Stem Cells: Potential For Use in Medical Situations.
Stem cells are a hot topic for the media today because ourunderstanding of them has potential for incredible scientific advances inthe field of biotechnology, yet we struggle because there are questions ofmorality raised by the methods by which they might be used. While incenturies past, it was commonly accepted within the scientific community tovivisect the mentally insane or criminally convicted for the purpose ofscientific knowledge, today religious groups are concerned about the fateof single stem cells being used in experiments. Stem cells have paved theway to cloning and bioengineering of humans, allowing scientists to""bring... a sperm and ovum together to create an embryo, harvesting thecells, and then discarding the embryo." (Celia) The concern for manypeople is that working with embryonic stem cells especially may somehow hebreaching the rights of people and taking science to a point where it is Some advocates of stem cell research will argue that any potentialrights violation is worth it. "Stem cells can be used in regenerativemedicine to replace diseased or damaged tissue..." (Fraer) Most medicalproblems are related to damage to the body
, which means that stem cells maybe the key to ending all illness and disease. These findings may create morecontroversy about cell implantation. One potential advantage to using adult stemcells is that a patient could be treated with his or her own cells, butembryonic stem cells must come from a donor which could cause transplantrejection. It is also easier to grow large amountsof embryonic stem cells in cultures, and adult ones are much more rare anddifficult to obtain or grow. Humanity should not be defined by the number of cells, becausethis would put the argument onto a slippery slope where people who are morefat or taller would be "more human" than midgets, which is simplyridiculous. (NIH, Unique) However, there are actually two basic kinds of stem cells: embryonicstem cells and adult stem cells. Perhaps stem cells willactually allow humans to regenerate organs and limbs lost, as well asending the threat of cancer and other diseases. There are two kindsof stem cells, embryonic and adult, each of which have different potentialfor use in medical situations. There are some facts that are the same forevery stem cell. (NIH, Similarities) Stem cell research has come a long way, but there is a lot more thatis still not understood about how they work or how they can best be usedfor medical advancements. " (Tessa) However, those who oppose stem cell research may also have validpoints. " (Celia) One important fact that is often completely overlooked during themoral and philosophical debates regarding stem cell research is that notall stem cells are the same. " (NIH, Unique) Being unspecialized means thatstem cells have no tissue-specific structures, and it can't work with othercells to perform functions, yet stem cells do give rise to cells that arespecialized. "An embryo should beaccorded full human status at the moment of its creation. This has raised expectations that in the long termthey may prove to be an effective regenerative therapy for a wide range ofdisorders including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, type 2diabetes, myocardial infarction, severe burns, and osteoporosis.
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