The Debate Over Embryonic Stem Cell Research - 1652 Words

Embryonic stem cell research could one day hold the key to many new scientific discoveries if it is continuously funded in the years to come. I chose to base my research around the question, Should embryonic stem cell research be government funded? When I finish highschool I hope to pursue a career in the medical field. Although I wish to become a doctor and may not be directly researching stem cells, they may one day be a treatment that I will have to administer to patients. To answer this question I first had to understand why embryonic stem cells are a topic for such heated debates. This is another thing that interested me greatly. I had known about how stem cells were produced, but I had not known about the ethics and great amount of†¦show more content†¦In class we also discussed how it is one of the most debated topics, but we never discussed why it was such a debated topic. The groundbreaking scientific research underway happening this century is revolving around the field of regenerative medicine, specifically stem cell research. To begin to discuss whether or not stem cell research should be scientifically funded we must understand what stem cells are. According to Jordan Saltzberg, author of â€Å"The Current Embryonic Stem Cell Research Federal Funding Policy,† embryonic stem cells have the possibility to reproduce and continue to grow and also form any type of specialized cell unlike adult stem cells (2). Since the embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can form any specialized cell they are more valuable than adult stem cells (hASCs). Saltzberg has also stated, stem cells are present throughout a person s life but are first found in the embryo (2). This shows that one day we may be able to use human adult stem cells instead of embryonic stem cells. Human embryonic stem cells are, for now, the most promising subfield of regenerative medicine. Stem cell research is debated by many different groups, for example the church, government, and every day people. The majority of religions along with all of their followers believe the research to be unethical, whereas the government and scientific community think that it is vital for new scientific discoveries. Despite the