Stemming of A Controversy

So by now, everyone has heard about how controversial stem cell research is. It has been a major issue in elections and scientific research for years, if not decades. Words like “murder” and “life-saving cures” have been thrown around, and everyone is just plain mad.

Some people claim:

former-embryo-copy

 

while other people argue:

embryoswelcom

 

and others just try to lighten the mood.

not guilty

I’ve always been really hesitant to take a side because I don’t completely understand how stem cell research actually works. So I’ve decided to find out. What are stem cells? Who is affected? Why is it so controversial?

Basically, stem cells are cells that can change into many different kinds of specialized tissue. There are four types of stem cells: adult, umbilical (from umbilical cords), fetal (from aborted human fetuses), and embryonic (from human embryos) stem cells. As far as we know, adult cells can only turn into several different types of tissue. Fetal and embryonic cells are the most flexible, but they’re also the most controversial because the process of obtaining them requires scientists to destroy the embryo.

This embryo can either be conceived, or made by cloning a cell from the patient’s body and a donated egg. Either way, some groups argue that an embryo is still a life, and taking it apart in the name of science is not ethical. Others say that the embryo was created through artificial means anyways, and stem cells could save many other lives by turning into functional organs.

It would seem that this ethical debate will continue regardless of how successful the research is; if scientists can grow organs from embryonic stem cells but not from adult stem cells, embryonic cells would have to be used to create any other organs in the future.

So how do you think this should be regulated? One idea could be that researchers first have to show promising results with mouse or other lab animal stem cells before getting funding to work with human stem cells. Or should only adult and umbilical stem cells be used at all?

 

Sources:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/cellular-microscopic/question621.htm

http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/stem-cell6.htm