Chad Allen
English 101
24 October 2012
Opening New Doors
With the ever-increasing
population in the world, there are, as a result, many diseases that take over
our lives. Scientists everywhere are constantly researching many of the
diseases that have not yet found a cure. In the early 1960’s, scientists
discovered stem cells, cells that could self-renew. Later in the century, stem
cell research has been an intriguing subject for scientists around the world.
There are a few different types of stem cells: adult cells, fetal cells, cord
blood cells, Induced Pluripotent cells, and embryonic cells. Embryonic stem
cells are very interesting because they can be specialized to function as any
cell in the human body.
While there is much controversy dealing with the ethics of embryonic stem
cell research, there is an endless potential for scientists to learn about cell
development, and possibly find a cure to many diseases affecting lives every
day. I plan to support my thesis by looking at the benefits of embryonic stem
cell research, and also show the counterargument, and why I believe my thesis
is more accurate. Yes, there are many ethical issues regarding the process of
removing a human embryo for research, and in my paper I am addressing how those
concerns are practically irrelevant in the big picture.
Bishop, A. E. and
Rippon, H. J. (2004), Embryonic stem
cells. Cell Proliferation, 37: 23–34.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2184.2004.00298.x
This
source is a scholarly article written by H. J. Rippon and A. E. Bishop
describing how embryonic stem cells work and how they are able to regenerate
and possibly create tissues and organs. This article is more about the
scientific aspect of embryonic stem cell research, so it is a good source to
have to fully understand how stem cells work, and the biological reasoning
behind them. I can use this source in my first couple paragraphs because it can
be useful to explain how embryonic stem cells work, and then I will able to go
into the ethical side of the argument without much confusion. H. J. Rippon and
A. E. Bishop are very credible because they are both apart of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Centre in London, UK.
Explorable.com (2008). Stem Cell Research. Retrieved 21 Oct.
2012 from Explorable: http://explorable.com/stem-cell-pros-and-cons.html
This
online source outlines the pros and cons dealing with stem cell research.
Explorable.com does a very good job giving both sides of the argument by
showing what stem cells are, and by presenting lists that show pros and cons. I
learned several diseases that could possibly be treated by use of stem cells,
and also how there are several cons, such as the value of human life. I also
learned that the pros and cons differed slightly after 2007, scientists have
moved on to use more ethical methods for stem cell research, such as iPS. This
web page is a good page to use as both an argument for embryonic stem cell
research, as well as a counterargument. Explorable.com is run by a group of
scientists and psychologists who study many topics, so this is a credible
source.
Holland, Suzanne, Karen Lebacqz, and
Laurie Zoloth. The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy. Cambridge, Mass:
MIT Press, 2001. Print.
This
source was an article by Erik Parens in a book called The Human Embryonic
Stem Cell Debate: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy. Parens talks about
specifically the moral difference between research on embryos with the original
intention being reproduction, rather than just for research. A few facts I
found from this book was that there is a concern that scientists sometimes
treat embryos as something less of what they should be. Parens also illustrates
the concern that women might start to donate their ova for research, which is
not the intention of scientists. Paren basically explains how scientists should
treat embryos and the moral aspect of retrieving an embryo for research, rather
than for reproduction. I plan to use this in my body paragraphs to go into
detail on the ethical issue surrounding stem cells, and how embryos are
important. Erik Parens is a Senior Research Scholar at The Hastings Center, and
he received his doctorate degree at the University of Chicago.
Hug, Kristina. "Embryonic Stem
Cell Research: An Ethical Dilemma | Europe's Stem Cell Hub | EuroStemCell." EuroStemCell. N.p., 23
Mar. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.eurostemcell.org/factsheet/embryonic-stem-cell-research-ethical-dilemma>.
This
is an online article that shows the ethical dilemma behind stem cell research,
including the moral status of a human embryo. Kristina Hug gives a variety of
opinions people have, and she gives arguments on both sides. Such opinions
include that the embryo has full mortal status from fertilization onwards, that
embryos have an increasing status as it develops, and also how different religions
have different views of the moral value of the human embryo. Hug basically
shows how there are many points of view to the human embryo, and shows how
people disagree on each issue. This source is an excellent source because it
gives both sides of the argument, and also I can look at different religions
and see their beliefs on stem cell research. Kristina Hug is a Ph.D. student in
the Department of Medical Ethics at Lund University in Sweden.
“A
Stem Cell Story.” YouTube.com. 14 June 2011. EuroStemCell. Accessed 21 October 2012.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2-3J6JGN-_Y#!>
This film was created by
EuroStemCell, an online organization that educates people on stem cell
research. The main point of this film was to show to the audience what stem
cells are, where they come from, and what they can potentially accomplish. I
got facts such as the many stages of development of stem cells, and also how
one cell can become almost any type of specialized cell. I liked this source
because it is a film, and gives very visually appealing facts and information.
This source is great for looking at the idea of embryonic stem cell research in
a different light.
