Cover Letter

Dear Adam Sprauge,

Throughout the semester, I have learned a great deal on how to write many different types of papers. I learned how to focus on a specific question or task, and how to actively engage in the topic to answer the question in a proper writing format. I have also learned a lot about how to think critically and how to really analyze sources to achieve the best use for the purpose of each paper.

The pieces of writing contained in this portfolio include my response to an article, “Two Years Are Better Than Four,” my first draft and final paper of an article review to Dan Sperber’s, “The Future of Writing,” my business letter to Mrs. Black, my annotated bibliography for my research essay, and finally, a first draft and final paper of my research essay.

I have showed rhetorical awareness in my writing, especially in my response to the article, “Two Years Are Better Than Four.” I focused on the purpose of responding to Liz Addison’s article and showing my opinion on the matter. I also made sure my audience could be young or old, and wrote in a style that could be readable by both. I also demonstrate appropriate voice and level of formality by looking at exactly what Addison is talking about and clarifying how her writing style gets the point across.

The research essay I did on embryonic stem cell research really helped my understand how to think critically. I was able to identify an issue and present a position and argument on the topic. With the first draft of this essay, I went too in-depth with the background information that my arguments were unbalanced. Overall, with this paper I was able to integrate my ideas on a topic with those of others in a critical way.

To incorporate information literacy, I provided my review of Dan Sperber’s article, “The Future of Writing.” I was able to evaluate the article and with my knowledge and experience on the subject, I effectively wrote a review and showed my view on the matter. I had a few errors and mistakes on the first draft of this paper, so I included a revised version to show how I can revise a paper to show more understanding and to more effectively accomplish the purpose of review the article.

To demonstrate my ability to revise papers that were given feedback is addressed mainly in my final research paper. I realized that my first draft was not the best it could be, and I proved that I can reread my essay and provide changes to overall improve the quality of writing. With this class, I fully understand the importance of proofreading and editing essays. I also learned a great deal on how to review my peer’s essays in order to show them my opinions on how their papers could be improved.

Grammar was a minor problem to me, and I learned how proofreading my paper can ultimately eliminate many common grammatical errors. My letter to Mrs. Black showed how to create block style letters, using no indentations and skipping a line for each body paragraph.

Overall, this portfolio really shows how much I was able to accomplish in English class, and how I was able to use revisions to improve the quality of each paper. I was able to strengthen my writing style and most importantly, I am now able to think in a more critical way, which will be useful in many essays to come in my education.

Sincerely,

Chad Allen

Research Essay (Revised)

Chad Allen

Adam Sprague

English 101

4 December 2012

Opening New Doors

            Two legally blind women, one suffering from macular degeneration, the other suffering from Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, each received 50,000 embryonic stem cells implanted under the retina of one eye in July of 2011. Both patients reported major improvements in sight. A scientific miracle. Embryonic stem cells are cells derived from a human embryo. Embryonic stem cells are interesting, because they are able to grow into different kinds of specialized cells, which are able to perform many tasks throughout the human body. Because these stem cells come from human embryos, there have been a myriad of ethical issues surrounding the research. Such issues include the fact that scientists should not be messing with human life, because every living embryonic cell has the potential to become a baby. The debate about abortion is also a similarly related topic to stem cell research. 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.

            When thinking about embryonic stem cell research, it is important to discuss the different arguments that surround it. One major point about any type of stem cell research is that stem cells have the ever-existing possibility to cure diseases and save lives. Another big positive to researching embryonic stem cells is that they have the potential to change medicine forever. Imagine a world where you could get a specific medicine for any symptoms or disease you may have. The research of embryonic stem cells even has the possibility to dig deeper into solving the problem of cancer, and possibly finding solutions. Possibly even a cure. Just like Newton’s 3^rd Law of Physics, with every positive aspect surrounding an issue, there are always negatives in return. One negative view about researching embryos in a lab is the issue some people have with treating embryos as something in an experiment. Several religious groups are very much against the misuse of a human embryo, and they believe that human life should not be messed with. Regardless, the stem cell debate has been a major issue in the science world, and also a very interesting subject to discuss.

            Before studying the controversy about embryonic stem cell research it is important to understand the background and how they work. After conception, a sperm cell fertilizes an egg and it divides to produce an embryo. Within the embryo, there are numerous stem cells that are capable of becoming various specialized cells useful to many functions of the human body. For the use of research, scientists receive embryos in two ways. One way to obtain stem cells is with the use of in vitro fertilization. In this process, a couple's sperm and egg cells are fertilized together in a culture dish. The eggs develop into embryos, and then return to the female. Because there are more embryos made than can be implanted, many of the ‘leftovers’ are usually frozen for later use. Many couples that go through this process of in vitro fertilization donate their ‘leftover’ embryos for stem cell research (Bishop).

            Another way scientists acquire embryos is through therapeutic cloning. This technique combines a cell with a donor egg. The nucleus is then removed from the donor egg and replaced with the nucleus from the patient's cell. This egg is stimulated to divide, and the resulting embryo holds the patient's genetic material, which is useful because it decreases the chances that the patient’s body will reject the new stem cells. This method is less common, but both methods are seen as controversial to the public (Bishop).

            When the cells become three to five days old, the embryo develops into a chunk of cells called a ‘blastocyst,’ as shown in Fig. 1. A blastocyst contains about 100 cells; the stem cells are located inside. At this point, the stem cells are pluripotent; they are able to develop into almost any type of specialized cell. To grow these specialized stem cells, scientists remove them from their blastocyst and grow them in a nutrient-rich solution in a Petri dish in a laboratory. After several months, these cells divide infinitely and scientists call these large amounts ‘stem cell lines,’ which can then be frozen for later use (EuroStemCell).

Fig. 1. An embryonic stem cell goes through the stages of in vitro fertilization in order to become a blastocyst, and then later, a specialized cell (EuroStemCell).

            Each type of cell has it’s own unique characteristic. These cells are called specialized cells, which work in specialized teams. Some carry oxygen through the blood system; some do the stretching and contracting muscles, and some carry messages through the nervous system. The difference between specialized cells and stem cells are that specialized cells can die, and have to be replaced by other cells, while stem cells are able to reproduce infinitely. There are a myriad of different types of specialized cells in the human body, and it is important they are used and not dying. If they do die, the body does not work as well. That’s where stem cells can come into play. Stem cells can be manipulated in order to produce specialized cells to perform numerous tasks throughout the body. For example, if a person gets a major burn, it is possible to create specialized skin cells to carry out the task of providing replacements for those dead cells. The reason why stem cells are so beneficial to society is because they can turn into whatever kind of cell a patient might need. The idea that a patient in need of specific special cells can go into a hospital and receive them is truly a magical thought, and it could become a reality provided through this research (EuroStemCell).

            When looking at the consequences of embryonic stem cell research, it is important to look at how people perceive the idea of abortion in society today. The idea of abortion is a difficult issue that many people and politicians run into in their lives. Abortion is viewed my many as bad, because it is the process of ‘killing’ a living organism inside of a woman. Others feel that is should 100% be the woman’s choice whether to have an abortion or not. I believe that embryonic stem cell research is drastically different than abortion when you look at the ethical reasons behind both issues. First of all, abortion is the process of destroying a human embryo, while embryonic stem cell research uses the embryo in every way possible for the soul purpose of research to better the medical world as a whole. Scientists absolutely do not murder embryos when they research them. In order for something good to happen in life, there always has to be minor sacrifices made (Explorable.com).

            One major argument as to why many people oppose the use of embryos for stem cell research goes back to religion. Different religions view the status of a human embryo in several unique ways. For example, the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and conservative Protestant Churches believe that the embryo has the “highest status” after conception. The term, “highest status,” means that the embryo should basically be treated as a human being, and given all the rights a human would have. The people who follow these religions believe a human embryo has the right to its own life, and every intervention not in favor of the embryo is a violation of that right. On the other hand, Judaism and Islam believe the importance of helping others and argue that the embryo does not have full human status before 40 days. There are also several other religions that take other less important positions. Overall, religion is a huge counterargument when it comes to dealing with embryonic stem cell research, but once again, if you look at the positives regarding stem cell research, they outweigh the negatives by a landslide. In Fig. 2, a comic is provided to show the humorous side of the argument, and why religion should not be a factor when it comes to dealing with science and medical advancements, which could potentially save lives (Hug).

Fig. 2: A comic showing a satirical approach about why embryonic stem cell research is not allowed and the humor behind the controversy (Explorable.com).

            One of the sources I found most interesting was that of an article by Erik Parens in a book, titled The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate, where he talks about specifically the moral difference between research on embryos with the original intention being reproduction, rather than just for research.  Erik Parens is a Senior Research Scholar at The Hastings Center, and he received his doctorate degree at the University of Chicago. He illustrates the fact that when you research on embryos for the purpose of reproduction, it does not give off a negative energy. Scientists are researching these embryos to show how they can be useful in the process of reproduction. These scientists are not ‘destroying’ the embryos, but rather growing them for further use. That is a very important point to make, because they are not just researching these precious embryos, they are developing them into possibly something more, which could eventually be used to save lives and cure illnesses (Parens).

            Imagine a life where doctors could cure blindness, as well as many other diseases that affect people every day. Just like the two legally bind women previously mentioned, there could be numerous miracles created with the help of embryonic stem cells. There is nothing greater in the world than life, and the fact that these special cells could help save lives is an extraordinary thought. Regardless of the fact that different people disagree with the research of embryonic stem cells, these very cells have the possibility to save lives. To cure the blind, the deaf, the paralyzed. A truly amazing discovery. To be able to turn these embryonic cells into different types of valuable specialized cells is magnificent because they are able to perform functions in the human body that once were not able to be completed. There are many real life stories out in the world where people receive stem cells that benefit them in a life-changing way, and there is nothing better than changing someone’s life for the better. Embryonic stem cells push the limits of cell research, provide exciting discoveries in the medical world, and essentially have the ability to save lives and promote healthy people across the globe. This type of research, producing only positive scenarios, should definitely be legal and appreciated by people around the world. To change a life is truly inspiring, and these scientists are on the right path to doing so.

Works Cited

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

Explorable.com (2008). Stem Cell Research. Retrieved 21 Oct. 2012 from Explorable: http://explorable.com/stem-cell-pros-and-cons.html

Top of Form

Holland, Suzanne, Karen Lebacqz, and Laurie Zoloth. The Human Embryonic Stem Cell    Debate: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 2001. Print.

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>.

“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#!>