Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Science has continuously provided the pathway towards innovative solutions to solve the issues of the 21st century; however, in order to attain such solutions the question of what is morally acceptable or wrong comes into play. Embryonic stem cell research has faced the negative spotlight for many years. The false misconceptions surrounding stem cells is clouded by the idea that they are acquired through intentionally killing a life of a potential human being. These false statements facilitated by anti-abortion organizations has slowed down the progress that could have been achieved through science on a logical and ethnically driven basis. Embryonic stem cells should be used for medical research because they harness the potential to improve
Embryonic stem cells are not acquired through the intentional killing of a fetus but through legal fertility clinics that have left over embryos soon to be discarded. When a couple or individual undergoes in vitro fertilization, several embryos are created in the lab to increase the chance of the embryo successfully implanting in the womb of the female. There are various scenarios in which several embryos are left over from the process and are either discarded or donated to scientific research. It seems logical to harness each embryo’s potential contribution to scientific research instead of discarding them in the trash. Regardless of this fact, much of the opposition continues to argue that embryos should be respected as a human life. Beau Watts counters this argument by stating that the embryos used for research do not “. . . contain any individualized components until after implantation into the uterus” (460). Ultimately, an embryo has the potential to become a life but scientifically is not an individual since it cannot grow into a fetus with individual characteristics until it has fully attached to a female uterus. Additionally, the embryonic stem cells used for research never reach that particular stage of fetal development. Through the process, a human life is not destroyed but instead an embryo is being used to create
In this case, the slippery slope of the acquirement of the stem cells is diminished and thoroughly regulated. In the event that, the embryos are acquired through an intentional abortion the morality of the research is put into question and should not be allowed to proceed. Intentionally growing a fetus only to be used for embryonic stem cells is wrong and is why there needs to be strict rules and regulations as to where research facilities will acquire their samples. Reservations regarding stem cells research is primarily based on religious beliefs and the lack of understanding of the matter. Under certain religious doctrines
Among scientific research it is true that adult stem cells have successfully treated certain diseases and illness in clinical trials; nevertheless, scientific innovations in the medical field is crucial to the ever-growing understanding of the human body. Adult stem cells do not pose such a grand ethical dilemma as much as embryonic stem cells do and is part of the reason why researchers choose not to look into the matter any further. The fear of uncertainty has limited the progression of science by the growing debate of what is morally wrong and