There are many different debates in the American Society today. Some of these are abortion, same sex marriage and stem cell research. I'm going to briefly tell you a little but about how stel cell research actually works.
According to Susan L. Soloman, CEO of the New York Stem Cell Foundation. An embryo is a clump of small cells that would barely fit on the head of a pin. The embryo's are made in a lab through artificail insemination of an egg, most of the time for the purposes of in vitro fertilization. If the Embryo is not used for in vitro, it can be used to create a stem cell line. This usually happens within six days of insemination. Researchers then have a group of about 200 cells that have split multiple times. Only about ten of those cells are actually used to create a stem line.
In 2001, President Bush banned further federal funding for research into stem cell lines. Although he did allow research to continue to create stem cells forever, the argument went that there was no need for new lines of stem cells to be created.
The problem is that every time a cell divides there is a greater chance it will accumulate defects. The cells aren't always an exact copy of itself. The 21 lines are eventually of less and less use as they split more and more. The lines made before 2001 were not created with the benefit of the advances of the last few years and are not as well designed forlab use as more recent lines could be of use. The 21 lines originally made and used do not make for a very good pool of options for scientists to choose from.
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This is certainly an interesting subject to take a closer look at. I just wanted to comment, however, that despite how small the embryo might be, to describe it as a clump of cells and place no further attention on the humanity of that embryo is just the same as labeling an adult human being as a large clump of cells. Both labels are true, in the sense that all humans are basically clumps of cells, but we're more than that. We're sentient beings with the capacity to feel. This is just a little food for thought. Also, there are a variety of different kinds of stem cells, not just embryonic. Of the many sources, two other major ones in addition to embryonic are adult stem cells and cord-blood stem cells. Neither adult nor cord-blood (stem cells take from the umbilical cord at the time of a birth) are ethically controversial, to the end that neither require the "termination" (as many would call it) of an already living, albeit tiny, being. The argument for embryonic stem cells is that, as you pointed out Whitney, the longer a stem cell has to divide, the more likely the chance for defects; this is why many scientists seem to disfavor adult stem cells, as they have had a long time to divide. Common ground can be found, however, in the cord-blood stem cells because of their age, which makes them more desirable than adult stem cells, and they don't require another being's life to harvest, as in the case of embryonic stem cells.
ReplyDeleteThe research of stem cells is fascinating and the hopes are high that they will continue to bring advances in curative treatments and replacements.