Essay on "Stem Cell Research Embryonic"

Essay 4 pages (1173 words) Sources: 4 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Stem Cell Research

EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Charges Rampant on Stem Cell Issue: Look Into Claims Reveals Facts Behind Stances of Both Sides. By Megha Satyanarayana (the Detroit Free Press, October 12, 2008)

According to the article, Michigan is preparing for a statewide vote on the issue of embryonic stem cell research. Proposal 2 is about an amendment to Michigan state law that currently prohibits any research use of embryonic stem cells. Michigan is one of the few states that actually prohibits embryonic stem cell research; the proposal, if passed on November 4, 2008, would permit the use of embryonic stem cells for research use that is permitted by federal law (Hornstein, 2008; Satyanarayana, 2008).

Under federal law, embryonic stem cell research may not be funded by federal money, but such research is not illegal. Critics of that distinction have pointed out that the federal funding ban achieves almost the same purpose as an outright ban on this valuable form of research, simply because medical research of this type is far too expensive for private institutions to conduct and relies nearly completely on federal funding (Kinsley, 2007). Most states do not actually prohibit privately funded stem cell research, but Michigan specifically outlaws some of the most potentially beneficial medical research in the field of modern medicine. Stem cells were first discovered to possess the ability to develop into almost any other form of human tissue approximately ten years ago (Satyanarayana, 2008). Since then, the Bush administration has taken up the argument put forth mainly by religious objections to research into their medical applications, resulting in a complete ban on all fetal and embryonic stem cell research use of federal funds (Kinsley, 2007; Pollack, 2007).

The Importance of Embryonic Stem Cell Research to Human Medicine:

Human stem cells come in several different varieties with different degrees of capability in terms of medical applications. While adult stem cells are able to be extracted from the bone marrow of adult patients, the biopsy procedures are considerably uncomfortable and not without dangers (Talan, 2007). More importantly, by far, adult stem cells possess only limited potential in comparison with fetal stem cells, which could be extracted from legally aborted fetuses, or from umbilical cord blood or placental tissues discarded after live births (Kinsley, 2007; Pollack, 2007).

The likely benefits of stem cell research, particularly embryonic stem cell research are so numerous that they read almost like a "wish list" of medical researchers.

So far, indications strongly suggest that the applications of stem cell science will eradicate many untreatable human diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, Sickle Cell Anemia, and Tay-Sachs Disease (Talan, 2007).

Other applications will likely allow neurologists to restore mobility and sensation to victims of traumatic paralysis, including thousands of people crippled every year in motor vehicle and swimming pool accidents, not to mention American soldiers injured on the battlefield. Experiments on paralyzed laboratory animals have already proven the viability of this application, in principle, (Talan, 2007).

Some of the most breathtaking uses of human stem cells include the construction of complete human organs for autogenic transplant (Kinsley. 2007). Currently, thousands of American patients die every year while waiting on organ donor transplant lists before a suitable donor organ can be found. Even when they are lucky enough to receive a donor organ, the risk of rejection requires the lifetime use of powerful anti-rejection drugs to suppress their immune systems; this lees them extremely vulnerable to other diseases and infections and is tremendously costly… READ MORE

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