Validity of Stem Cells Research

Stem cells are cells that have the ability to divide in order to produce either the cells that are identical to them- through a process of cell renewal or cells of one or several specific differentiated types. Since they are not fully distinguished the can rebuild one or several types of several of tissues. They are distinguished as per their ability to differentiate. They can be classified as progenitor, multipotent, and pluripotent stem cells. Stem cells can also be classified as embryonic and adult stem cells. Research on the stem cells is an important advancement in medical career but which has raised debates whether it is wrong or right to use human stem cells for research purposes mostly of disease treatment. In this essay I will discuss both side of the stem cell research and weighing the side with more advantages in application. The judgement whether stem cell research is right or wrong depends on perception of start of human life.

Applications of stem cell research are numerous. Stem cell research can be used to study development. This research helps us to understand the development of a complex orgasm from a fertilised egg. Scientists can follow stem cells during their division and specialization, that is, in making skin, bones, and brain. It also helps to control normal development and illnesses like cancer that develops from abnormal cell division and differentiation can be understood in terms of how they originate and appropriate therapy solutions can be offered. Stem cells can also provide a resource for testing new medical treatment. This can be done on specialized cells generated in large numbers from stem cells lines, this has helped immensely in reducing  the need of animals for experimental purposes. They can be therefore be used to test potential drugs after these researches as cancer cell lines are used in testing anti-tumour drugs.

Stem cells have the ability to replace damaged cells and treat diseases. It has been employed in treating of burns and restoring blood system in patients with blood disorders e.g. leukaemia.  They have the key in curing many chronic diseases. The extensive research on stem cell can offer the possibility of renewable sources of replacement of cells and tissues in order to treat diseases e.g. diabetes, and heart diseases which requires transplant of tissues and organ which are becoming hard to get and as a result many have died. These researches have can also be used to study disease. Since it is hard to obtain the cell damaged in a disease and perform detailed study on them, stem cells that carry the disease gene can be used to model disease processes in the laboratory (Eurostemcell).

On the other hand, extraction of stem cells from human beings has aroused different feelings between pro-lifers and pro-choicers. They both lie at a consensus that a human pre-embryo which has seven stem cells are live and that they contain human DNA and therefore are human like.  Scientists in the research centres have also failed to agree onto whether an embryo aged less than two weeks after conception is a human person. Pro-lifers accept that it is a person since it has human DNA which is unique to that embryo and because it has a soul created and implanted by GOD at this stage. They argue that extraction is disrespect of human life and it is a murder of the highest order.  Pro-choicers rejects the fact that pre-embryo being a human since it has a few undistinguishable cells. They believe it can become a human but it is not human itself since it has no brains, hand, and other body organs. The therefore see extraction of stem cells from pre-embryo as morally right since they aren't human (religioustolerance).

Weighing both sides of the argument advantages of stem cell extraction outweighs its immoral perception of pro-lifers. But despite of this, it all depend on what one beliefs, whether embryo is a human or not. If it is a human, then this research is the worst form of homicide and disrespect of God's creation. If it is not human then the advantages of this research can be enjoyed since it means that this practise is morally right.