Being on the pro side, I feel that by funding the research, we will be able to thank our selves down the road, and when people have cancer, or heart disease, and we will be able to provide a cure. It has been argued that the use of stem cell research involves the taking of one’s life. For years, religious figures have argued that by using an embryonic cell we are in fact killing a fetus, which is after all, human life. But in fact, the embryonic cells used are from babies that have either been aborted, or miscarriaged. However, there are many types of cells that can be analyzed that are alternatives to embryonic cells such as adult stem cells. As outlined in our arguments, the benefits from stem cell research are immense, and therefore it must be continued. An advantage of the use of stem cell research would be that it gives us great insights about the basics of the body. Doctors would be able to understand the human body much better and possibly save millions of lives. Diseases such as: Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Heart and Stroke Disease, Spinal Cord Injuries, and even birth defects can be analyzed and cured thanks to the use of Stem cells. However the cons rebutted our argument with a real life example. This true story involves a teenager who was paralyzed and agreed to undergo stem cell implantation. For a while he had recovered, but soon it was discovered that he had started to get tumors in his body, causing even more pain. Although this is a sad story, I feel that the continuing of stem cell research is vital in scientific development. We must take small steps, and who knows, maybe one day we will be living in a world where all diseases can have cures. But we cannot close the door on stem cell research. We must continue to research and
Overall the debate was interesting, as both the pro and con sides were able to strongly illustrate their points. I felt that my side, the pros were well prepared for the debate and I feel that we did a good job getting out arguments across. An improvement to this debate would be to have a time limit on each argument so that concise conclusions can be made, and the discussions do not go around in circles. Also another way to make sure the debate runs smoothly, would be to have discussion periods amongst the two groups so that they can rekindle their thoughts and possibly refute an argument.
Bibliography
“Inside an embryo no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence are dozens of stem cells. Initially, these cells are blank slates, meaning that their fate is undecided. But they have great potential. Stem cells are pluripotent, which means that they can develop into every cell, every tissue and every organ in the . Their almost limitless potential has made stem cells a significant focus of medical research. Imagine having the ability to return memory to an patient, replace skin that was lost during a terrible accident or enable a wheelchair-bound person to walk again.”
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“They believe that it is immoral to destroy a few-days-old human embryo, even to save or reduce suffering in existing human life. Many also believe that insufficient attention been given to explore the potential of adult stem cells, which have already been used to successfully cure many diseases. They also argue that too little attention has been paid to the potential of umbilical cord blood for stem cell research. They also point out that no cures have yet been produced by embryonic stem cell therapy.”
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“Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. Serving as a sort of repair system for the body, they can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.”
