Stem Cell Research by Dawn Maurer

Stem cells are an amazing thing.  We need more government support and money to study and develop cures for what are right now terminal diseases and cancers.

                Stem cells are cells in the body that are able to be manipulated into virtually any other type of cell in the body.  They can assist the body in curing some diseases (spinal cord injuries, birth defects) as well as slowing or reversing the effects of other diseases (some types of cancer, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s).  Stem cells can be taken from adult cells, umbilical cord cells, and embryonic cells.

                There are an incredible amount of positive reasons to keep researching stem cells and developing new ways to medically treat people.  First, it is proven that stem cells have aided in treating or curing certain diseases.  Second, there is much research on adult stem cells.  These results are very optimistic.  A person can use his or her own cells to help treat spinal cord injuries or other diseases.  Because one is able to use cells from their own body, there is virtually no rejection rate.   A disadvantage of adult stem cells is that it can be difficult to get enough out of a patient (usually taken from bone marrow).  But with research and funding we can find a way.  Umbilical cord cells are the “best bet” stem cells.  These cells can help both infant and mother in the case of a medical emergency during labor.  A mother can even “harvest” her baby’s cord in case it is needed for future treatment.   Even the father or sibling can benefit from these cells.  Embryonic cells are by far the most controversial.  This is because these cells are found in the embryonic stage “blastocyst.”  The cells are taken from the embryo 4-5 days after conception for “harvesting.”   These cells can be “kept alive” forever and grow and cultures.  They seem to be very promising however much is unknown due to the controversy behind where these cells come from.

The con of embryonic stem cells is basically based on one’s opinion on when human life begins.  People opposed to embryos being used for stem cells believe that human life begins at conception and although you may not be able to see any human features in these embryos, it is still killing life.  Most of the people are obviously pro life on the abortion issue.

My solution to this, the only con of continuing stem cell research, is to use already discarded fetuses.  This may sound brash, however abortion is legal at this time.  We are wasting great potential by just disposing of these valuable cells.  We don’t need to create embryos in a lab just to “kill” them in five days.  There were 1.2 million abortions in 2005, plenty to give scientists to work with.  Of course, the mother would have to agree to donate the fetus to science.  This can also be done with miscarried fetuses, much like donating organs of a deceased loved one.

When taken from adult bone marrow or the cord, no harm is done to the persons involved.  Only when it comes to embryonic cells is where some people argue against the studies. With the research and development of stem cells, there is much to be learned and miracles to be had with the promising results of stem cells and their ability to transform as well as function many parts of the body.

Funding for this research has recently been put back into effect by President Obama after President Bush put restrictions on it during his term beginning in 1991.  This is a promising step toward a great future in the use of stem cells.

This entry was posted on 27. September 2009 at 22:50 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.