The nasty little topic that is becoming more and more noticed...only problem: does anyone know anything about it? I mean, it seems that anytime someone brings up this topic in relation to the government, the sentence that comes is "stem cell research kills babies and isn't worth the risk." Well I will be completely honest, that doesn't help much. So I think it is time to shed some light on this scientific exploration
A stem cell is a cell that is able to divide in order to repair damaged tissues, these cells are also able to make specilized cells. There are two types: Embryonic and Adult.
Okay, so far so good. But wait a minute, embryonic and adult? That's right there are two types of stem cells. The adult or somatic stem cells. They are found in both adults and children.
So why is the research on stem cells so controversal if there are stem cells that can be found in adults? Well, the research can be done partial on somatic cells, however scientists are really interested in what embryonic stem cells can do for medicine. According to the research already done, stem cells can help with brain damage, spinal cord injury, blindness, baldness, muscle damage, blood supply, and numerous other problems. The theory is that because embryonic stem cells stay good for longer, they are more useful.
Okay, so if embryonic cells are more useful and can help with all of these different medical problems, then isn't it worth the risk to save other lives or make some better? Perhaps. According to the supporters, an already existing life is more important than a life unborn. However, there is a very good counter to this arguement, not it's not. This arguement is the biggest in the government right now. However, it isn't useful, because, I'll be honest, no one can decide whether my life is more important than an unborn child's. The question brought up here is can the government or scientists decide this?
Let's look at some facts:
an embryo cannot survive outside the womb, children and adults can
any illness that we suffer, the embryos could suffer
there are numerous embryos wasted everyday through abortion and in vitro fertilization (according to statistics 70,000 a year in Australia alone)
With these facts and some more, a person could make a reasonable decision about whether the research is worth it. So let me ask you, is it worth it?
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Thank you for such a balanced and fair article. So often people just yell and cuss in an attempt to make their point.
However, I think the question here is based on a false premise. To ask whether of not it is "worth it" is to imply that one person's life is more valuable than another. That's like saying we should kill the poor and harvest their organs because that would improve the quality of life for those of us who are not poor. It would also deal with poverty and put the poor out of their suffering. However I would hope that we would all agree that this is a terrible plan because it violates the rights of the poor. It is robbing them of their person-hood and life because we don't think their lives are valuable. Mankind is not valuable because of what we do with our lives, or by how much good we do. Man is significant because we are made in the image of God. Our country was founded on the belief that Man has value because of this. To violate this is to diregard the equality and freedom that we hold so dear. So let me ask you, "In light of this is it really worth it?"
In Christ,
Hamalas
I think that stem cell research is worth the life lost. I say this because one embryo can save millions. I believe any objections right now aren't valid because the math just doesn't add up.
Kath
One thing: it's not that embryonic stem cells "last longer". They are chemically undifferentiated, something you can't get out of somatic stem cells. Just so there's no confusion as to whether the same research could be done without "killing babies".
Now.
Love the "thrown away" statistic thrown in at the end. I think that should be brought out a little more, because it's really quite funny.
And it's funny because the embryonic stem cells they want to experiment with are not capable of becoming babies. They've been extracted, through abortions and the like. But instead of letting scientists learn from them, the government is going to throw them away.
Interesting, that the lives that people fight so hard to save from the big bad scientists are just going in the trash anyway.
Your argument is that it's wrong to take away one guy's life to preserve another guy. Mathematically it makes no difference. Morally ... morals suck. But yeah, you have a point.
But.
What they're doing now is just killing guy 1 and then letting guy 2 die.
Mathematically not fun.
So, why not take the lesser of two evils? If the little embryo is going to be thrown out anyway, why not use it?
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Oh, also: does anybody know the name of the song that plays during the dogfight scene of Cowboy Bebop, The Movie?
If so, please let me know @ gatorrelay251@gmail.com
Best movie EVER. Maybe. Definitely best Anime to hit the U.S.
"So, why not take the lesser of two evils? If the little embryo is going to be thrown out anyway, why not use
it?"
My point. Mathematically, the government is forgetting to use a calculator.
Kath
Few clinic embryos are available for research. Most of those are ancient, poor quality - and are not expected to survive the thawing process to provide stem cells. Scientists don't want them - which is why you don't see legislation that limits research to them. (Look at the Rand/Fertility & Sterility journal article on number of Cryopreserved Embryos in the US).
They want fresh ones - which require women's health to be put to risk - up to and including death. They are already going the cost efficient way by giving US$300 to poor women around the world where that sum is a month/year's wages (look it up!)
Pro-choice/Pro-life women are uniting to protest eggsploitation of poor women of color and have asked for a moratorium on egg harvesting to provide research materials (not to actually help someone).
What's more, embryonic stem cells are not better for reparative therapies - they are better for researchers 'to study' and DRUG COMPANIES prefer them.
Take the video Stem Cell Quiz on Google.
A lie gets half way 'round the world before the truth has a chance to get it's pants on - Winston Churchill
EndEggsploitation.org
So promising a name, you just have to trust them - him? - to be unbiased. lol
Rand article - kind of a bummer. Though it raises an interesting point.
You're right. And, as if that weren't amazing enough, others agree with you. The embryos available for research are not available in quantities or qualities that allow for real research to be done, so that research has pretty much died in this country. Other countries are having a ball with it. The best we can do is try to find new ways to do the research without killing potential life.
Fascinating to me though is the thinking behind the decision to make this research illegal, but not completely so. Embryos from clinics are ok to study, but it's bad to take fresh ones? That would seem contradictory, if they wanted to preserve life. The clinic embryos could become life too. Yay hypocrisy.
You also seem to have issues with the scientists who are going to work with these. "not to actually help someone"; "researchers 'to study' "
So what's the deal? They aren't killing babies for sport, they do want to do important research. They need to study embryonic cells so they can go beyond just inserting stem cells where they're needed, watching them fix it, and cheering. This research will help them help others. They wouldn't get funding otherwise. So what's your deal?
Not rhetorical. Am I missing something?
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Oh, also: does anybody know the name of the song that plays during the dogfight scene of Cowboy Bebop, The Movie?
If so, please let me know @ gatorrelay251@gmail.com
Best movie EVER. Maybe. Definitely best Anime to hit the U.S.
Sometimes abortion is inevitable (like when the mother's life is in danger). At times like this, why not use the embryo to save lives? Even if it's one life. Saving one life is like saving all of humanity.
There's more morality in that, than allowing an embryo to waste away.
i think that it is def more worth it to research stem cells even though it may kill some lives. it will eventually help people