Stem Cells are crucial to developing organisms. They are nonspecialized cells which have the potential to create other types of specific cells, such as blood-, brain-, tissue- or muscle-cells.
Some types of stem cells may be able to create all other cells in the body. Others have the potential to repair or replace damaged tissue or cells.
Embryonic Stem Cells are developed from a female egg after it is fertilized by sperm. The process takes 4-5 days.
Stem cells are in all of our bodies, but are far more potent in a fetus than in an adult body. Aborted fetuses are not the only source of stem cells. There are stem cells in both the placenta and blood contained in the placenta.
The controversy surrounding stem cell research led to an intense debate about ethics. Up until the recent years, the research method mainly focused on Embryonic Stem Cells, which involves taking tissue from an aborted embryo to get proper material to study. This is typically done just days after conception or between the 5th and 9th week.
Researchers are now able to use other methods, such as Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS). iPS are artificially derived from a non-pluripotent cell, such as adult somatic cells.
Pros
Stem cell research can potentially help treat a range of medical problems. It could lead humanity closer to better treatment and possibly cure a number of diseases:
Parkinson’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease
Heart Diseases, Stroke and Diabetes (Type 1)
Birth Defects
Spinal Cord Injuries
Replace or Repair Damaged Organs
Reduced Risk of Transplantation (You could possibly get a copy of your own heart in a heart-transplantation in the future
Stem cells may play a major role in cancer
Better treatment of these diseases could also give significant social benefits for individuals and economic gains for society
Cons
"We should not mess with human life."
"Humans should not be trying to play God"
Some argue that stem cell research in the far future can lead to knowledge on how to clone humans. It is hard to say whether this is true, but we have seen devastating consequences of other research-programs, even with good intentions, such as nuclear research.
What do you think?
Should the use of embryonic stem cells be allowed because it is efficient and uses material that would otherwise be wasted? Or should it be illegal out of respect for the dead human foetus?
What other reasons can you introduce into this debate?
Read More
www.thekidscancerproject.org.au/Research/Gene-Therapy-Trial.aspx en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell_controversy news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/us-scientists-find-new-way-to-generate-human-stem-cells-201010.. news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/world-holding-its-breath-on-stem-cells-20101012-16hmn.html news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/us-man-is-hivfree-after-using-stem-cells-20101216-18yek.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cells#Key_research_events www.nature.com/stemcells/basics.html stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics5.asp stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics6.asp plato.stanford.edu/entries/stem-cells/It is proposed that research using embryonic stem cells should continue to be allowed