Stem Cells

Stem Cells Stem cells are considered “master cells” with the ability to divide for indefinite periods in cultures and can be manipulated and transformed into any type of cell in the body. The most common use would be the generation of cells and tissues that could be used to either create organs or tissues to be used in transplantation and to treat many diseases and disabilities. There is a great difference of opinion surrounding stem cell research; conservatives and pro-choice activists are highly against further research, but the tremendous advances in health care and President Bush’s recent decision to fund more research, have made the future of stem cells seem much more promising. In every ground breaking scientific topic there seems to be controversy, and stem cells are no exception. Stem cell research is so controversial because the best source of stem cells are derived from human fetal tissue. Removing the stem cells destroys the embryo, which leads many people to believe this process to be immoral. One advantage of using stem cells found in embryos is their ability to transform themselves into almost every type of cell in the body. There are also not enough adult stem cells to allow for therapeutic applications, like transplants to regenerate tissues or organs that were damaged by disease. Adult stem cells are rare and are many times hard to identify, isolate, and purify. However, stem cells found in the embryo can be generated in large quantities in the laboratory. Many people argue that human embryos should not be the subjects of stem cell research that would benefit anyone other than the embryos themselves. Embryos are still human beings and just because they are immature human beings does not give anyone the right to destroy them for research. Even if the embryos were going to die anyway, there is still no justification in killing them to improve the lives of others. Therefore many people say that embryonic stem cell research is unconscionable. Even though many people stand firmly against stem cell research, the benefits are exceedingly important in the advancement of health care. Stem cells give us a better understanding of the complex events that go on during human development. One goal of this research would be to identify the factors that are involved in the cell making process that determines cell specialization. A few of our extreme medical conditions, like birth defects and cancer, are a direct result of abnormal cell specialization. If researchers obtain a better understanding of the normal cellular process, they can isolate the causes of these deadly illnesses. The most exciting potential use for stem cells is the generation of tissues and cells. Many diseases are a direct result from complications of cellular functions or destruction of tissues in the body. Many people donate organs and tissues to replace failing or destroyed tissues. Unfortunately, there are many more people suffering from these disorders than there are organs to transplant. That is where stem cells step in. They will give humans a chance to have a renewable source of cells and tissues that will treat a slue of diseases, and disabilities such as, Parkinson’s, stroke, burns, Alzheimer’s, spinal cord injury, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis. Virtually every realm of medicine will be positively affected by this new innovation. Obviously President Bush saw a marvelous discovery in stem cell research, because he decided to allow government-sponsored research to utilize the sixty existing embryo’s stem cells for further research. The decision to allow the research was long awaited and extremely controversial, but nevertheless a good one for the future of mankind. Within this executive decision, Bush will still maintain his ban on human cloning and will increase government support for adult stem cell research. The plan is allowing frozen embryos, that would just be thrown away, to be used for research. There is also a limit of the number of embryos used to the number that is actually needed to carry out the research. Another aspect of this law is that no citizen can create an embryo for the sole purpose of stem cell research. Generous funding on ethical issues was spent on current and future research, along with generous funding for research relevant to fetal, embryonic, and adult stem cells. With the enormous potential of stem cells developing new treatments for some of the most devastating diseases, it is crucial to search for the best sources of stem cells, regardless of where they come from. There are many pros and cons encompassing this issue with the pro-choice activists and conservatives being so avidly against it, with the remarkable advances in health care the research brings, and with President Bush’s decision to go ahead with further research. Even though there is still a great deal of controversy surrounding the issue of stem cell research, I think all people can agree that whoever saves one life is as if he saved an entire world.