Stem Cell Research Is Ethical Essay

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In 2007, scientists experimented on mice with sickle cell anemia to show the effects of stem cell transplantation. It proved that stem cells have the potential for disease treatment in humans. More recently, stem cells have been found to improve eyesight in blind patients. Despite the value of this discovery, the use of human embryonic stem cells raises ethical questions. On one side are people who believe that a scientist’s morals should come before his or her intellectual pursuits. Yet, others would maintain that ethical obligations for experiments only slow down the advances of science. However, lack of funding and use of unethical procedures play a greater role in impeding research, and progress can be measured in ways other than gains in knowledge. In this paper, I argue that ethics do not slow scientific progress and even aid in advancing it. Lack of funding, a big issue for scientists, inhibits the rate of research more than …show more content…

Ethical experiments done at a professional level cannot be done without money. Money pays for the necessary supplies and lab equipment, not to mention payment for participants’ involvement in the study. Funding can come from a variety of sources: rich friends, coworkers, and the government. Congress is responsible for passing legislation that either allows or prohibits research to be conducted, The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 for example, and it also creates a federal budget for how much it can spend on scientific research. Having a budget limits extravagant, wasteful spending and forces politicians to be selective about research grants. The disadvantage to asking politicians for money is that some will turn down proposals because they do not give the politician a political advantage over another party or opponent. Furthermore, research is more likely to be