Fox has testified before Congress saying he believes this research could help cure a disease he has, Parkinsons. Mary Tyler Moore has gone before