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Despite the negative controversies, stem cell research can be the key to future success
Debate over government funding of stem cell research
Moral arguments on stem cells
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Stem cells research has been a very disputed topic among the US. There has been ethical issues concerning stem cell research and has caused friction in its track to its full potential. These ethical issues include the concern of moral status of embryos, in which stem cells are made of and the doomed embryos ands. Religion plays a huge role in the stem cell debate concerning issues with their religion. Several scientist that have been researching stem cells have agreed that stem cells have great potential to cure several harmful diseases like diabetes as well as cancer.Stem cell research should have an increase in its budget and less restricted to further help the research of potential cures to diseases like diabetes. Stem cells are distinguished from other cell types by two important characteristics. First of all, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division. Second, under certain physiological or experimental conditions, they can be specialized to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with special functions. In some organs, stem cells regularly divide to repair and replace worn out or damaged tissues. In other organs, such as the heart, stem cells only divide under special conditions. Scientists discovered ways to get embryonic stem cells from early mouse embryos in 1981. The in depth study of the biology of mouse stem cells led to the discovery, in 1998, of a method to get stem cells from human embryos and grow the cells in a laboratory. These cells are named human embryonic stem cells. The human embryonic stem cells used in these studies were created for research purposes and has from then on led to controversial issues surrounding them. Stem cells may have the potential to be grown to b... ... middle of paper ... ...in full swing. N.p., 14 Nov. 2013 Green, R., 2002, “Benefiting from ‘Evil’; An Incipient Moral Problem in Human Stem Cell Research,” Bioethics 16(6): 544–556. Knowles, Lori P. “Religion and Stem Cell Research” Stem Cell Network, For the Public, Ethics and Policy, Spring 2010. Mackenzie, Debra. “Stem Cells in Court.” New Scientist 215.2873(2012): 5.General Science Collection "Obama Overturns Bush Policy on Stem Cells." CNN. Cable News Network, 9 Mar. 2009. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. "Stem Cell Research Around the World." Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project RSS. N.p., 17 July 2008. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. “The Stem Cell Debate: is it over?” The Stem Cell Debate: Is it over. N.p, n.d. Vestal, Christine. "Stem Cell Research at the Crossroads of Religion and Politics." Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project RSS. N.p., 17 July 2008. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Medical researchers utilize this versatility to develop treatments for incurable diseases. Despite the considerable benefits of stem cells in medical applications, the use of some sources of stem cells is not ethical. In article 1761 of the Catholic Catechism, the church teaches "One may not do evil so that good may result from it.” The good of medical discoveries does not justify the evil of killing to obtain the stem cells. Therefore, people have a moral obligation to restrict the use of ethically collected stem cells such as those from umbilical cords or adult bone marrow. Stem cell research has potential to cure many diseases. However, in order to conduct ethical research, scientists must limit refrain from using fetal and embryonic stem
In a recent article, “Destructive Embryonic Stem Cell Research”, Father Mark Hodges, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian argues that human lif...
" An Overview of Stem Cell Research | The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity."
...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 research is a heavily debated topic that can stir trouble in even the tightest of Thanksgiving tables. The use cells found in the cells of embryos to replicate dead or dying cells is a truly baffling thought. To many, stem cell research has the potential to be Holy Grail of modern medicine. To many others, it is ultimately an unethical concept regardless of its capabilities. Due to how divided people are on the topic of stem cell research, its legality and acceptance are different everywhere. According to Utilitarianism, stem cell research should be permitted due to the amount of people it can save, however according to the Divine Command of Christianity, the means of collecting said stem cells are immoral and forbidden.
Webb, S. (2009). Stem cell research is suffering due to the lack of federal funding. In A.
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.
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
Those who favour stem cell research are optimistic about the continued developments in stem cell research will open doors to many breakthrough discoveries in biomedical science. The scientific and ethical questions arise as rapidly as the reaching of milestones in stem cell research. There are two main types of stem cells, namely embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells in our body. But they have restricted-range of cells that they can further differentiate. On the contrary, embryonic stem cells have the ability to differentiate into nearly two hundred cell types in the human body, called pluripotency. The process of harvesting embryonic stem cells involves destruction of embryos (Mooney, 2009).
Waskey, Andrew J. “Moral Status of Embryo.” Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research. Ed. Clive N. Svendsen, and Allison D. Ebert. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2008. 347-52. SAGE knowledge. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.
Stem cell research has been a heated and highly controversial debate for over a decade, which explains why there have been so many articles on the issue. Like all debates, the issue is based on two different arguments: the scientific evolution and the political war against that evolution. The debate proves itself to be so controversial that is both supported and opposed by many different people, organizations, and religions. There are many “emotional images [that] have been wielded” in an attempt to persuade one side to convert to the other (Hirsen). The stem cell research debate, accompanied by different rhetoric used to argue dissimilar points, comes to life in two articles and a speech: “Should Human Cloning Be Allowed? Yes, Don’t Impede Medical Progress” by Virginia Postrel; “Should Human Cloning Be Allowed? No, It’s a Moral Monstrosity” by Eric Cohen and William Kristol; and “Remarks by Ron Reagan, Jr., to the 2004 Democratic National Convention” by Ron Reagan, Jr. Ethos, pathos, and logos are the main categories differentiating the two arguments.
Could you imagine being able to create new organs, tissues, muscles, and even food? With embryonic stem cell technology, believe it or not, these things are possible. Stem cells are the body's raw materials. Specifically, they are cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated. Under the right conditions in the body or in a laboratory, stem cells can divide to form more cells called daughter cells. These daughter cells either become new stem cells or turn into specialized cells with a more specific function, such as blood cells, brain cells, muscle cells or bone cells. The possibilities are almost endless. The debate and main issue with this technology is that the actual stem cells come from embryos. Embryos are an unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development. Although there is controversy surrounding these cells, embryonic stem cells should continue to be researched and used, because they have so much potential.
Martin, Jonathan. "Obama reverses Bush stem cell ban." Politico. Capitol News Company, March 9, 2009. Web. 13 Feb 2012.
Stem cells offer exciting promise for future therapies, but significant technical hurdles remain that will only be overcome through years of intensive research. Stem Cells have the incredible potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. Scientists primarily work with two kinds of stem cells from animals and humans. The embryonic stem cells and the non-embryonic stem cells. Stem cells are the cells from which all other cells originate. In a human embryo, a large portion of the embryo’s cells are stem cells. These stem cells can be used for cell-based therapies. Cell-Based therapies are treatments in which stem cells are induced to differentiate into the specific cell type required to repair damaged or destroyed cells or tissues. Stem cells are versatile and offer the possibility to treat a number of diseases including Alzheimer’s, stroke, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc. The problem is that for the process of embryonic stem cell research and embryo will be destroyed if used. This raises a moral issue and questions of whether stem cell research is unethical or not.