Stem Cell Research

Stem Cell Research

The issue of research involving stem cells is increasingly becoming a national debate. This issue is talked about every day as scientists wonder if what they are doing is ethical. This issue is also debated in church. Many of the same faith disagree on the subject. Most people find that the more they know about stem cell research, the less certain they are about the morality of the research.

A process called in vitro fertilization helps many couples conceive children. When the doctors put the sperm and egg together to create embryos outside the womb, they usually produce more embryos than are put back in the mother. The additional embryos remain frozen in laboratories. Some do not survive during long storage; others are destroyed. Some have been donated to science and used to create privately funded stem cell labs. A few have been implanted in an adoptive mother and born. Today they are healthy children.

Scientists believe further research using stem cells could lead to the cure of many widespread diseases. Scientists have admitted they are not yet certain, but they believe stem cells that come from human embryos have unique potential.

Stem cells can also come from sources other than embryos including adult cells, umbilical cords that are thrown away after babies are born, and human placenta. Many scientists believe research on these cells is also promising. Many people are already being treated from the advances in adult cell research. However, scientists believe embryonic stem cells have the most potential.

Research on embryonic stem cells brings about ethical questions because taking the stem cell out of the embryo destroys the embryo, and therefore destroys its potential for life. This raises the questions: Are these embryos actually human life that should be protected? And, if they are going to be destroyed anyway, why not use them for research that could save hundreds maybe thousands of lives in the future?

A recent interview showed most college students are not well enough educated on the subject to choose a side. "I'm not real sure of the morality of it. I'm not sure what it even involves", a student at Ball State University answered.

Educated people on this subject still are unable to choose a side on this subject. Until scientists show progress in their research, this issue will continue to