Stem Cell Research Persuasive Speech

My cousin, Rebecca, has type 1 diabetes, a condition that inhibits the ability of the pancreas to produce insulin. Everyday she has to check her blood sugar and inject insulin when needed, because if she does not, her blood sugar could dip too high or low. Because of her condition, she lives in constant fear of losing a limb or going blind. She should not have to suffer through this nightmare, because now we have the tools to study diabetes, and we will eventually be able to grow new pancreases in labs, with the help of stem cells. Stem cell research should be funded because it has the potential to cure many different diseases and conditions.

Stem cells are unspecialized, meaning that they have the unique potential to become any other type of cell, such as a red blood cell or a brain cell. There are two types of stem cells: embryonic and somatic. Somatic stem cells are found in adults, and, as far as we know, are only capable of becoming specific types of cells (stem cells in the liver can only become liver cells, stem cells in bone marrow can only become red and white

blood cells and platelets, etc.). However, embryonic stem cells have the remarkable ability to, under specific circumstances, become any other type of cell. These stem cells can only be acquired through in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is when an egg is fertilized outside the body. Donated eggs are fertilized by scientists, and then the new blastocyst is destroyed, revealing stem cells inside. This practice is controversial because numerous people believe that destroying the blastocyst is the same as ending a human life.
Wait, an unborn baby will be destroyed? No, a blastocyst that is no more than fourteen days old will be destroyed. A blastocyst has no brain, and therefore no thoughts, no emotion, and no pain. It is not yet a human; it is just a clump of cells. But will it not be a human one day? Also no, because the blastocyst would have been destroyed anyway. During IVF, more blastocysts than needed are created in order to minimize the chances of a miscarriage. No human life being destroyed, and what would have been destroyed is put to good use.
What is the point of studying stem cells?

Stem cells can grow a new liver for someone with liver disease, stem cells can grow a new spinal cord for someone with a spinal injury, stem cells can grow new nerve cells for someone with Alzheimer's disease, and stem cells can grow a new pancreas for my cousin, Rebecca. With a new, nondiabetic pancreas, Rebecca and other type 1 diabetes patients will no longer need to check her blood sugar, inject insulin, or live in fear of complications. Stem cells can also be used to conduct experiments that would be unethical to do on humans. For example, a scientist wanting to learn more about the effects of alcohol on the liver could grow livers in the lab, subject them to varying levels of alcohol, and record the results, all without needing to use a human. Stem cells, if the research for it is funded, will be a major scientific breakthrough on par with

antibiotics.
Stem cells are unspecialized cells that can be manipulated into becoming any other type of cell. Many people demonize stem cells, because the only way to acquire the most promising type, embryonic stem cells, is to destroy blastocysts, which are the precursors to embryos, and these people believe that human life starts at conception. In reality, a blastocyst is no more human than a random skin cell. The skin cell may make up a human, but it itself is not human. Stem cells have the capability to be used to create all types of organs and tissues, which could be life-saving for thousands of people. Because of its potential, stem cell research should definitely be funded, so that these people can be cured of the the diseases plaguing them.