Stem Cells

Stem cell research. Simple words that to some mean a lot more than a new potential scientific field. It is simply the creation or repair of another life form from an earlier form. Stem cells have the chance to change all that we know in the medical field as well as the potential to heal old wounds and heal damaged organs. This point causes much debate and anger of those opposed to stem cell research but they ultimately look at the process and not the form or result of it.

Stem cell research has incredible potential. It is more important in healthcare than one may realize.

"Stem cells have the ability to develop into bone, muscle, cartilage, or other types of cells. The ability of these cells to develop into almost any cell type could allow for the repair of any damaged or deteriorating tissue, thus they could be used in regenerative medicine." (Joshua Tusin).

Stem cell creation follows a very easy process but not so simple that one could use a home science kit to duplicate it. Stem cell research is used in so many ways today that many people overlook them. Applications such as blood transfusions and bone marrow transplants are simple uses of stem cell research. Many people who oppose the research look mainly at the newer process which is to use fetal abortions or human embryos in order to repair tissue or to create/clone a new life.

The stem cells can be obtained in many different ways. Aborted (spontaneous or induced) fetal tissue, stored or spare embryos obtained from infertility treatment, embryos produced for research purposes (including somatic cell nuclear transfer), existing cell lines (e.g., haematopoietic or neuronal stem cells), or collected from peripheral blood or bone marrow are some of the methods used. Samples of stem cells may also be taken from adults and have been used to cure well over one hundred different diseases and ailments. These cells are very limited on quantity though and are not as pure or easily used as those that are found in younger subjects.

"There are, however, at least presently, limitations to using adult stem cells. Although many different kinds of multipotent stem cells have been identified, adult stem cells that could give rise to all cell and tissue types have not yet been found. Adult stem cells are

often present in only minute quantities and can therefore be difficult to isolate and purify. There is also evidence that they may not have the same capacity to multiply as embryonic stem cells do. Finally, adult stem cells may contain more DNA abnormalities--caused by sunlight, toxins, and errors in making more DNA copies during the course of a lifetime. These potential weaknesses might limit the usefulness of adult stem cells in comparison with embryonic stem cells." (Wikipedia)

These methods are not very well known because most people against the research would tell you that the only way to obtain the stem cells is from the embryos of fetuses and that the embryos are killed in order to obtain the cells when that is not true.

The process of stem cell cultivation involves several steps. Step one, In vitro fertilized egg, made in an artificial environment outside of a living organism. Step two, Blastocyst stage, 5 to 7 days after egg is fertilized the cells are beginning to multiply. Step three, inner stem cell mass, and removal of stem cells. Step four, cultured undifferentiated stem cells, stage when cells can be directed to what they will become. Step five is the customization of the cells into specialized cells; they can be transformed into blood cells, neural cells, and muscle cells.

There are many who support stem cell research because of the huge medical benefits such as cures or treatments for other diseases. The National Institutes for Health wrote a piece about stem cell uses for other medical purposes.

"...research involving human pluripotent stem cells...promises new treatments and possible cures for many debilitating diseases and injuries, including Parkinson's disease, diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, burns and spinal cord injuries. The NIH believes the potential medical benefits of human pluripotent stem cell technology are compelling and worthy of pursuit in accordance with appropriate ethical standards." (B.A. Robinson)

The only aspect about stem cell research that most people agree upon is that it should not be done as a cloning aspect. That is where the stem cells of one living being are taken, spliced and placed into another living being in order to create reproduction. Another big aspect is from where the stem cells come from. The cells have to come from a living being but when and how they are extracted is a big fight among many. The best place and time to obtain the purest cells that have the best capacity to be studied and learned on how to use them is from a fetus that has either unintentionally or intentionally been abort. That causes a huge uproar with many anti-abortion activists who claim that they are killing the

life of this child to study it. What they fail to understand