Should Embryo Stem Cell Research Be Banned?
             This is one of the most controversial questions posed in the last century. The issue is simple. Should the federal government fund embryo stem cell research? The answer is extremely complex. At the heart of this controversy, is whether or not, it is morally ethical to use stem cells derived from human embryos to possibly discover the cure and treatment for many diseases such as Diabetes, Stroke, Cancer, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's, to name just a few.
             "The discovery of human pluripotent stem cells, the most basic building blocks of the human body, is a major scientific breakthrough, the full value of which cannot be overstated," said Nobel Laureate Paul Berg, Ph.D., in a recent press release on behalf of the American Society for Cell Biology (2). Since they were first isolated in 1998, stem cells have shown the potential to dramatically change medical research and therapies (2).
             Embryonic stem cells are the very early cells that still have the potential to evolve into any type of tissue or organ. In the laboratory they can be coaxed into becoming brain cells, muscle cells, nerve cells, blood cells, etc., according to Christine Morris in an article written for the Miami Herald, researchers are working on the way to make the cells grow into the type of cell they need, then infuse them into diseased organs to fix a problem (1).
             Two of the world's most important ethical commitments are placed at odds with the discovery of stem cells; the commitment to protect human life, and the commitment to curing diseases.
             The opposition to this research comes from Anti-abortion groups, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity and seventy U.S. Congressmen among others. Their position is that it is wrong to permit research that requires the destruction of human embryos to obtain their stem cells. The cru...