Stem Cell Research Argumentative Essay

Stem cell research is growing in popularity throughout the world of medicine. Stem cell therapy has the ability to treat and cure many diseases that account for a large amount of fatalities today. According to the Stem Cell Research Foundation, stem cell therapy is “A group of new techniques, or technologies, that rely on replacing diseased or dysfunctional cells with healthy, functioning ones,” (2) Although stem cells can be very beneficial to human life, there are ethical debates about whether or not it should be used due to the destruction of embryos used to create them, cost, and negative health effects. Stem cell research should continue to proceed due to the many benefits it has and the fact that as research continues, new ways to create

The current debate about stem cells is whether it is ethical or not due to the way the cells are produced. They are accessed by harvesting embryonic stem cells from a destroyed human embryo. The argument goes along with the debate about abortion because although it is not taken from a recognizable fetus, there is still the chance that the embryo could develop into a fetus and eventually a baby (Farrell, 2). Since the stem cells are harvested from the embryo of aborted babies, many people claim that stem cell research should be banned.

Although the embryos used do have the possibility of developing into human fetuses and eventually babies, if these embryos are not used for stem cell research, then often times they go to waste by simply being discarded and destroyed. The majority of embryos used for stem cell research are frozen and have been frozen and stored since the late 1900s. The chances of the parents unfreezing them are very slim and the embryos go to waste with no

The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act was passed on January 11, 2007 (House Passes 1). This act would have made it so research on embryonic stem cells could continue due to federal funding. Although this bill was at first passed, it was soon vetoed by Bush.

Cord stem cells are beginning to show promising results. These are derived from umbilical cords and have less ethical implications. These stem cells are collected from the placenta and umbilical cord, “Once the cord is cut and both mother and child are well taken care of, a simple procedure collects the cord blood into a special collection bag, which is then processed, frozen and stored in a special laboratory,” (Hollands 2). This means that neither the mother or child are harmed by the collection of these stem cells. The question of whether or not it is ethical by how it is derived does not come into play.

There are many different types of stem cells and research going on today that will continue to develop over the years. There are no limitations on what diseases can be cured throughout these processes and the number of lives it can save. Although there are currently some downfalls to the use of these stem cells, the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. Denying people access to treatments that could cure them from fatal diseases is unethical in itself and cannot take