Ethical Controversy of Stem Cell Research
Twenty-two people die each day waiting for an organ transplant (“Organ Procurement”). Those twenty-two people waiting for an organ do not realize there is another way. Stem cells are a specialized cell. They have the ability to divide and make entire organs or body parts. There are two types of stem cells -- embryonic and adult. Both variations of cells are found in humans and animals. With the use of stem cells, our medical advancements have the ability to soar, and save more lives. These specialized cells can cure diseases never thought curable and make entire limbs and internal organs. However, the advancement of stem cells is not there yet. Since stem cells are so advanced for our technology, the
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Stem cells can provide so many benefits, but we need stem cell research to learn and produce all of these benefits.
The first argument to advance in stem cell research is the cell's ability to cure medical diseases. Stem cells can create a variety of specialized cells that are the cause of diseases and losses. These cells include brain and tissue cells. A trial was held in 2011 to have a retinal cell transplant. Reports in 2012 stated that the treatments helped the patients regain some of their eyesight. Scientists did not declare the trial a success simply because the transplant did not help the patients regain all of their vision - only some. If stem cell research continued, scientists could call the transplant a success if performed again and cures vision loss (“Stem Cells”). In addition to curing medical diseases, scientists hope that stem cells will cure genetic diseases (Rowley). Through a process called bone marrow, scientists hope we can improve or possibly cure genetic diseases. If the disease is diagnosed prenatally, it can possibly be cured or treated by bone marrow and/or stem cell transplants. Bone marrow are the tissues in the bones and body. These tissues form red and white blood cells. Bone marrow also
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However, this argument is unsupported because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does approve specific research that complies with all of the rules and regulations of stem cell research as well as human rights. The FDA has approved one major stem cell product to further with the research. This product is known as Hemacord. This is a cord derived from blood that indicated disorders in a patient’s body (“US Food and Drug”). This has been approved for the sole purpose of knowing the kinds of disorders and diseases that can be found in a patient’s body. Hemacord is not a violation of human rights because it is a blood sample that is tested on. These tests can further the medical fields knowledge and then they can start to develop stem cells based on these blood samples. The Food and Drug Administration also has guidelines to follow in order to approve specific stem cell research. They regulate stem cells and products to insure they are safe and effective for the intended use (“US Food and Drug”). This just proves that the FDA has specific rules and procedures that their regulations have to follow. By doing this, there is a for sure chance that these do not violate rights and they are good to use for the doctors and surgeons that plan on using these products. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a lot of bone marrow and blood transplants.These