Many debates can be traced back to scientific research. “In 1900, people age 65 and older accounted for about 4 percent of the U.S. population.” This number more than doubled in 2011 to 13.1 percent and is expected to reach almost 30 percent by 2050. In recent years “the birthrate in the U.S. has been declining” (The Older Population in the United States). Less and fewer children are being born, and through medical advances, people are living longer. Dr. Bednar, lead within the Neuroscience Research Unit at Pfizer, Inc., states, “for the first time in history, elderly adults (≥65 years old) outnumber young children (<5 years old)” (217). Many reasons contribute to this, but Bednar narrows down Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR) as a major …show more content…
They are “then donated for research purposes with the informed consent of the donors. They are not derived from eggs fertilized in a woman’s body.” Since the discovery of deriving “stem cells from human embryos” much conflict has taken place (NIH Stem Cell). Many believe that ESCR is a moral and religious issue and that any embryo is a human life. When it comes to the topic of embryonic stem cell research, most will agree that it benefits all humans, increasing wellness and health. Where this agreement usually ends, however is the question of if destroying potential human lives is worth it, and others maintain that ethics is all that …show more content…
Since the first extraction of HESC in 1998, scientists have discovered different types of stem cells to benefit the human race. Stem cells are a viable source for the treatment and replacement of damaged or diseased cells. One disease that has been studied and has the potential to be treated by HESC is Parkinson’s Disease. Columnist and contributing editor for MacOpinion and PBCentral, Charles Moore, acknowledges that “Parkinson’s, which is currently incurable, affects approximately one in 100 people over the age of 60. Numbers of people living with the disease are estimated to be at least one million in the U.S. and five to seven million worldwide” (Moore). There is no known cause of Parkinson’s disease, but scientists and researchers have studied and seem to understand the cells and areas of the brain that are