Defending Stem Cell Research

Stem cell research has been a controversial hot topic in court and in the lab. The controversy involved with stem cell research starts with the means of obtaining the cells to perform the research. These stem cells are often obtained from deceased embryos of human beings. Ethics and moral issues arise because of the abortions occurring solely to acquire the coveted stem cells. Stem cells are basically cells that are capable of dividing and producing cells that differentiate further into one or more specialized types of cells. Stem cells hold a great deal of potential for curing previously incurable diseases and their full potential may be yet to be realized. The government should fund the collection and storage of stem cells of normal births because the public needs to be educated about its advantages by making the benefits of stem cell research known, showing that new and alternate sources for stem cells are available and present the harmful effects of methods currently used to obtain stem cells. (Bevington: 105)

The live saving potential that stem-cell research presents far outweighs any of the supposed negative reasoning against it. Embryonic stem cells are a very useful for cellular therapies to treat a wide range of diseases. This is because they have the capability to grow indefinitely in a laboratory setting and are undifferentiated allowing them to be fashioned into any type of body tissue. The use of these cells in a variety of cell-based therapies offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, burn spinal cord injury, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis. The potential to dramatically alter approaches and understanding of disease treatment in order to alleviate suffering should not be overlooked. This use of ...