Stem Cells are they ethical? The use of stem cells has a lot of potential, whether used to cure otherwise incurable diseases like Parkinson 's disease, Alzheimer 's disease, diabetes, or a spinal cord injury. Stem cells can also be used to create new organs to save thousands of lives every year for the people that need an organ transplant. Like all things though there are some downfalls. In order to obtain these critical stem cells, it involves the destruction of human embryos. In turn, it worries many people as they believe it will begin “dehumanization practices” like using fetuses for extra body parts, almost like how a car company makes replacement parts for their vehicles for when parts break. Another example is the use of embryo farms,
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These very special cells can be distinguished from other types of cells because of two very important characteristics that only they have. Firstly, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division, but only sometimes when the cells are inactive. Second, under certain conditions, they can be changed to become specific organs, like a heart or lung, which can be used to save thousands of lives each year. There are three types of stem cells embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells, which induced pluripotent stem cells are adult stem cells reprogrammed back into embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells can become any cell type found in the body because they are pluripotent, which can develop into any type of cell (New York State). Adult stem cells are limited though to developing back into cells where they are originally came from like if an adult stem cell was pulled from a muscle cell it can only develop into a muscle cell again. Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the amazing possibility of a source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis that can always be replaced! (The New England Journal of
These very special cells can be distinguished from other types of cells because of two very important characteristics that only they have. Firstly, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division, but only sometimes when the cells are inactive. Second, under certain conditions, they can be changed to become specific organs, like a heart or lung, which can be used to save thousands of lives each year. There are three types of stem cells embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells, which induced pluripotent stem cells are adult stem cells reprogrammed back into embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells can become any cell type found in the body because they are pluripotent, which can develop into any type of cell (New York State). Adult stem cells are limited though to developing back into cells where they are originally came from like if an adult stem cell was pulled from a muscle cell it can only develop into a muscle cell again. Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the amazing possibility of a source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis that can always be replaced! (The New England Journal of