Stem Cell Research Must Continue

Stem Cell Research Must Continue

Medicinal research that exists in today's modern world has the potential to help, maybe even cure - 100 million Americans who suffer from an immensely long list of ailments. These include bone loss, broken bones, brain damage from oxygen debt, severe burns, diabetes, heart disease, hepatitis, leukemia, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, spinal cord injuries, stroke, some forms of cancer, and many more. These potential cures would come from stem cells, a special kind of body cell that has not yet become specialized, meaning that it could develop into nearly all of the 220 types of body cells. Because stem cells ability to morph gives them vast healing potential, this research must be continued.

However, some people are opposed to it because the most productive way to collect stem cells is from human embryos. They say this is wrong because the embryos are human life, but that depends on how you look at it. Yes, these embryos are alive, but they are not the fetuses one might originally picture. They have no brain, central nervous system, heart, lungs, or organs. They cannot feel, sense, or think. They are virtually bodiless: they nave no appendages or physical features. These embryos are simply a clump of identical, undifferentiated cells, which contain human genetic information. Therefore, it is a bit of a stretch to compare them with a living, breathing, feeling baby.

Besides, these embryos would never actually become human life. They are made in a petri dish from sperm and egg harvested from parents for artificial insemination. Since this is a complicated and finicky process, many extras are produced. These are then frozen for later use if desired. When the embryos are not wanted any more, they are simply thrown out or left to die. It is not as if they would ever be implanted in a woman's womb, which is the time when they really have the potential to become a human being. Because of this, it is much better to collect stem cells from these embryos so that they might be used to help the greater good.

Earlier this year, President Bush signed a proposal that allows existing stem cell lines to be researched with federal money. He claimed that there were 66 of them that could be used, but that number is much too high. Of those lines, 7 were duplicates, and 31 are in foreign labs and unavailable to Americans.

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