Prolife

-
Sarah Elgohary                                    11/23/11
English 101-
Dr. Elizabeth Wheeler
Research Paper 
Embryonic stem cell research is unethical.  Human life is too valuable to sacrifice even in order to cure diseases.   One of the most popular scientific controversies in our American society is the ethics of embryonic stem cells being used in the medical field. This issue has been debated around the world for the past few decades. 
Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth.  In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell (Stem Cell Basics: 1). Stem cells have the ability to create regenerative medicine or body parts for people who lost limbs in war or who need repaired limbs as result of impairment, disability or diseases. Although, stem cells have the potential to help many people in the medical field to cure diseases, I believe embryonic stem cells should not be used in scientific research because doing so requires destroying human lives.
Stem cells are distinguished from other cell types by two important characteristics. First, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division, sometimes after long periods of inactivity. Second, under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with special functions. In some organs, such as the stomach and bone marrow, stem cells regularly divide to repair and replace worn out or damaged tissues. In other organs, however, such as the pancreas and the heart, stem cells only divide under special conditions. (Stem Cell Basics: 1). 
Until recently, scientists primarily worked with two kinds of stem cells from animals and humans called embryonic stem cells and non-embryonic which are known as "somatic" or "adult" stem cells.  Scientists discovered ways to derive embryonic stem cells from early mouse embryos nearly thirty years ago, in 1981. The detailed study of the biology of mouse stem cells led to the discovery, of a method to obtain stem cells from human embryos and grow the cells in the laboratory in 1998. These cells are called human embryonic stem cells. The embryos used in these studies were created for reproductive purposes through invitro fertilization procedures. (Stem Cell Basics: 1). 
Stem cells are important for living organisms for many reasons. During the third- to fifth day of birth an embryo, is called a blastocyst. The inner cells give rise to the entire body of the organism, including all of the many specialized cell types and organs such as the heart, lung, skin, sperm, eggs and other tissues. In some adult tissues, such as bone marrow, muscle, and brain, discrete populations of adult stem cells generate replacements for cells that are lost through normal wear and tear, injury, or disease (Stem Cell Basics: 1). Embryonic stem cells have unique regenerative abilities; stem cells offer new potentials for treating diseases such as diabetes, and heart disease.  
= Embryonic stem cell research is unethical because it is the destruction of human life. Although, embryonic stem cells offer cures for treating diseases such as diabetes, and heart disease it is not worth killing human life to save human lives.

As stated by Steve Usdin, Ethical judgments about the use of embryonic stem cells in research and therapies flow from the status accorded to the embryo. Those who feel that an embryo is a human being, or should be treated as one because it has the potential to become a person, contend that it is unethical to do anything to an embryo that could not be done to a person. At the opposite end of the spectrum, some people have expressed the view that the embryo is nothing more than a ball of cells that can be treated in a manner similar to tissues used in transplantation (Usdin 1). 
Embryonic stem cell research is unethical because you are destroying human life. Although, embryonic stem cells offer cures treating diseases such as diabetes, and heart disease it is not worth killing human life to save human lives.  When the sperm and egg meet the embryo starts to form so it is becoming a person so as a result, embryonic stem cell research is murder to potential human beings.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, people do not see embryos as human beings but as a ball of cells. Senator Orrin once said “I just cannot equate a child living in the womb, with moving toes and fingers and a beating heart, with a frozen embryo sitting in a lab somewhere." Senator Orrin (R-UT) on NBC's Meet the Press. (Hatch 1). Some people think embryonic stem cell research should be used in the medical field to cure Parkinson disease and spinal cord injury.  
Christopher Reeve,   said Stem cell research holds the promise of hope for 100 million people living with incurable diseases from diabetes to heart conditions to Alzheimer's to Parkinson's, ALS, MS, and spinal cord injury.  It will affect the entire American family. I believe this is why we find in this new survey such strong support from people with such diverse religious and ethical beliefs (Reeve 1). 
 Some people believe embryonic stem cells can cures diseases and are not human beings.
Since embryonic stem cell research is unethical, what are the other alternatives to embryonic stem cells?  Mary Carmichael said “Stem Cells that are readily available perhaps ethically trouble free and possibly as powerful and flexible in function as their embryonic counterparts are amniotic fluid Stem Cells.” (Carmichael 227).  Amniotic fluid stem cells can replace embryonic stem cells. Amniotic fluid stem cells are a safer alternative to embryonic stem cells because they are adaptable and less susceptible to the growth of tremors. In addition, amniotic fluid stem cells do not have any ethical or moral objections in the scientific field as opposed to embryonic stem cells.  How amazing would it be if scientists could use Amniotic fluid stem cells to cure Parkinson disease or diabetes or heart disease rather than killing human embryos to cure diseases? We should not use embryonic stem cells in scientific research. 
In conclusion, embryonic stem cell research is unethical. Scientists cannot destroy human embryos even to save human life. Amniotic fluid Stem Cells however, do not have any ethical or moral objections in the scientific field as opposed to embryonic stem cells.  The use of Amniotic fluid Stem Cells is a safer alternative to embryonic stem cells in research to cure diseases.







Works Cited


 DeLauro, Rosa. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/stem.htm. Life Technologies, 2011.   BookRags Media Network.12, November 2011.



Foxx, Virginia. hattp://www.BrainyQuote.com/quotes/keywords/stem.htm. Life technologies, 2011.   Book Rags Media Network.12, November 2011.


Haerens, Margaret. Ed. Embryonic and Adult Stem Cells. Green Haven Press: Christine, Nasso.2007. Print.


Langwith, Jacqueline.  ed. Stem Cells Opposing View Points Christine, Nasso.2007. Print.


Orrin, Hatch. Meet the Press. NBC. 2004. Television.


http://www.religioustolerance.org/res_stem1.htm.  November 28 2011. Web.


Stem Cell Basics: Introduction. In Stem Cell Information. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009  Monday, November 28, 2011.  http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics.web.



Usdin, Steve. Introduction to Human Embryonic Stem Cells http://www.notable-quotes.com/s/stem_cells_quotes.htm. 14 November 2011.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Syria humanitarian Criss

-
  Islamophobia Adds to he Syrian Refugee Crisis  Racism has been reflected in discriminatory laws, practices, and actions (including violence) against racial or ethnic groups throughout the history of the United States. Since the early colonial era, White Americans have generally enjoyed legally or socially-sanctioned privileges and rights that have been denied to members of various ethnic or minority groups. European Americans have enjoyed advantages in matters of citizenship, criminal procedure, education, immigration, land acquisition, and voting rights. Before 1865, most African Americans were enslaved; since the abolition of slavery, they have faced severe restrictions on their political, social, and economic freedoms. Native Americans have suffered genocide, forced removals, and massacres, and they continue to face discrimination. European Americans, Hispanics, Middle Eastern, and Asian Americans, along with Pacific Islanders, have also been the victims of discrimination...
Read more

Free Palestine

-
 your passion intact while improving clarity, structure, and impact: --- # **Stop the Genocide in Palestine** The world must wake up to the genocide happening in Palestine. Israel is not the victim in this conflict—the Palestinian people are suffering daily under occupation, oppression, and relentless attacks. Yet, the media distorts the truth, painting Palestinians as terrorists while portraying Israel as the oppressed. This pattern reflects a larger issue: the media's reluctance to show the suffering of non-white populations and its role in reinforcing racist stereotypes. The media rarely gives full coverage to the struggles of marginalized communities—whether Native Americans, Chinese, Italian immigrants, African Americans, people with disabilities, or women, especially Muslim women. Stories of oppression and resistance from these groups are often ignored, manipulated, or framed in ways that dehumanize them. This systemic bias allows injustices, like the current massacre in Pale...
Read more

Refugee

-
 Educational Inequality for Refugees and Orphans in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Sudan: A Sociological Imagination Perspective  Introduction Education is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of any developed society. Yet, for millions of displaced children around the world—especially refugees and orphans in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Sudan—this right is consistently denied. These children face complex, intersecting barriers that prevent them from accessing quality education. Sociologist C. Wright Mills’ concept of the sociological imagination provides a critical framework for understanding how personal hardships—such as a child not attending school—are deeply connected to larger social forces like war, poverty, systemic racism, and political neglect. Thesis: Through the lens of the sociological imagination, we can better understand the educational inequalities faced by refugees and orphans in the Middle East and North Africa by examining how structural factors suc...
Read more