Cloning, And Stem Cell Research
Technology has advanced a great deal within the past few years. We have learned so much information about animal’s genes and what can be done with them. However, with this new information brings new questions and arguments also arise. So far, scientists have successfully cloned a sheep, a monkey, a bull, and are working on an endangered breed of ox. Of course cloning animals and conducting research on those animals does not concern many people. When people begin discussing cloning and stem cell research, heads turn because it is such a controversial issue. Is it morally right to destroy a life so that maybe someday others could live? According to an article in People Weekly, the theory is that embryonic stem cells could replace any damaged or diseased tissue, curing diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes. Sounds like a winning plan to the uneducated hear. The problem that arises with this theory is that scientists must destroy human embryos to make the cells. Michael West, the chief executive of Advanced Cell Technology a Worcester, Massachusetts based company, is where a majority of their cells come from embryos left over from In Vitro Fertilization. In Vitro Fe
When asked in a CNN.com chat room, “When do scientists consider an embryo a life?” Dr. Jeffrey Kahn the Director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Minnesota responded with this. “It depends on the scientist, but you would get views ranging from, “at conception” to, “at birth.” Many people consider the stage of embryos we are talking about to be, “pre-embryos” since they are so early in their development.” rtilization is a process where the sperm from a male and an egg from a female are fertilized outside of the human body in a laboratory. When scientists perform this procedure, the scientists will extract more than one embryo from the female to ensure that at least one will be fertilized. The rest of the cells are then extra and are not needed. West and other scientists at Advanced Cell Technology have proposed producing stem cells from cloned embryos. This may lead to treatments in which damaged tissue is replaced with what are essentially the patient’s own cells. West also explains that unlike other types of cells, embryonic stem cells can probably reproduce forever. “These cells will grow for researchers until the last researcher on the Earth,” adds West (Herper). When it comes to politics, one man stands above the rest. Whether you like him or not the president is the head politician. So I thought it wise to see what he had to say about stem cell research. George W. Bush’s first big televised chat with the nation was about bioethics. This is a bit odd considering he barely even touched on the issue though the duration of his campaign; especially a topic as complicated and controversial as this. Bush compared the decision concerning federal funding for stem cell research to a decision to send troops to battle. “I strongly oppose human cloning, as do most Americans,” said Bush. His speech raised all the tough questions. Is an embryo growing in a tube the same as one growing in a womb? Would it be okay to experiment on it if it was to be destroyed anyways? Some people consider answering these questions playing God. Bush warned the nation that these are dangerous waters. So he went on being careful not to step on too many toes. Bush explained that through private research, over sixty diverse stem cell colonies already exist. These colonies were created from embryos that had previously been destroyed. They can also regenerate themselves forever. Then Bush said this, “I have concluded that we should allow federal funds to be used for research on these existing stem cell lines, where
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Approximate Word count = 1739
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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