Stem Cell Research Pros and Cons
Since stem cell research is a new medical possibility – stem cell research pros and cons should both be taken into consideration. Most people are not completely familiar with this topic, so here is the opportunity for you to be informed about stem cell issues.
Stem cell related questions may sound like science fiction, knowing it is relatively new medicine branch. However, scientists all over the world are doing their best in doing researches about this novelty. Shortly, stem cell means using simple human cell and developing it further into various types of cells in our body.
This method is highly significant because it may help or completely cure very serious diseases and conditions. There are benefits when it comes to curing heart diseases, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and Parkinson’s. Still, questions like human cloning and genetic engineering still do not allow wide spread use of stem cells. Beside all the medical conditions that can be treated by stem cells, there’s a great possibility of repairing or even replacing damaged body organs by the “grown” ones.
Stem cell researches have shown that those new cells can replicate specific cells in the skin, liver or even brain. They have the amazing ability to treat and recover patients who thought their condition was definite. On the other hand, some people fight against stem cell research arguing that it is highly unethical. In some countries it came to that point that it was officially prohibited to research and use stem cells for any purpose.
Knowing that an embryo is needed for stem cell development, some people have issues with treating a human life this way. There are two opposite sides: one claiming that the human life begins with an actual birth, while others argue that the human embryo counts as a living human being and using it for stem cell research is recognized as killing. Think it through and choose wisely which side to support.
Lewin
2 Sep, 2010
What constitutes the embryo, and must a fetus be destroyed in order for the embryo to be used for research?
katie kelley
18 Oct, 2010
I’m against the stem cell research and trasplants. Why go and mess up God’s plan he has for you or someone else? I mean sure go and save a life or two, but is it worth using an unborn baby’s cells to give to an old man when he’s gonna die anyways…and the process to create the stem cell takes 4-5 days so while you’re getting those stem cells that are supposedly “saving” that persons life you’re killing them by waisting the time to get the stem cells. But hey if you wanna do it then do it, but as far as my family and I, and the others to come in the future, will be against it because someone is not about to have a peice of one of my unborn kids inside them just to help them out some.
Karina
1 Nov, 2010
Katie Kelley,
What if you or one of your small little children has a disease, which stem cells could treat or possibly even cure? Would you then be so against it? I don’t it. If it’s God’s plan, why did he give us the tools to use it? I feel sorry for you.
Oh and by the way, why would you think they would use your child’s stem cells? Do you know anything about stem cell research?? Naive people should not procreate period…
Witless Republican
2 Nov, 2010
Where have you two been for the past 5 years?
There are other ways of obtaining stem cells now that don’t involve using embryos.
alex
3 Nov, 2010
Are you serious? You only think stem cell research would only save one or two lives. If stem cells are able to find a cure for heart diseases, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and Parkinson’s disease why the hell wouldnt you want to save all those lives? You say it messes up “Gods plan.” How do u know what his plans are? Dont bring religous shit to this when it comes to somthing that could save thousands of lives.
jim
15 Nov, 2010
wow katie kelley, you are not intelligent, not even close
PaganPaul
16 Nov, 2010
Katie Kelley I hold a torch for you, don’t feel flattered, it is not because I share your views it is because you have your head so far up your ass it will be so dark you’ll need something to see by. The phrase “get a life” mean anything to you?
Cara
16 Nov, 2010
Katie Kelley, you are completley unreasonable. First of all, you spelled wasting wrong. Second of all, say is the abortion already happened, how would that cause harm at all. All it could do is open doors to research.
Christina C.
19 Nov, 2010
Most stem cells are taken from invitro clinics that are left over and they are given consent by the donors. Are you kidding me no baby is actually being born it stays as in embryo and you even state unborn. If this is not “God’s” plan for us then why would we have never found this great discovery! Also if your family or someone in the future got hurt these cells could help them its not just for curing diseases. They are not just for old people they can help childern to. Do more research PLEASE!
James
19 Nov, 2010
Well, religion is important to some, but leave it to yourself and other believers. Stem cell research has been relatively sucessful so far, so I say that it should continue. Also, please don’t comment if you dont know what your talking about.
Shanna
26 Nov, 2010
I applaud everyone for refusing to be self-centered and caring about those who are sick. Understand that calling people names and degrading them isn’t an argument but an attack which won’t get anyone well. So far, adult stem cells have proven effective in some cures, while embryonic are still possibilities. While kill the child if you don’t have to?
Amy Arya
12 Dec, 2010
First of all, Katie Kelley, the embryos are going to die anyway, they are about to be thrown away, unused in fertility clinics. There wasn’t any hope for them anyway. Second, they won’t save two or three people. They will have the potential to save the millions of people dying from currently incurable diseases. You don’t have to give up any of your unborn children into this, but if this is “messing up God’s plan,” then, why did humans discover it? It is going to be able to save millions of people with embryos that would have been thrown away anyway. Lastly, it’s not going to help somebody out “some,” it’s going to save their life. With this, they can live their life to the fullest, because not just old people get incurable diseases.
i.l.e.d
21 Jan, 2011
Okay, first, Kelly Katie, darling you went about this the wrong way. I don’t mean don’t express yourself. Just don’t mean what you say in a negative way, because, obviously, people are going to bash on you. I’m for stem cell research, (not embryonic) I find it so fascinating. These are some of the things that I saw were mentioned and would like to express my opinion… to each of you that found it necessary and mature to comment to Kelly Katie’s comment. Katie I’m not standing up for you. And my comment to you would take FOREVER so just keep on reading.
Karina: You’re right, they would most likely use her child’s stem cells. But you don’t know her. So how do you know if she has kids? “Naive” really? It means young, inexperienced or lacking knowledge of. So are you meaning that she’s stupid? And if so, why not just say she is? What about the mentally handy-caped, autistic, or people who couldn’t afford an education when they were young? Should they not reproduce either just because they’re somewhat naïve?
Witless Republican: Ya you’re right.
Alex: Ya man she’s not updated on this for sure. Brining religion? Idk if you have a religion, but it’s more of a life style so God would be apart of everything. God would also have everything to do with life cuz he made it. No one knows His plans, but He does know them all, we just have free will. I totally believe God made everything and he gave us the intelligence to figure things out.
Jim: Wow you sure let your maturity shine, don’t you?
PaganPaul: You obviously have a life too, don’t ya?
Cara: Ya but you can get stem cells from the bone, so it’s really unnecessary.
Christina C.: Saying its not a baby is pure idiocy. An unborn child is a child nonetheless. Its like saying to someone who had a miscarriage (beginning + weeks) “Hey its okay, its not like it was born.” Why should she care? Be cause the embryo has the potential of being a baby. But who cares? That’s like not giving a child an education. Why do it if its not important? That child could have great potential. A baby is a baby no matter what people say or try to make qualifications that are other wise.
Shanna: Agreed.
Amy Arya: There is always a hope. Let’s be prudent and not dense. But other wise I agree with your opinion. As for God’s plan He knows our choices and all the possibilities, He doesn’t plan it because what kind of God would He be if he gave us free will and curiosity and didn’t want us to use them.
i.l.e.d
21 Jan, 2011
James: Forgot you. We live in a free country. We all can freely express our opinion. So it unconstitutional to tell people other wise. I think it should also continue but not embryonic.
mara
24 Jan, 2011
If peoples lives can be saved why not? If your loved ones were the people dying you sure would want something to save them.
Judith
2 Mar, 2011
I do believe in God but is he has allowed us to develop this medicine we should use it as best we can to help everyone fir He would like us to love all our neighbours. If all the guidlines laid out are followed, then I see no problem in helping all those around us.
alexandra
4 Mar, 2011
I agree with everyone but Katie Kelly and i.l.e.d.
esh
11 Mar, 2011
I do not know too much about Stem Cells Reasearch, but it can cure alot of incurable diseases. I believe that if a woman signs a piece of paper when receiving an abortion, the right to know what happens to the fetus is no longer hers. It’s not like she wanted the fetus anyway. Plus Stem Cells are crucial to develop organisms. They are nonspecialized cells that have the potential to create other types of specific cells, such as blood, brain, tissue, or muscle cells. The diseases Stem Cells can help cure is Parkinson’s, Alzheimers, Heart disease, Stroke and type 1 Diabetes, Birth Defects, spinal cord injuries, replace or repair damaged organs, reduced risk of transplantation, and they play a major role in cancer. Oh, and Katie Kelley, you can’t speak for your whole entire family and plus you only covered dementia in your comment.
Amy Arya
20 Mar, 2011
Think about it…..
An embryo is not even technically a person. They have the potential to be one, but not unless put in someone’s body. The embryos that are used are the leftovers sitting in fertility clinics that are going to be dumped in the trash anyway! Why waste them, instead of using them to preserve a human life, one that could still have many years filled with happiness left? I am a religious person, and believe that God loves all his creations equally, and will therefore be happy that some are being saved, while some that were never going to be people anyway were put to good use to stop suffering. The day-old embryos don’t even have conscious thought, in any case.
Joshua A
31 Mar, 2011
I am quite convinced that the majority of this world doesn’t understand the plans of God. We can say that this technology was created for a reason but it doesn’t mean that we can go destroying the lives of people. That is what they are, people. Take this for example: trees were created by God but men use them for pagan and idol worship. Was that the plan of God? I know that it is not. We can safely abort a child with instruments that we created, but does that mean it is the plan of God? Of course not. There are many examples of this in life. Examples that show mans total disregard for what lifes original structure is. To glorify HIM. The Most High. Explore your conscience’s for yourself.
Joshua A
31 Mar, 2011
* “safely”
Dilan
1 Apr, 2011
Why pick on katie kelly? are we not here to communicate in a civil manner in order to find a logical solution? I am for it in a way because it has so much potential for the medical fiel but there MUST be lmits to it (hubiris is a terrible thing) in no way should we use human embryos unless they were going to be aborted, because in its purest form stem cell research is one life for another, so the real question is, what’s a soul worth?
Chris Whitaker
6 Apr, 2011
I suppport stem cell research because it is possible to do it without actually taking the embryo from the mother Through in vitro fertilization. Each year it is estimated that the U.S alone throw away over 400,000 IVF embryos. why let all of these go to waste when they could be used for the advancement of medicine and to help people. And adult embryonic stem cells work but only for certain things they are already specialized cells meaning they can only become one or a few things where as embryonic stem cells aren’t meaning they can become up to as many as 220 different types of cells so i believe i that embryonic stem cell research could be a wonderful benefit for the world and in more ways than one because this would not only lead to possibilities for cures but further insight into how the human body works.
Chris Whitaker
6 Apr, 2011
Oha and i also forgot that embryonic stem cells are better accepted by your body during a transplant. Because with thm there is less of a chance for immuno-incompatibility which means there is a less chance that your body will reject them and your immune system will attack them. Sry i forgot to put this with the 1st one. and btw everyone it is extremely impolite to call people out and personally attack them for their argument and some people may say it simply shows inconfidence in your own argument. Not tryin to sound rude just the personal attacks ruin the debate and turn it into an all out brwal of words rather than a scholarly conversation.
Shannon
6 Apr, 2011
It’s not only used for old people that “will die soon anyways”. This could save my mother. They should come from aborted babies, who it was their mothers choice if they should be aborted and used. This could save not only “a life or two” but many. Look at this from the stand point. It happens, it will most likely happen whether people like it or not. Just my input.
Brian
6 Apr, 2011
It’s not realy picking on. She made her statement. Others are disagreeing with it. Its called debating, Dilan. I disagree with what she said, but I respect it. I think stem cell research should continue because it can save many lives. WHO CARES HOW OLD SOMEONE IS! If someone wants to offer embryotic cells or bone cells to someone who needs new cells in order to live, who are we to deny them? So Dilan, like I said before, it’s not picking on, if it were so, then why are the posts made on the internet to where anyone can see them and comment on them?
Chris Whitaker
19 Apr, 2011
embryonic stem cells that come from an aborted baby are already partially differentiated and therefore have less use. Embryonic stem cells come from an embryo in the blastocyst stage. and these are completely undiiferentiated and have the possibility to become any part of a human.
Curious Little One
29 Apr, 2011
Where are these success stories? Through the research Iv’e done, I have yet to find them. I would like to do a research paper and to have points from both sides would be wonderful for it. The more primary the source is, the better. If anyone can show me some stories I’d greatly appriciated(Sorry for typos if any)
edna
9 May, 2011
I am for stem research