ell is, which types cause the most controversy and how these cells are harvested. Mosby's Medical Health Dictionary (2003) defines a stem cell as a formative cell; a cell whose daughter cells may give rise to other cell types, a cell that has the potential to develop into several different types of mature cells. A single stem cell has the ability to multiply again and again, not only identical to itself but into various other types of specialized cells. There are two basic types of stem cells, Embryonic Stem Cells (EBC), and Adult Stem Cells (ASC). Embryonic stem cells or EBC cells are obtained from either aborted fetuses or fertilized eggs that are left over from in vitro fertilization. They are more useful than adult stem cells because they can produce cells for almost every tissue in the body. Adult Stem Cells or ADC cells are not as versatile for research because they are specific to certain cell types, such as blood, intestine, skin and muscle. EBC cells are much more useful in research and efficiency because they are not yet specialized in one area, whereas adult cells have been directed to one specific area. However, new research has proven beneficial in using ASC cells.
             Embryonic stem cells are at the forefront of the debate because of the means of harvesting. There are four ways to harvest embryonic stem cells, and each poses its own ethical issues. The first source is surplus embryo's that are left over from in vitro fertilization. One moral concern here is that the embryo is human life once the sperm and egg meet, whether or not it is created within a Petri dish. Because in vitro fertilization is already legal and generally accepted morally and ethically, the principle of whether the harvesting of these cells and their use for research is moral or ethical on a theological stand point, has no basis.
             The second potential source for creating embryonic stem cells involves uniting donated eggs and sperm to create embryones...