Richard J. Gross a developmental biologist once said, “If there were no regeneration, there could be no life. If everything regenerated there would be no death.” In 2001 President George W. Bush banned the further funding of embryonic stem cell research. Why? Some feel that embryonic stem cell research encouraged abortion, and that by banning the federal funding for embryonic stem cell research it would lessen the rates of abortion. However, just recently President Barack Obama has reversed that law and thereby allowing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. According to the CDC, Center of Disease Control, one in five-hundred people will become diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; every seventy seconds someone will develop Alzheimer’s, one in five people will die from some form of cardiovascular problems, and will become diagnosed with diabetes. Now what do all of these health problems have in common? They all have the potential to be treated with some form of stem cell therapy, but they also have the potential to be worsened by the effects of stem cell therapy. Why was only embryonic research federal funding banned? Furthermore, why ban funding on stem cells when they could potentially save millions of lives? Embryonic Stem cell research should continue to be federally funded because it is the most effective and has the most potential among the other forms of stem cell research to produce treatments in people. The source in which the stem cells are extracted from is the controversial part that comes into play. There are three sources in which a stem cell can be derived from the fetus (embryonic stem cells), adult tissues, and umbilical chords. Embryonic stem cells are the most controversial of all of the stem ce... ... middle of paper ... ...does the damage to our cells. This information is passed on to those stem cells in our body. If bone marrow cells were extracted from our body and then placed into another person’s they have a chance of rejection. Because of this very reason our genetic code is different than the next person’s as well as the amount of chemicals we have been exposed to. So its no wonder that when Conclusively, embryonic stem cells are the best choice in stem cell research because they offer much more options than that of adult stem cells or umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells. Embryonic stem cells have the ability to become virtually any type of cell where adult stem cells are only limited to certain parts of the body and umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells are limited to curing blood diseases. Therefore, the federal funding for this medical research should not be expelled.
Are embryonic stem cells the cure to many of the human body’s ailments, including defective organs and crippling diseases, or is their use a blatant disregard of human rights and the value of life? Thanks to the rapid advancements in this field, the potential benefits of stem cells are slowly becoming reality. However, embryonic stem cell research is an extremely divisive topic in the United States thanks to the ethical issues surrounding terminating embryos to harvest the stem cells. In response to this debate, Congress passed the Dickey-Wicker amendment in 1995 to prohibit federal funding of research that involved the destruction of embryos. President Bush affirmed this decision, but more recently President Obama lifted many of these restrictions. Despite the significant portion of Americans that do not support embryonic stem cell research, it should be federally funded because of the potential health benefits, the definition of human, and the opportunity to clearly define regulations for ethical research.
...ting embryos specifically for stem cell research should not be allowed. Continued stem cell research will benefit all of mankind with its promise of medical advances. Opponents’ concerns about destroying human life will be quelled because stem cells will be taken from already doomed embryos. The federal government will be able to regulate the research and ensure that it is lawfully conducted.
Millions of people die every year from diseases and accidents; the nightly news is filled with reports about the devastating effects of cancer, horrific accidents, and disasters that leave people disfigured or paralyzed. Embryonic stem cell research is a part of biomedical science and has the potential to ease the suffering of sick people by curing diseases and defects, creating organs and tissue for patients needing transplants or skin grafts, regenerating axons in spinal cord injuries, and creating new treatments, drugs, and immunizations. However, America’s government does not support this research to an extent that would make a difference in medicine; only a few stem cell lines are authorized, and federal funding is minimal. The government should support embryonic stem cell research by educating the public, increasing federal funds, and easing restrictions.
The President’s Council on Bioethics published “Monitoring Stem Cell Research” in 2004. This report was written in response to President Bush’s comments regarding research of human stem cells on August 9, 2001. President Bush announced that he was going to make federal funding available for research that involved existing lines of stem cells that came from embryos. He is the first president to provide any type of financial support for the research of human stem cells. A Council was created with people who are educated in the field of stem cells to help monitor the research and to recommend guidelines and consider the ethical consequences that this research could create. This report is an “update” given by the President’s Council in January of 2004 to make the public aware of the significant developments in the science and medical aspects of stem cell research. It also describes the ethical, legal and political implications that stem cell research may create. However, since the research is still in its beginning stages, this “update” does not describe a complete or definitive study of stem cells nor does it provide specific guidelines or regulations. This is a report that is suppose to help the President, Congress and general public make better-informed decisions as to the direction that we should go with stem cells.
The controversy behind the stem cell research has been raging since the first experiments. The United States Congress banned federally supported human-embryo research in 1996, forcing scientists to solicit funding from private sponsors. Since stem cells are harvested from aborted fetuses, the ethical issues surrounding abortion act as a stigma in the public’s view. However, in September of last year, the National Bioethics Advisory Commission concluded that harvesting stem cells from discarded embryos is morally akin to removing organs from dead people for transplant. Stem cell research continues to be very controversial, yet prevalent in the scientific community.
In the 2004 presidential election, one of the most controversial issues facing voters was the battle over embryonic stem cell research. In the weeks leading up to the election, polls were indicating that 47 percent of Bush supporters agreed that the destruction of embryo cells is unethical; however, 53 percent of Bush voters supported stem cell research. The overwhelming majority of Kerry backers also supported stem cell research, indicating that the majority of American voters support stem cell research. Embryonic stem cell research, while still in its infancy, has the potential to treat or perhaps even cure more than 100 million people suffering from a variety of illnesses and conditions. Scientists agree that stem cells could be one of the greatest revolutions in modern medicine. On the opposing side of the issue, many citizens believe that destroying an embryo is the equivalent to killing an unborn child. While many people assume the battle is about the use of stem cells for research purposes, it now seems that the major political controversy is the role of the federal government in funding human embryo research. Many scientists contend that the furor began with President Bush's August 2001 decision to limit government funding to embryonic stem cell lines that had already been created. Since then, scientists have been scrambling to expand funding for stem cell research with few alternatives. The central question is, "Should private funding from companies, individuals, and foundations control the future economic, public health, and social benefits of stem cell research or should the federal government?" Allowing the federal government to fund and, thereby, control stem cell research ensures appropriate regulation and ...
...oll(2010), around 33% of U.S. voters believe that taxpayers’ money should be spent on embryonic stem cell research and more than 50% of the voters disagree that taxpayers’ money should go the research(Roe, 2010). Hence, it is believed that government should not fund the stem cell research.
This belief is wrong. Many countries including the United States have laws regarding embryonic stem cells. The United States has limits on when you can take embryos and there off course has to be consent from the donor of the stem cells. All these regulations are being met and the research is being done safely and in a way that always keeps safety as a first priority. New procedures and uses of stem cells also have to be deemed safe or the risks have to at least be shared before treatment can take place. These regulations make sure stem cells are being used in a safe way and that you know the facts about the way researchers are using
There are people who enjoy the fact that they can use their own bone marrow and stem cells to treat themselves. There are many diseases and injuries that stem cells may be able to cure. Alone there are positive outcomes using stem cells, there stands debate on the use of embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells should be used to sustain life because they can rebuild organs despite the concerns.
Stem cell research should be allowed on adults but not on humans. Only allowed on humans who are willing to be a part of the stem cell research but no one should be used against their own will. Embryos should not be used for embryonic stem cell research. An embryo being used for their stem cells and then discarded devalues that human life. This follows along the same unethical issue as abortion. When stem cells are removed from human embryos, a unique individual dies. However, if abortion is legal in the state that this research is conducted than research may be conducted on only aborted fetuses. That would be an...
Those who are opposed to embryonic stem cell research reject it based on a moral issue. Some object to stem cell research on the basis that it involves the elimination of the most basic form of human life (Issitt). Former President George W. Bush strongly believed in the right to life and his polices during his terms displayed this. In 2005 and 2007, President Bush vetoed two bills for the federal funding embryonic stem cell research (Issitt). In addition to the moral issue, many cite the pitfalls...
Stem cell research is one of the most controversial topics, people oppose it because they think that the destruction of an embryo is the same as abortion. They believe that the embryo constitutes life because it has the potential to fully develop into a human being. I personally think that life begins when the baby takes its first breath out of the womb. Once a baby is aborted, it is going to be deposed of. So, if it is going to be wasted, then why not use the stem cells from the embryos to help people? Also, it is important to do research on embryonic stem cells because it increases our knowledge on how cancer and birth defects form. Plus, these cells are undifferentiated, allowing them to be used in all parts of the body, giving them the
Stem cell research should not be allowed because it is unethical. Embryonic stem cells which are on stem cells from human embryos are a reason some people believe that Stem cell research is unethical. Since the only way that scientists know they can get embryonic stem cells is from human embryos, they use 5-14 day fertilized embryos to get those stem cells. Religious groups and anti-abortion groups believe that a living person is being destroyed to do research and they believe that it is a crime against humanity " Destruction of human life cannot be justified, even if the aim is to save other human life" (Bioethical). People are argue that the destruction of human embryos is not necessary because they can use other stem cells like Adult stem
A controversial subject matter of federal funding for stem cell research has been ongoing since 2001 when President George W. Bush prohibited federal funding; however, President Bush did not prohibit the research itself, raising permissible concern. Stem cell research may have the potential to treat and cure cataclysmic medical conditions. The dispute of stem cell research is embryos are eradicated in the process of research, in addition to correlating embryos to an infant life; therefore, commencing a slippery slope of corrupting applications.
It became a major issue in 1997/1998 and continued to the 2000’s where George W. Bush joined to the problem by vetoing the first bid that was brought forward by Congress to lift funding restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research. Bush stated after the veto that, “would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others” and also he stated “It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect”. Bush was also supported by children that he said, “began his or her life as a frozen embryo that was created for in vitro fertilization (in vitro means the technique of performing an experiment in a controlled environment outside of a living organism) but remained unused after the fertility treatments were complete… These boys and girls are not spare parts”. Later on that year, Bush signed a bill to ban the creation of human fetuses for the sole purpose of harvesting organs. Soon after, the House proposed another bill that they had hoped him to sign to promote efforts to conduct stem cell research without destroying human embryos. Bush had called it “an important piece of legislation”, but several politics said that it would distract attention from his veto for the funding for human embryonic stem cell research.