This paper examines the social, moral and ethical merits of stemcell research, as well the ongoing political debate regarding the funding for continued research in this controversial field of science.
Abstract This paper defines stemcells as primal undifferentiated cells which retain the ability to separate into other cell types which can be used as a repair mechanism to reproduce cells and repair systems in the body. The writer examines the negative side of stemcell research contending that there is evidence which states that the impact of this type of research on the human immune system as well as overall genetic growth will eventually decline. This paper also discusses the moral and ethical merits of stemcell research which is currently rife with controversy. Politics plays a large role in stemcell development, mainly due to funding. The writer contends that stemcells are too dangerous to be carelessly used and applied to the human race, while its continued research might be slightly beneficial, in the current stage the harms far outweigh the benefits.
From the Paper "The first step in analyzing the effects of stem cell research is through the scientific perspective. Stem cell research is important for the advancement of science because of its ability to replicate exact copies of different cells. Stem cells are obtained from a clone of the specific patient's cells, and thus have a genetically identical fit with a stem cell. This cell then has the ability to produce either missing tissue, or even an entire organ that will allow the patient to function as normal. Unlike transplants within the body that could be rejected by the immune system if there is a possibility of incompatibility, the stem cell created organ is a perfect construction of the body's organ and thus will be accepted as the original inside the patient's body. This is why stem cell research is so highly touted, it allows for a new frontier of technology in the health sciences industry."
Abstract This paper explains that the ethical dilemma involved in stemcell research is a rather straight- forward process because to achieve its full potential this type of research requires using stemcells from fetuses. The author points out that using stemcells from fetuses is controversial for a variety of reasons. The paper relates that many religious and political conservatives believe that stemcell researchers "harvest babies" for their stemcells.
From the Paper "Identifying the ethical dilemma involved in stem cell research is a rather straight- forward process, for to achieve its full potential this type of research requires using stem cells from fetuses. Doing so is controversial for a variety of reasons, and the moral dilemma involved with this issue is compounded by the fact that many of these reasons are as controversial as stem cell research itself. For example, many religious and political conservatives believe that stem cell researchers "harvest babies" for their stem cells. As Snow (2004) notes, they believe that fetuses have an inviolable right to life and that any medical use of a fetus in any form is morally indefensible."
Abstract This paper focuses on the subject of embryonic stemcell research. The paper discusses the process of obtaining embryonic stemcells, how those stemcells are used and the medical breakthroughs that embryonic stemcell research hopes to provide in curing many illnesses. The paper further discusses the differences in adult and embryonic stemcell research, the debates on both issues and speaks of the future of the research.
From the Paper "Beyond the moral, ethical and political debates that have surrounded embryonic stem cell research, many scientific processes are involved in its use. The modern misconception is that embryos used in stem cell research are obtained from a woman's body. According to the National Institutes of Health ("Stem Cell" 1) embryos used in stem cell research are never taken from a woman's body for the explicit use of laboratory testing. The embryos that are used in research are obtained in one of two methods: The first method is by collecting eggs that have been fertilized in vitro from donors who volunteer their use in research; the second method is through donations of the embryos of women who have elected to have abortions, ("Stem Cell" 1). The embryo is collected following the abortion procedure; therefore, it is not science that determines that a pregnancy will come to an end."
Abstract The different types of stemcell research involve the use of human eggs - and embryos - as intermediates and are at the center of controversy as to whether it should be considered human life. Recent advances are attempting to produce non-embryonic stemcells as well as address the said issue. This paper discusses the nature of stemcells, what they are, how they are produced and the issues surrounding them.
From the Paper "Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the potential to develop and proliferate into more specialized cells such as neurons or skin cells. These specialized somatic cells comprise the different tissues and organs of the human body. The cloning process currently in use involves the use of the cellular machinery of an egg cell and the genetic material encoded in the nucleus of a somatic cell called somatic cell nuclear transplant (SCNT). First, the egg cell is secured to stabilize it. A needle is inserted into the egg to extract the nucleus and DNA."
Abstract This paper discusses the history of stemcell research, from its beginning with the first culture of human embryonic stemcells in 1998 to the present. The paper explains what stemcells are and how they work. The paper also outlines current research and hopes for the field in the future. The paper concludes with a discussion of some of the ethical issues involved in stemcell research, and includes the personal opinions of the author on the subject.
From the Paper "Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells, which are undifferentiated and therefore can differentiate into all the different cell types of the human body. They can also be coached into differentiating into particular cell types such as beating heart..."
Abstract In this paper, the author cites reasons for embryonic stemcell research to be practiced in the United States. The author points out the benefits of stemcell research in curing serious illnesses and conditions. Also discussed are the positive outcomes of stemcell procedures in other countries. The author concludes that the US government's decision not to pursue stemcell research hinders progress in medical research.
From the Paper "Embryonic stem cell research is the research of cells extracted from the embryonic stem to be manipulated into specialized cells. Stem cells can be acquired from embryos and still born fetuses. Today, scientists hope that embryonic stem cells can cure many serious diseases that plague our world. This has convinced me that this type of stem cell research should be allowed in the United States."
Abstract This paper provides a rhetorical analysis of Steven Milloy's article "Ron Reagan Wrong on StemCells". The paper explores the motivation behind the article as well as the issues surrounding stemcells research, both as a political issue and a philosophical one. The paper relates that Milloy's basic premise is simply that what Ron Reagan described as a sure-fire cure that would "magically" save the lives of our children and our aging parents was more of a "pipe dream." The paper then states that stemcells research is far from being even in the developmental stages and a cure for debilitating disease is a long way off. The paper also states that Milloy's article hints at the possible moral dilemma that comes from using stemcells from an embryo, resulting in the embryo's destruction, and that of a human life.
From the Paper "Then why is this issue so contentious? Is seems a no-brainer that any medical advances that will provide such certain cures for disease that researchers have been studying for decades with no hope for a cure in sight would be made possible through research in stem cells. Certainly, every effort should be made to finance such research, irrespective of whether the money comes from tax payer funded government initiatives or from private, for-profit organizations. Milloy debunks the notion that such cures are just a few years away."
Abstract This paper is a review of an article in Scientific American.com entitled "The Future of StemCells". The paper analyzes and summarizes the article's content. The paper concludes with the author's opinion of stemcell research.
From the Paper "Stem cell research is one of the major controversial issues in science at this time, with differing opinions around the globe on how far it should go, what limitations should be put on the research and its uses, and who should fund the research. What makes it so..."
Abstract This paper summarizes a journal article on stemcell research. The article explores attitudes toward stemcell research and the use of fetal tissue. The author of this paper argues that benefits of stemcell research outweigh the dangers.
From the Paper "A collaborative volume of articles and information on stem cells was published by the Financial Times and Scientific American. The editors present information on the current and future state of stem cell research technology..."
Abstract This paper briefly answers questions about stemcell research, cloning and the ethics involved. The paper briefly outlines some of the basic concepts and processes involved in stemcell research, how embryos are harvested, what other types of non-embryonic stemcell research is available and looks at some of the ethical questions raised by using embryos.
From the Paper "Stems cells are cells in animals that have the potential to grow into any one of the hundreds of different kinds of cells in the body (Perrone). The cells of a fertilized animal embryo at a specific gestation point a few days into the life cycle are entirely made of stem cells, and it is these cells that are desired by scientists and researchers to help solve major medical problems ("Cloning;" Daley). The cells contain the proper qualities as well as the DNA that allow them to grow into anything that exists within that animal's body, whether it is teeth or skin or lung tissue (Perrone)."
Abstract This paper examines the reasons why society should support full and unrestricted embryonic and adult stemcell research. This field of medical research offers vast potential, not only for cell therapy, but for the cure of a wide range of diseases. The paper argues that the irrational opposition of religious activists and political conservatives to stemcell research cannot be condoned or rewarded, for society must recognize that we cannot return to the dark ages of religious, social and cultural intolerance when theocratic dogma and rigid conservatism were used as weapons against science.
Abstract This paper briefly describes embryonic stemcells and claims about the benefits of research. It summarizes findings and significance of these discoveries with regard to medicine and disease. It also discusses alternatives such as adult stemcell research.
From the Paper " Landza, Thomas, Thomson, Pederson and Gearhart report that embryonic stem cells consist of stem cells obtained by fusing a patient's cell with an enucleated egg cell thereby forming an embryo. This ..."
Abstract This paper applies the philosophy of utilitarianism to argue if favor of embryonic stemcell research. The paper discusses the ethical dilemma involved in destroying embryos and argues that the utility of stemcell research, its potential to reduce human suffering, make it ethical as well as necessary.
From the Paper "Embryonic stem cell research has the potential to open the floodgates of science, finding cures for a myriad of different cancers and diseases, saving millions of lives and averting untold human suffering in the process. Despite the nearly boundless promise that stem cells offer, there is a potent ethical dilemma involved. Namely, research into stem cells requires the destruction of human embryos. While there are indeed some powerful visceral arguments to be made concerning the sanctity of human life, I believe that there is an equally powerful ethically grounded argument..."
Abstract This paper examines the field of stemcell research and in particular its links with cloning as a way of exploring how stemcell research is increasingly allowing scholars to recreate the entire complex physiology of adult mammals - a concatenation of structures and processes that were developed over millions of years of natural selection and evolutionary change.
From the Paper "Sure we all think that baby lambs are cute and cuddly, but the birth of a lamb is rarely the occasion for headlines around the world. But the birth of a particular lamb named Dolly in February was indeed cause for just such worldwide notice because Dolly represented what was then, although the pace of technology is so fast that it already seems old hat ,an astonishing scholarly and technological breakthrough. For Dolly was something close to a virgin birth. She had come into being not in the..."
