The doctor comes close to the bedside and states that you have been in a car accident and are paralyzed from the neck down. This may seem like the end of the road for you and for many others it has been; but there may be an opportunity for you to regain full control in all of your limbs. The solution to your problem may be stem cell research.
Stem cell research is a highly controversial topic and many people support both sides of the argument. The research has the potential to benefit many different people in many different ways. In this essay I will explain what stem cell research is, why the general public should support the research and the united states should take advantage of the uses of the research. I will also point out the flaws in arguments opposed to this type of research. Throughout this essay I will show the benefits of stem cell research are worth suffering through the consequences and prove that the research should be legalized in the United States. .
Stem cell research is relatively simple concept. A stem cell is just a basic cell that has the ability to make copies of itself using a process called mitosis. It reproduces indefinitely to create as many cells as needed for a specific purpose. Stem cells are typically extracted in one of two ways, from an embryo or an adult tissue (Frankel). .
The most effective process is embryonic extraction. These embryonic cells are found in the inner membrane of a blastocyst. A blastocyst is what has formed 4-5 days after fertilization. At this point in the embryonic development the cell mass usually consist of 50-150 cells. With current procedures when the inner membrane is obtained the rest of the blastocyst is destroyed. .
This is considered the most effective procedure because these stem cells can be used to from any kind of tissue. There are more than 200 different types of cells in the human body and each one of these comes from an embryonic cell.