Thread: Stem cell research
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Old 10-15-2004, 12:17 PM   Stem cell research Post #4
SangReal
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mbmanus
As you all know, stem celll research is a very big deal right now. Presently it is banned.
No, it's not, as ToB correctly stated. In fact, the Bush Presidency is the first to actually give government funds to said research. You can't give government funds to something that's banned (or at least you shouldn't).

Quote:
As a person with a spinal disability(spina bifida), stem cell research could very likely cure my, as well as many other, diseases.
I didn't know you had spina bifida. By the way, stem cell research is a long way from curing some of the more serious diseases, like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. However, I don't think that's a reason to discourage. Rather it's a reason to encourage it. We need these cures.

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The arguement is, of course, that the research kills preborn babies.
However, you can get cells from other sources, like the blood from the embroynic sac when the baby is born.
Right. Stem cells are available in several forms. They are present in umbilical cord blood, amniotic sac, and even living, breathing adult humans. If we can obtain stem cells without destroying innocent human (or potentially human) life, we have an obligation to do so. Embryonic stem cell research would probably be morally acceptable from a cost-benefit standpoint if it were the only option, but it's not. There are better ways, and we should seek those ways.

Quote:
Furthermore, abortion in this country is legal. Why dont we take these unborn babies that we are killing anyway, and have some good come from abortion?
Slavery used to be legal, too. But that didn't make it right. Anyway, the reason that embroynic stem cells are so wonderful is that they are totally undifferentiated (i.e., they haven't decided what kind of cells to become). From what I understand, by the time the woman figures out she's pregnant, it's usually already too late. The development has simply gone too far along, although we could theoretically use the cord blood and amniotic sac to harvest stem cells.

I just don't see the need to create life and then destroy it, especially when we have alternatives. I wholeheartedly approve of stem cell research, but embryonic stem cell research is morally shady at best.

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