The Pros And Cons Of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Introduction & Explanation of Issues

Human embryonic stem cell research is a relatively new concept in the realm of biological and medical science. Since its conception in the 1980s, the idea of experimentation and research on an embryo has brought about a deluge of ethical, scientific, and political controversies (Thomson & Yu 2006). It had begun in 1981 at the discovery of deriving embryonic stem cells from mouse embryos; however, it took another 17 years until the attempt was made on human embryos, and the results did not disappoint (Parham & Lo 2009). The process in question can be easily understood, when one looks at the biological path that occurs upon fertilization. It is at the 5-10 day mark, prior to implementation into the mother’s

The issues stem from every side of the sociopolitical spectrum. There is hesitation at almost every phase of the stem cell research process; from the gray area of biological donations, the risks involved in extraction and cultivation, along with the legal and ethical dilemmas that could arise at any stage of research (Parham & Lo 2009). The pros and cons of each stage, as well as the overall human embryonic stem cell research process, should be analyzed in-depth, so that the potential benefits and adverse effects can be supported or avoided,

In fact, because of its controversial nature, politics, economic, and social agendas are often taken into consideration. For the US specifically, politics came into play as recent as 2001, when President Bush allowed the National Institutes of Health to receive government funding for stem cell research that exclusively used embryonic stem cell lines that were already at disposal (Parham & Lo 2009). This executive decision was brought about largely in part because of the increasing knowledge that this type of research could help advance our work on degenerative diseases (Parham & Lo 2009). The new policy still remained faithful to pro-life principles, by only working upon the fact the embryos in question were from lines that were already produced and could be deemed “destroyed” (Parham & Lo