Clump of Cells Does Not Mean Human Life - Absurdity of Stem Cell Debate
Do you consider a few collection of microscopic cells grown from a patients own skin cell a ‘Clone’?
Most of the Missourians say no and they are ready to vote for the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, a measure to protect medical research and treatments that are legal under federal law. Missouri voters overwhelmingly support the initiative by a ratio of more than 2-to-1.
How is this “cloning” performed?
The genetic material of skin cell from a sick or injured person is placed into a donated egg after the genetic content of the egg is removed. The genetic material in the person’s own skin cell is reprogrammed to multiply in a laboratory dish until it becomes a cluster of about 150 cells. Cells would then be taken from the cluster and coaxed to replace whatever type of cell is missing in the sick or injured person.
This kind of a research will provide new pathways for the cure of diseases such as Diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Spinal Cord injury etc.
Thus, people opposing stem cell research must give it a thought and realise the benefits it can yield. Their senseless opposition can only mean detstroying more lives everyday through diseases.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
A stem cell is indeterminate, meaning it is a cell in the earliest stages of development and therefore lacking a specific function. The fact that stem cells are indeterminate leaves room for them to be drastically altered and transformed into main, fundamental tissues of the human body. The act of investigating the cell of a human embryo is argued to violate human rights, but without this research progressions in science would be almost non-existent!! The controversy over stem cells seems to be derived from groups of individuals who remain, apparently, unenlightened of the research and incredible potentials of stem cells. Since no alternate methods exist which come this close to finding cures to such immense human sicknesses, is the controversy still really valid? Why are unfortunate, sick individuals’ futures being determined by people who hold their own opinion of whether or not to destroy a “sanctity of life”? The debate over this research should be reassessed and all religiously-affiliated views should definitely be put aside so we can focus on the many humans in desperate need of medical attention.