Argumentative Essay On Stem Cell Therapy

Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of Genetic Diseases The official definition of a stem cell is an undifferentiated biological cell that can differentiate into specialized cells and can divide through mitosis (Stem Cell Basics, USDHHS). There are two kinds of stem cells: adult and embryonic. Embryonic stem cells are found in blastocysts, which become the embryo later in pre-birth development. Adult stem cells are the second variety of stem cell and become various tissues, such as olfactory bulbs or intestines. In adulthood, stem cells are mostly used to repair the body though. Stem cells of an embryo can literally become any kind of cell. The term stem cell first appeared in scientific literature in 1868 when German biologist Ernst Haeckel

He would later win the Nobel Prize in 1990. In 1981 two scientists conducted separate studies and were both able to isolate embryonic stem cells for the first time. In 1998, a team created an artificial group of stem cells derived from early embryos. They were the first to realize the medical potential of the cells. In 2002, George Q. Daley used gene and cell based therapy to treat immune deficiency in mice. Then in 2003 he had another breakthrough by converting stem cells from mice into germ cells, and then into fundamental sperm cells that were able to fertilize eggs. Then Daley created donor matched embryonic stem cells created through parthenogenesis. This could prove as the best alternative to real embryonic stem cells or therapeutic cloning. In 2008 the Boston Children’s Hospital created 10 specific lines of diseases with stem cells. This can be used to study the diseases and find ways to treat them. Again in 2008, a team created and insulin producing cell from a rodent pancreatic exocrine cell. In 2009, the FDA approved a limited trial of spinal injury treatment with stem cells, marking

Many people have a problem with stem cell therapy for genetic diseases because in some cases human embryos are created and then subsequently destroyed. They say that human life is sacred and that an embryo represents human life. “The question of when life begins is a biological question, and the answer actually is fairly straightforward: The life of an organism begins at conception or creation.” Moreover, there is a strong argument that by interfering with developing humans is wrong. This is because they believe it is overstepping our bounds as humans and crossing over into God territory. They believe that God intended for some people to have genetic diseases. Although it is a minority, many people hold firm to these beliefs and they represent a large enough group that they have affected policy making decisions on the matter. It has also been said that the entire ethical debate is essentially invalid because there is no need for embryonic stem cell research. There are those who say that because other methods of fighting genetic diseases are in existence, equally effective, and far less controversial. Traditional methods have advanced humans an extremely long way. There is certainly great potential in other fields of study with regards to fighting genetic diseases. Many are of the opinion that stem cell researchers like the controversial nature of their work and find it