The Pros And Cons Of Stem Cell Research

The Positive Side of Stem Cell Research Embryonic stem cell research is a sensitive and controversial topic in our society, and rightly so: the extraction of stem cells from the unborn results in the death of the developing child. Embryonic stem cells are used in research because they are totipotent: that is, they can develop into any other cell or tissue type in the body. Theoretically, this property makes these cells well - suited for medical applications ranging from creating new organs to researching diseases. Certain other human tissues also create stem cells, but because these cells arise later in development, they are more restricted in the types of cells into which they can differentiate. Advocates of embryonic stem cell research claim that the restrictions of adult stem cells provide additional validation

1, 4). Adult stem cells are being utilized to research numerous diseases. In fact, Steve Weatherbe (2016), a writer for LifeSiteNews, reported that this research spans “…more than 100 medical conditions, many to do with diseases of the auto-immune system” (para. 2). For example, a biotechnology incorporation named Cellerix announced in 2011 that its research projects on rheumatoid arthritis, epidermylysis bullosa (a skin disease), and several other diseases were progressing through various stages of testing and approval. These projects utilized adult, rather than embryonic, stem cells (“Cellerix Secures €4.95M for Phase III Study,” 2011, paras. 1, 4, 6). More recently, in January of 2016, several news agencies announced that exciting advances are being made in multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy. Although the therapy has only been tested on twenty patients thus far, the results have been extraordinary and appear to be long-lasting (Tierney, 2016, para. 10). One patient, a young woman named Holly Dewry, was suffering