Stem cells are the undifferentiated biological cells that can develop too many different cell types of the body during early life and growth. To our body, the stem cells are like an internal repair system. A stem cell divides and each new cell can remain An Argument in Favor of Stem Cell Research as an Alternative to Cure Diseases 28/1/ · Stem cell research is one of the most controversial topics of our day. As you think about writing a persuasive essay, consider the importance of this topic and how emotive it can be to discuss both the arguments for and against. Any embryonic stem cell research essay needs to carefully weigh up the pros and cons, as well as the ethics involved 3/11/ · egardless of the emotional issues and personal opinions regarding the use of embryonic stem cells in research, and eventually, in the cure of many diseases, stem cell research continues at an increasing rate. A search in PubMed reveals over 23, studies that mention stem cells or
Stem Cell Research Essays: Examples, Topics, Titles, & Outlines
Stem cell research is one of the important scientific and political issues of these modern times. The purpose of this sample essay, one of the many writing services offered essays on stem cell research Ultiusis to develop a historical and scientific overview of this selected issue.
The essay will begin with a general introduction to stem cell research. Then, it will discuss the scientific history of stem cell research as it has unfolded over the past several years; and after this, it will turn to a consideration of the political history of stem cell research. Finally, it will provide a summary reflection on contemporary debates and conflicts that are currently surrounding the issue of stem cell research. This type of document would likely be required in a mid-level English or science course where the focus is on general education over specialized study.
According to the American Medical Association:. Adult stem cells can actually be found in both adults and children. Their name comes from the fact that they can be harvested from mature tissue without causing harm to the person from whom they are harvested. Embryonic stem cells, on the other hand, can only be derived from embryos, and the harvesting process destroys the embryos.
From this basic introduction, it is already clear that embryonic stem cell research has far greater potential to be ethically problematic than adult stem cell research. However, embryonic stem cell research is also generally considered to have the greatest potential for delivering medical and scientific breakthroughs, due to the fact that they are even more flexible so to speak and undifferentiated than adult stem cells see Bongo and Richards.
From the medical perspective, stem cell research is viewed as very promising due to the fact that if stem cells can be introduced into patients with a range of illnesses, they could possible help regenerate the tissues and organs of the patients and essays on stem cell research help heal illnesses and especially degenerative illnesses that are currently incurable.
For example, Lovell-Badge has indicated that diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease are among the illnesses that could potentially be responsive to stem cell research Again, given that the potential of stem cell research is directly correlated with the plasticity of the stem cells in question, essays on stem cell research, it logically follows that there will be an increasing push by scientists to focus research on embryonic stem cells if at all possible, due to the fact that they have greater plasticity than adult stem essays on stem cell research and thus greater potential to contribute to medical breakthroughs.
The moral dimension of the issue, however, has generally led to limitations being imposed on the capacity of scientists to pursue embryonic stem cell research. The organization Science Progress has provided a good summary of some of the main events that have marked the scientific history of stem cell research. These include:. These events were important due to the fact that scientifically speaking, the isolation of stem cells from other elements within the body would be a prerequisite for conducting rigorous research on stem cells themselves.
From this point, human scientific history over the course of the last decade and a half has been characterized by progressive breakthroughs in stem cell technologies, including:. Clearly, the scientific progress over the past several years gives great cause for hope.
There has been a steady trend of scientists increasingly learning the secrets of stem cells and being able to apply their new knowledge to either research potential treatments or actually deliver effective treatments to human beings. Therefore, it could be suggested that anyone who has a real interest in seeing major medical breakthroughs happen which, presumably, would be almost everyone cannot afford to oppose the ongoing development of stem cell research per se.
What there clearly can be controversy over, though, is how exactly the research agenda ought to proceed, essays on stem cell research. In order to more effectively address this dimension of the issue presently under consideration, it may be a good idea to turn now essays on stem cell research the political history of essays on stem cell research cell research, or legislation that has surrounding the issue as it has developed over time.
One of the clearest points that emerges regarding the political history of stem cell research and bioengineering in generalis that there has been ongoing controversy over the extent to which the federal government should fund research, essays on stem cell research. This has proved to be a quite partisan issue.
For example, inBush issued an executive order that placed significant restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research; and inObama countermanded this order with an order of his own called "Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research involving Human Stem Cells" see Research America, essays on stem cell research.
This, of course, is tied to broader political conflicts regarding issues such as religion and abortion. If the federal government is to spend tax money on stem cell research, then this would likely contradict the values of many Americans, and especially conservative Americans, regarding the origins of human life. This is likely why the main legislative barriers against stem cell research have always focused on embryonic stem cell research.
Again, as has been noted above, essays on stem cell research, significantly greater ethical dilemmas inhere to research with embryonic stem cells than to research with adult stem cells.
A good example of such restrictions can be seen in the guidelines for stem cell research released by the National Institute of Health inwhich stipulated that:. Several important ethical points are exemplified by this statement, essays on stem cell research, including that embryonic stem cells must be derived using private and not public funds and that it still is not acceptable to create embryos simply for the sake of harvesting stem cells from them and destroying them in the process.
Over the course of the last several years, though, such regulations would seem to have become someone less salient both due to their relaxation under the Obama administration and to scientific innovations regarding adult stem cells, which have enabled scientists to somewhat circumvent the legislative debate surrounding embryonic stem cells.
This is because controversy over stem cell research generally tends to focus on the use of embryonic stem cells; but then, this leads to the more fundamental question of the legal, ethical, and metaphysical status essays on stem cell research the embryo.
In principle, if one grants that abortions are acceptable, then one must also grant that it is acceptable to create embryos specifically for the purpose of harvesting stem cells from them. To put it a little differently: insofar as an embryo is not understood as a living human being, there would be no reason for controversy to even arise regarding this matter. Of course, there is a significant number of Americans who believe that life begins at conception, and that the embryo is thus in fact metaphysically a living human being.
If this were the case, then the manufacture of embryos simply for the purpose of destroying them would be horrific, insofar the destruction of each embryo would then be morally and conceptually equivalent to murder.
If this paradigm is accepted, then whatever benefits could be produced by embryonic stem cell research would clearly be outweighed by unacceptability of the atrocities that would need to be committed in order to achieve those benefits. Clearly, this conflict ultimately surpasses the bounds of science itself and is grounded in the differing religions and broader worldviews of different groups of people within the nation.
As Robertson has written:. Stem cell science is thus drawn into the ongoing, highly divisive wars over abortion and the culture of life that have occupied a central stage in American law and politics over the last 30 years" Stem cell research is thus a highly partisan issue, and it is likely to remain that way over the foreseeable future.
Again, this is because the real points of contention that surround the issue surpass the scope of science or even reason more generally; they touch on people's fundamental beliefs about what it means to be human. For example:. Both positions would be cogent within the context essays on stem cell research their own assumptions; and it would be difficult if not impossible to rationally discredit either set of assumptions.
Need an essay arguing this point? Ultius can help! In addition, it is worth pointing out that even adult stem cell research is controversial, insofar as stem cell research in general has the potential to lead to human cloning. The basic point here would be that human beings are engaging with a dangerous power that may be intimately connected with the very origins of life itself. If there were no God, then there would naturally be no problem with human beings pushing their knowledge to the limits.
On the other hand, if one did believe in God, then it would be possible to argue that stem cell research is an attempt by humans to usurp His role. As with the morality of the destruction of embryos, this question can be expected to remain open for a quite long time.
In summary, this essay has provided a historical and scientific overview of the issue of stem cell research. It began with an introduction to the issue, proceeded to discuss the scientific and political history of the issue, and finally reflected on the current situation regarding the issue. One of the main points that has emerged here and throughout research paper writing on the subject is that although stem cell research clearly has a great deal of potential for catalyzing medical breakthroughs, the research agenda has been limited to at least some extent by legislative barriers based on moral concerns.
Given the nature of the issue at hand, these latter concerns clearly are not irrelevant. Moreover, it could even be suggested that without the barriers, certain recent scientific innovations such as those pertaining to adult stem cells may not have come about. In general, then, it is perhaps a good idea for stem cell research to proceed in the cautious and pragmatic way that it has thus far. American Medical Association.
Bongso, Ariff, and Mark Richards, essays on stem cell research. Lovell-Badge, Robin. Research America.
Robertson, John A. Science Progress. Wertz, D. Ultius, Inc. Ultius Blog, 02 Jan. Click here for more help with MLA citations. Sample Essay on Stem Cell Research: A Historical and Scientific Overview. Click here for more help with APA citations. January 02, Click here for more help with CMS citations. Click here for more help with Turabian citations. Ultius is the trusted provider of content solutions and matches customers with highly qualified writers for sample writing, academic editing, essays on stem cell research, and business writing.
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What are stem cells? - Craig A. Kohn
, time: 4:11Stem Cell Essay | Bartleby
Stem cells are the undifferentiated biological cells that can develop too many different cell types of the body during early life and growth. To our body, the stem cells are like an internal repair system. A stem cell divides and each new cell can remain An Argument in Favor of Stem Cell Research as an Alternative to Cure Diseases 28/1/ · Stem cell research is one of the most controversial topics of our day. As you think about writing a persuasive essay, consider the importance of this topic and how emotive it can be to discuss both the arguments for and against. Any embryonic stem cell research essay needs to carefully weigh up the pros and cons, as well as the ethics involved 3/11/ · egardless of the emotional issues and personal opinions regarding the use of embryonic stem cells in research, and eventually, in the cure of many diseases, stem cell research continues at an increasing rate. A search in PubMed reveals over 23, studies that mention stem cells or
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