Is Stem Cell Research Ethical

Stem Cell Research: Is It Ethical? Controversial stem cell research has the potential to improve patients’ lives and save lives. The supporters and detractors of stem cell research square off everyday. What if the only medical treatment for someone in your family, or someone you cared about, was to get a stem cell transplant to improve their health and maybe even save their life? Would you go through with it or say no? People who are against stem cell treatments associate stem cell research with the use of embryonic stem cells because you would have to destroy the embryo to get to the stem cells. The detractors do not know all of the information. Stem cell research should be seen as ethical and get more research dollars due to the fact that

“Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive, and deadly disease of the nervous system. Nearly one million people in the United States are living with this disease. The cause is unknown and there is currently no cure; however, stem cells could be the start of a cure. Parkinson’s disease starts with tremors in your hands, legs, jaw, and face, then, gradually becomes worse with slowness of movement, stiffness of legs/trunk, and ends with the inability to get up and walk around” (Parkinson’s 1). This disease robs a person of their life. Michael J. Fox, an author, producer, actor, advocate, father, and a husband, has been living with Parkinson’s disease. Fox is only 53 years old and battling with this chronic disease. He has been raising awareness and he supports the use of stem cells to help cure Parkinson’s. Michael J. Fox once said, “You suffer the blow, but capitalize on the opportunity left in its wake.” What is meant by this quote is that he took advantage of his disease so he could raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease. Fox did not look at the down sides of his illness. Instead, he looked at how he could raise awareness and help other people struggling with this disease. He shows support for letting researchers use stem cells to experiment regrowing the damaged nervous cells. Would you want your loved one suffering from a vandalizing disease or would you want to let researchers do their job and learn how to create a cure for these terrifying