As technology stem cell research intensifies, so does the controversy about whether such scientific progress is moral. In the past millennium to today the present stem cell research has become a controversial topic across the world. Stem cells are unspecialized cells that have unique regenerative abilities, allowing them to divide into specialized cell types. Understanding why these processes occur is essential to curing disease. Critics of stem cell research argue that the extraction of embryonic stem cells involves destroying an early embryo, equating the act of killing a human. Although stem cell research is a highly controversial topic, it is compulsory to continue stem cell research within ethical boundaries for the benefit of mankind.
The extraction of embryonic stem cells involves destroying an early embryo, which means killing a potential future human being. Is killing a future human being necessary to save the currently living? The process of extracting embryonic stem cells requires abortion. The abortion is performed in an early stage where the cell mass has not developed a system capable of detecting pain or emotion. Embryonic stem cells can be found in the interior portion of an embryo, known as the “inner cell mass”. The inner cell mass is capable of making every type of cell in the body. Initially, the cells do not serve a specific function. When stem cells are exposed to an environment of other cells such as skin, or neural cells, they “morph” into the surrounding structure. When placed in damaged tissue, embryonic stem cells repair the damaged cells.
The ethical dilemma raised by abortion has led scientists to look for an alternative to embryonic stem cells in which the killing of humans is not involved. Induced ...
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...cells are not just a part replacement for curing disease, but they help us understand the human body better.
Current cancer therapies are very painful, and involve the destruction of good tissue as well. Stem cells that destroy cancerous tissue can be engineered, and used to kill all cancer cells in a body. By injecting stem cells that destroy only cancer cells, no harm is done to good tissue.
Stem cell research must be performed in order for scientists to develop a method full capable of repairing cells. The benefits of stem cell research greatly outweigh the controversies. In the long term, increased ability to cure diseases would decrease the cost of healthcare globally. In the short term, a lot of money is needed to obtain the knowledge required to save lives. In the long run, stem cell research is worth the money spent. This is only achievable if stem cell stu
The body is composed of cells, which form the basic unit of life. Unique cells found in the body are the stem cells. These cells are biological cells that are not specialized for particular functioning in organisms. They can be distinguished since they have the ability to differentiate or divide into multiple body cells, and their ability to replicate self. They are unique in the way they can renew themselves by undergoing cell division when inactive for a long period. It is also possible to induce stem cells to organs or tissue cells under some conditions. When the cells divide, they replenish the cells in a living organism. They serve as an internal system that repairs and replaces the tissues that are worn out.1 Dividing cells may remain as stem cells or become specialized in their functions, for instance red blood cells, brain or muscle cells.
The wide range of prospective uses for stem cells could greatly improve the health and wellbeing of many people. In stem cell treatments, undifferentiated cells are programmed to form specific cells, which can then be transplanted to the afflicted area. Stems cells can possibly treat afflictions including “Alzheimer’s diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis” (“Stem Cell Basics”). Another important use is in drug testing. Drugs can be tested on stem cells that develop into the target tissue before using it on human test subjects, which improves safety. Finally, transplantation of organs created from stem cells could eliminate the need for human...
... is simply only a living cell, much like a blood cell or cancer cell. Going by this logic, acquiring stem cells from a human embryo is not an act of murder any more than you are preventing a cancer cell from developing.
* "After a long period of study and prayer, I found that pluripotent cells are not full human beings but can be very, very beneficial as used by science to help with all kinds of maladies...."
According to Courtney Farrell’s overview of stem cell research, stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can be used to fix and replace other kinds of cells that are missing or damaged, and they can be derived from several different sources. The first of these sources, “embryonic” stem cells have been the source of many ethical debates because the process to gain embryonic stem cells involves the destruction of a human embryo in its early stages. Many people find this unethical and think it’s equal to human murder. According to the article by John Pearson, other types of stem cells include adult stem cells, which can be derived from bone marrow in grown adults, and umbilical blood stem cells; these are found in the blood of the umbilical cord after the birth of a baby and are becoming a great replacement for embryonic stem cells.
Late one night a woman is driving home on the freeway, she’s hit head on by a drunk driver and killed. The man is charged with two accounts of murder; the woman, and her four-week-old embryo inside her. By law, everyone human being is guaranteed rights of life; born or unborn they are equal. The same law should be enforced concerning human embryonic stem cell research. Dr. James A. Thomson discovered stem cells in 1998 and they’ve intrigued scientist ever since. The stem cells themselves are derived from a three to four day old cluster of cells called a blastocyst and they are so coveted because they are pluripotent, meaning they can differentiate into any type of cell in the human body. Although embryonic stem cells show amazing potential to cure various disease such as cancer, congestive heart failure, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, muscular dystrophies, and more. The methods by which they are obtained is controversial. Research on embryonic stem cells is unethical, unnecessary, and purely homicide.
...ns of a morally questionable nature. It is necessary that our practices remain ethical and that we uphold the value of a human life, as this is the cornerstone of human society. Embryonic stem cell research is one such operation that forces scientists, policy makers, and the larger society to define what constitutes a human life and to find an answer to the crucial question: Is it morally acceptable to violate the rights of a human life for the for the sake of medical progress?
Stem cell therapy is a controversial topic that falls on the list of things not to discuss over thanksgiving dinner, very much like religion and politics. While the potential of stem cell research and therapy stand to make leaps of progression in cures for disease like Cancer and Alzheimer’s; Pros, Cons and morality still surround the issue.
Because stem cells are essentially a blank slate, scientists are theoretically capable of growing any human tissue cell. There is enormous medical potential in this. Stem cell research is the next step in advancing the medical field. It is comparable to the discovery of penicillin or the inoculation for smallpox.
From the discussion above it is very clear that there are different opinions on the pros and cons of stem cell research. Based on the recent researches, scientists have the capability to work out the alternatives for embryonic stem cell research. And the usefulness compare to embryonic stem cell remains unknown. Undeniably, the stem cell research issue has its most complex parts to be resolved and surmounted. But perhaps we can disclose the way to carry out stem cell research with the balance of bioethics and most importantly, do no harm for humankind one day.
Stem cell research is not necessarily bad and this research can lead to a positive breakthrough in the medical field. Researchers and consumers have a mutual interest in distinguishing the good research from the bad.
Thesis – despite the stigma surrounding stem cell research, the many potential benefits of stem cell research in the scientific, clinical and medical settings outweigh the negatives. Intro – Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs) have unlimited potential to produce specialised cells of the body, which suggests enormous possibilities for disease research and for providing new therapies. Pros Stem cell research can potentially help treat a range of medical problems. It could lead humanity closer to better treatment and possibly cure a number of diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Heart Diseases, Stroke and Diabetes (Type 1), Birth Defects, Spinal Cord Injuries, Replace or Repair Damaged Organs, Reduced Risk of Transplantation (You
In conclusion I have noticed that without cells we wouldn’t be able to function or neither without cell theory because we would not know how to treat our body or our cells.
We also have this graph to the left that shows that doctors and scientist have collaborated together to try to treat various diseases listed on this magnificent pie chart are the percentages of how much thought is put into each disease.The two biggest influences are Neural damage and Cancer.These two scary diseases have really been not so easy to crack in the medical field so we have Doctors that have already treated some of the mentioned diseases taking hours of brilliance in action.These doctors have been examining disease to the extent to where they have seen the disease form,”In theory, there are no limits to the types of diseases that could be treated with stem cell research.”This gives infinite possibilities a huge range of ideas that doctors can try .What if one-day stem cells create a shortcut to where the doctors have no need to perform surgery since the stem cells fight the problem on their own from the inside.”Normally we would self-transplant meaning doctors would use good bone marrow and now stem cells help replenish his bone marrow after chemotherapy.”Just the idea of doctors not having to cut you open to doing something a stem cell can fix easy from the inside sounds very tranquilizing .You feel relief knowing your not going to die or that nothing bad will happen during a faulty surgery .Stem cells can help us harvest genes to make the biggest diseases be gone.Stem Cells can show the weaknesses of a disease”Stem Cells have the potential to treat a wide
Pfeffer, N., Kent J., (2006). ‘Consent to the use of aborted fetuses in stem cell