Federal Funds Should Be Used for Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Are embryonic stem cells the cure to many of the human body’s ailments, including defective organs and crippling diseases, or is their use a blatant disregard of human rights and the value of life? Thanks to the rapid advancements in this field, the potential benefits of stem cells are slowly becoming reality. However, embryonic stem cell research is an extremely divisive topic in the United States thanks to the ethical issues surrounding terminating embryos to harvest the stem cells. In response to this debate, Congress passed the Dickey-Wicker amendment in 1995 to prohibit federal funding of research that involved the destruction of embryos. President Bush affirmed this decision, but more recently President Obama lifted many of†¦show more content†¦It has the ability to form any type of specific cell and thus has the greatest potential for treatments in the near future. A more recent development in stem cell research is the creation of induced pluripotent cells , which are adult cells that become undifferentiated through a series of treatments. Induced pluripotent stem cells have a number of benefits because the destruction of embryos is not necessary and there are no issues with immune response or rejection because the cells come from the patient. However, it will be a long time before this type of cell become widely used on humans because the method used is not completely understood and has negative side effects. In animal testing, â€Å"†¦the virus used to introduce the stem cell factors sometimes causes cancers† (â€Å"Stem cell basics†). Therefore, embryonic stem cells should be an important part of stem cell research. Even if induced pluripotent cells can replace embryonic cells in the future, the knowledge gained from current embryonic cell research would still be very applicable. Unfortunately, research is very time and resource intensive, which is where the debate of federal funding comes into play. The fact that researchers must destroy human embryos to obtain the stem cells is the main issue that prevents the support of many Americans for federal funding. The question of terminating the embryo of viable offspring is a very divisive issue and will probably not be resolvedShow MoreRelatedResearch On Stem Cell Research Essay1708 Words   |  7 Pages Stem Cell Research James A Merritt PIMA Medical institute Embryonic stem cell research is a controversial topic. In the religious aspect its man trying to play the authority of GOD on whether people should live, die or suffer from ailments and injuries. On a scientific and medical aspect it is compassionate people lookingRead MoreEmbryonic Stem Cells Pros And Cons1664 Words   |  7 Pagesyears, researchers have been studying the miraculous potential of human embryonic stem cells. 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