The paralyzed could walk again and those who suffer from cancer and Parkinson's disease would be among the many who could return to a life free of disease. People with leukemia are already being healed.
Does this sound too good to be true, perhaps a vision of the distant future? The future is now. With adequate research, stem cells could be the one common factor in healing all of these injuries and diseases for good.
Stem cells.
Cells that have the potential to be changed into any kind of cell in the body, making it possible to repair organs, spines, nerves, and fight the high white blood count of cancer. Just mention the words "stem cells" in a public place and you might find yourself at the center of a raging controversy.
The use of stem cells in research asks a number of important questions.
Are using and ultimately destroying excess embryos created either purposefully for stem cell research or from in-vitro fertilization excess, embryos which are often destroyed anyway and will never otherwise be used and given a chance at life, equal to aborting a fetus that occurs naturally in a woman? Would research of stem cells usher in an era often shown in future science fiction morality tales of horror, a world of human clones?
Embryonic stem cells are destroyed as a result of embryonic stem cell research and some people do think that is equal to aborting a fetus under normal circumstances, even though the embryos used are only the ones that will never be implanted into a woman's womb and will never have a chance at life.
Stem cells do open up the possibility of human clones, as evidenced by a number of successful animal clone experiments, like Dolly the sheep. But human cloning is not the reason most scientists are interested in stem cell potential.
Despite stem cells' incredible potential to save lives and end numerous diseases, many people are not willing to "back down" on these points, including all U.S. presidents to date. New embryonic stem cell research is currently illegal in the United States, except on embryos that have already been created for that purpose.
The good news for those who look to stem cells to fight diseases that affect their loved ones is that about half of the world's population lives in countries that allow embryonic stem cell research while banning human cloning, including Australia, China, Japan, and much of Europe.
Stem cell research is still allowed in the United States as long as it is performed on adult stem cells. Although not as flexible as embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells have already been successfully used to treat leukemia through bone marrow transplant. There are also the stem cells located in umbilical cords that have opened up a number of disease- and injury-fighting possibilities.
Everyone who fights disease and injury deserves a chance at a normal life. If you're against stem cell research, read a little more about the benefits of stem cell research and the kinds of stem cell research that don't use embryos.
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