Increased Government Funding for Stem Cell Research: According to Channel Four News (1), Russell Turnbull, a 38 year old man from England, lost sight out of one eye in a fight that happened in 1994. He tried to intervene between two men that were fighting on a bus. When he tried to break up the confrontation, one of the mean squirted ammonia at him. The ammonia landed in his cornea which instantly caused his eye to clamp shut; his eye would remain closed for two weeks. Russell immediately left the bus and headed for the nearest hospital. At the hospital he was diagnosed with LSCD which stands for limbial stem cell deficiency. LSCD causes corneal clouding, sensitivity to light, constant watering of the eyes, and leaves the afflicted unable to drive. This ailment requires costly long-term medicine and frequent trips to the doctor. Doctors tried numerous washes and creams, but none of these treatments really helped Russell’s vision. Just as Russell was losing hope in ever seeing again, his doctor, Franciso Figueiredo, recommended trying a new stem cell procedure. Turnbull agreed to the procedure, and doctors began growing new stem cells with a few stem cells from his good eye. The newly created stem cells were implanted in Turnbull’s bad eye. The eye began functioning normally, and eventually full sight was restored. Russell finally possessed full sight after fifteen years. Turnbull had this to say about the operation, “I'm working, I can go jet-skiing again and I also ride horses. I have my life back thanks to the operation." This man isn’t the only man who could benefit from this technology. Millions of people world wide have injuries and diseases that could be treated by embryonic stem cells. Although some people ... ... middle of paper ... ...ific Research Involving Human Stem Cells.” The White House. 9 March 2009. 18 March 2010. “Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research.” All About Popular Issues. 2004. 17 March 2010 “Stem Cell Basics.” Stem Cell Information. 20 April 2009. National Institutes of Health. 21 March 2010. “Stem Cell Basics The Difference Between Adult and Embryonic Stem Cells.” Stem Cell Information. 20 April 2009. National Institutes of Health. 21 March 2010. “Stem Cell Therapy for Brain Injury.” Cell Medicine. 2010. 3 Mar. 2010.
" An Overview of Stem Cell Research | The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity."
Stem cell research began in 1956 when Dr. E Donnall Thomas performed the first bone marrow transplant (“Adult stem cells are not more promising,” 2007). Since that time, research has evolved into obtaining cells from a variety of tissues. According to stem cell research professors, Ariff Bongso and Eng Hin Lee (2005), “Stem cells are unspecialized cells in the human body that are capable of becoming cells, each with new specialized functions” (p. 2). Stem cells are in various adult tissues, such as bone marrow, the liver, the epidermis layer of skin, the central nervous system, and eyes. They are also in other sources, such as fetuses, umbilical cords, placentas, embryos, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are cells from adult tissues that have been reprogrammed to pluripotency. Most stem cells offer multipotent cells, which are sparse...
Reaves, J. (2001, July 11). The great debate over stem cell research. Time, Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,167245,00.html
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.
...e cells from the synthetic retina had moved and integrated as it looked like normal mature rod cell after six weeks. Professor Ali says that it will take few years to implement this research within a human trial, but the team has already started working with human embryonic stem cells. I really wish this experiment works with human because blindness is the hardest thing to cure and it is really hard to find the eye donor. Doing this stem cell research, it reminded me of my grandmother when she had a stroke. She was really lucky because my grandfather found her very quickly, when she fainted from the stroke. The doctor said that she still has a chance of getting stroke again so she always has to be careful. If the stem cell research develops, my grandmother will be able to cure the stroke clearly and we won’t have to worry about her anymore going to hospital again.
The ethical issues behind the method in which stem cells are obtained out weigh the benefits of stem cell therapy. We should not try to play God, in the aspect of creation of living beings just to be sacrificed for the “betterment of mankind”. Many egregious acts have been committed under the guise of “the greater good”. This is one instance in which the ends do not justify the means.
What can one day cure diseases such as cancer? Stem cells. Stem cells are the future in medical technology. In this paper I will discuss what stem cells are, the history behind stem cell research, how stem cells might help treat diseases, and what diseases stem cells could potentially treat. I will also discuss the positives of stem cell research, the negatives of stem cell research, and what the hope for stem cell research is.
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 ...
Monroe, Kristen, et al., eds. Fundamentals of the Stem Cell Debate: The Scientific, Religious, Ethical and Political Issues. Los Angeles/Berkley: University of California Press, 2008. Print
This report aims to investigate the different views held on the pros and cons of development in stem cell research. This report will provide background to the debate, its social significance, parties that are involved and analysis of the arguments related to the topic researched.
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.
Trull continues to say that “Animal research has helped pave the way toward restoring vision. Last September, a Japanese woman became the first person to undergo an experimental stem-cell treatment
Anderson, Ryan. "Stem Cells: A Political History." First Things. First Things, November, 2008. Web. 10 Feb 2012.
In President Barack Obama’s speech of 2009, he issued an executive order which lifted the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, placed by the President George W. Bush. Obama addresses important factors of why he removed the ban such as keeping innovative scientists in the country and the many future promises the research holds. The president is biased towards the future of using embryonic stem cells in his speech― he strongly supports them and strives to improve research opportunities. However, President Obama does acknowledge the downside effects that this research can bring such as the risk of human cloning and addresses how it will be prevented. This speech will support an embryonic stem cell argumentative essay by demonstrating the benefits this research can bring to the country.
The stem cell research controversy is one of the major headlines in bioscience and has been discussed and debated numerous times throughout the last decade or so.