Analysis post

I’d like to discuss two main areas with this blog post, the scientific aspect of stem cells and divulge deeper into the moral and ethical dilemma attributed to it as well. In this I hope to develop a better understanding for the topic and present both sides of the respective argument. Religious and ethical values and the scientific values clash because of the perspective they are viewed from.
Many people dislike the idea of stem cell research based on moral and ethical ideals. There has been little doubt that stem cells cannot help the body, the main controversy has been where the stem cells are obtained from. The driving concern most people have about stem cell research is abortion. The topic of embryonic stem cell research has been looped in with abortions, which displays stem cell research in a negative light. Many groups of people strongly disagree with the idea obtaining stem cells from embryonic sources. Critics no longer dispute the usefulness of stem cells, but they do not wish to see an embryo die in the process of saving another person’s life. But what are embryonic stem cells? Embryonic stem cells are stem cells that are extracted directly from the embryo before the embryo’s cells begin to have a distinguish characteristics. These are blank cells that have yet to be assigned a purpose. One argument people make for no abortions is because some studies have shown that fetuses have display symptoms of extreme pain. Thus they argue that fetal pain distinguishes then as just as much a person as the person dying needing the transplant and so they reason that it is not right to take someone’s life to save someone else’s. Some even go so far to say that since there have been breakthroughs in non-embryonic stem cell research that embryonic stem cell research is a waste of time and is drive by greed.
Research is done day to day to help promote science and gain a better understanding of the world. Scientists work to discover the answers of mysteries that plague everyday life. Scientists are working hard to discover cures to various detrimental diseases such as, HIV, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and many more. The ground breaking research regarding stem cells has seen extraordinary results. Scientists may have found a way to completely cure people with these diseases. They have found that the stem cells from people who were resistant to the disease will transfer the genetic resistance to that disease. Break through research such as this, which is done with stem cells, has the potential to save millions and millions of lives. Stem cells can be an invaluable resource to all of mankind. The common myth that one is killing a human life to save another person using stem cell to help cure them is false. The majority of stem cell research today is done with adult stem cells which can be taken from any person or animal. There has been research done with stem cells with rats, and much progress has been shown from it. Scientists have been able to work on treatments for blindness in rats with the use of stem cells. After the ethical debate about abortions a few years ago, scientists discovered a new way to form stem cells.
Controversy about stem cell research has lead to tremendous success in the field. The ethical controversy and limitations that were provided when stem cell research was first starting inspired scientists to find a way around the ethical limitation to try and achieve their overall goal. Much has changed since the start of the research. Another concern with stem cell research is cloning. People dislike the idea of people being cloned by others. A lot of research has shown positive signs because of efforts in cloning. Scientists have been able to create exact replicas of many things within the body such as, heart muscles, a heart pump and blood cells. With continuous work on the subject, greater breakthroughs are possible. Scientists have been able to grow human blood vessels in lab mice. Great achievements have been made and even more are possible, stem cell research provides a positive light for the future of medical discovery.

Ethical Battle with Stem Cells

Scientific breakthrough has constantly clashed with ethical dilemma of the approach to experimental knowledge. The ethical clash helps scientist realize that what they are doing is controversial and to some people unquestionably wrong. The ethical reality in fact could serve as a guiding shield of sorts, helping the scientist realize that they must be extremely careful with the step they are taking to accomplish the breakthrough he or she is working towards. Scientists realize that they are in the public eye and are going to be held accountable for any and every little kink in their experiment, so they realize that they have to be vigilant. One breakthrough that is heavily debated in the public eye thus far is the issue of obtaining stem cells for further stem cell research. People have posed an ethical dilemma about stem cell research because a large amount of stem cell research could be found in dead fetuses. People are so touchy on the subject because stem cells and stem cell research for the most part gets lumped in with abortions, sin and evil. But the matter of fact is that stem cells may be found in dead fetuses, but they are also found in number of other sources as well; there is much research being done using rodents as sources for stem cells. The latest research with stem cells has shown that they have the healing capacity for extraordinary treatments. Up until now stem cells such as bone marrow were used for leukemia, but new research shows that stem cells can help repair nerve damage, help grow new appendages, and stem cells can create new organs. An article I read last year talked about stem cells’ ability to form a new organ that was identical to the original. The organ tissue was spilt and then stem cells were introduced to the partial organs, and the stem cells were able to repair and grow new organs. Stem cells could be the biggest breakthrough in medicine if scientist are able to harness there true potential.

Limiting Discovery

Breakthroughs of all kinds have occurred for many centuries and are continuing to occur today. With each new breakthrough or discovery people continue to push the boundaries of our knowledge and the ways in which the knowledge is obtained. Though I claim to be no expert on the matter, I would like to discuss the issue of ethical restraint on scientific breakthrough.
A basic definition of science says that it is the systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through gained through observation and experimentation. Science’s biggest breakthroughs have occurred during some sort of experimentation, whether it is random fluke or planed genius. Each breakthrough has helped many people, some by easing everyday labor, some by easing the troubled minds and others have helped people live longer and healthier lives. Each innovation is said to promote a better future.
Each innovation not only widens our knowledge on aspects of everyday life, but it also pushes ethical acceptability to the approach to gain that knowledge. Today stem-cell research has become a topic of heated debate among experts in opposing fields. The fact that many stem-cells can be obtained from dead fetuses has aroused heated controversy from the more religious groups, which claim that stem-cell research is ethically wrong. Scientific breakthrough is constantly faces the ethical question is the experiment pushing too far, is it right to pursue this new knowledge and at what costs. This blog is designed to discuss the ethical boundaries scientist face in order to pursue their quest for knowledge.