Stem Cell Research: Murder or Miracle

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Stem cell research is one of the most controversial topics of debate that has caught the attention of both politicians and scientists. Pro-life supporters feel the moral cost of continuing experimentation outweighs any possible benefits, however researchers think the potential of stem cells is both awe-inspiring and mystifying. To fully understand this debate a person must be informed on the stem cell research’s history and scientific details. Stem cell research has recently become a big topic, however stem cells were first found in the early 80’s with the discovery that stem cells are essential for developing organisms. Stem cells are non-specialized cells that have the potential to produce specific cells such as, tissue cells, blood cells, bone cells, brain cells, and etc. Although there are stem cells in adults the most potent cells are in embryos, which are typically taken from aborted fetuses between the fifth and ninth week. Experimentation on these compromised fetuses brings ethics in the equation; as a result sparking the controversy, is the practice of stem cell research ethical? Scientists support stem cell research because they believe it is the key to finding cure for many disease’s that could save people’s life. Researchers and scientists agree that stem cells can even fix aliments such as blindness and deafness. Through stem cell experimentations medical professionals have been able to successfully cure people from diseases that they believed were incurable. Many people are unsure of how this procedure works but in Karen Kaplan’s article “Stem cell treatment for diabetes”, Dr. Richard Burt explains, Stem cells have the potential to repair or replace damaged tissue or cells. There are three main sources for obtaini... ... middle of paper ... ...sica. "The Great Debate Over Stem Cell Research." Time 11 July 2001. Nickerson, Colin. "Studies cite new process for stem cells." The Boston Globe 7 June 2007. Kaplan, Karen. "Stem cell treatment used for diabetes." Los Angeles Times 11 Apr. 2007. Babington, Charles . "Stem Cell Bill Gets Bush's First Veto." Washington Post 20 July 2006 Peterson, David G. "What's proposal 2 about?" Central Michigan Life 29 Oct. 2008. Jones, David. "A Submission to The House of Lords Select Committee on Stem Cell Research ." The Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics (2000). Green, Ronald M. "The Stem-Cell Debate." 3 Nov. 2001. Google. CMU Park Library. 27 Oct. 2008 . Hodges, Mark. Destructive Embryonic Stem Cell Research. n.d. 9 Nov. 2008 .

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