Stem Cell Research Pros

Stem Cell Basics, an article published by the National Institute of Health, is an informative article on the basic information and the controversy that surrounds stem cell research. “Stem cell research is by far the biggest advancement in the field of medicine and many lives can be saved from its breakthroughs” says Dr. Goldstein of the National Institute of Health, with the purpose of convincing people that stem cell research must be legalized in the United States, since according to him, people are dying from illnesses that stem cell research has been proven to cure.
The article begins by explaining that a stem cell is essentially a cell that is free of command and can be utilized to grow organs, such as an upper lip for someone born with
a cleft lip. Moreover, the author explains how the usage of stem cells could help many people from around the world, especially in underdeveloped areas such as Somalia and Haiti, suffering from birth conditions such as cleft lip. The ability to clone a person’s lip with stem cells can help improve the quality of life of such individuals. However, the applications of these stem cells are near limitless. According to the author, in 1968 the world’s first bone marrow transplant was possible due to stem cell research in America. Stem cells could help cure or treat ailments or illnesses such as cancer and even paralysis.

The turning point of the article is when the controversy surrounding the harvesting of stem cells is brought up.
The author explains how initially stem cells were only present in a human fetus, thus harvesting it would require its destruction. Many groups such as the Pro Life Organization of America were against it, and claimed that it was unethical to “destroy a human life” even if it is undeveloped. The group caught a lot of attention to the topic, gaining the support of many religious groups. Catholics around the nation held rallies and protests to ban further advancements in the field. This argument, in turn, influenced congress to pass stem cell research regulating laws, that barred any advancements of the practice of such research within the confines of the United States. The National Institute of Health then went on to explain how through recent technological breakthroughs, obtaining stem cells no longer required the “destruction of human life” as adult stem cells could now be obtained. Towards the end of the article, the author listed all the countries that are involved in stem cell research such as Japan, South Korea, Israel and even Iran support it to their fullest capabilities. The author finishes implying how this makes the United States, considered the most powerful country in the world, look bad since it is not as supportive of stem cell research as Iran is.
This article is not only very informative, but also very insightful. The author goes from defining what
a stem cell is to explaining the importance and the arguments against it. After informing the readers on the topic, the author opens the discussion if whether humans should or not use stem cells to grow organs. He gives readers’ the opportunity to choose one side in the argument, and at the end emphasizes the benefits of stem cell research.

Throughout the history of mankind, humans have been constantly on a mission to improve our health and find cures to diseases.
In this search we have uncovered the holy grail of medical breakthroughs. This of course, being stem cell research. Many countries have taken advantage of this, and their societies have benefitted off of it. The author of this article suggests that we no longer have to live in the age of suffering from loss of limbs and third degree burns, since scientists could now use your stem cells to clone exact replicas of your cells to grow into whatever you need.
The author’s main argument is that stem cell research should be deregulated in the United States, regardless of any argument made by opposing parties. Too many people are diagnosed and are dying from illnesses such as cancer. Enough is enough, and people need to stop listening to religious groups and open their eyes that stem cell research will help potentially save lives. Furthermore, many progressive countries such as England and Germany utilize stem cells to help improve the quality of life. People such as Payton Manning of the NFL who broke his neck and had to go t o England where stem cells usage is legal to save his career and possible his life. He should have been able to go to hospital in his own country to treat such an ailment and not have to spend money on a ticket to a foreign country to fix a broken
vertebra.
As the author, I believe that stem cell research should be supported due to all the medical improvements that can be made out of stem cells. The author supports his arguments implying that all the arguments against stem cell research and usage are insignificant. Since the argument of ending human life has been crushed by the use of adult stem cells. Moreover, if things were supposed to be “left to nature or God” then medicine and all modern treatments should be banned as well. The concern of “saving so many lives will cause overpopulation” is

not as important as saving a human’s life who is dying of cancer and has a way to reverse it. In the end it shouldn’t be a question of whether we should or not de-regulate. It should be a question of how soon will the American government realize that human lives are at stake over this matter.