Each year, 12.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer, another 7.6 million will die of cancer. Now imagine a cell that has the potential to change the world of medical treatment completely-- a single cell that has the ability of saving and restoring countless lives. Embryonic stem cell (ESC) research is a highly debated topic, which numerous people view as unethical due to the way some critics believe these cells are obtained; others view ESC research as the next step in medical advancement (Neal 1). What are embryonic stem cells? As their name suggests, ESCs come from a fertilized embryo. What makes these cells special is that they have the ability to mature into any cell that is found in the human body. ESC research should be supported for the reason that stem cells can potentially help treat a range of medical problems, stem cells can replace or repair damaged organs, and more importantly the means in which ESC cells are obtained is done ethically.
Before introducing the reasons why ESC research should be continued and supported, the history of stem cells needs to be explained. Stem cells were introduced to the medical community in 1998 when a group of scientist led by James Thomas at the University of Wisconsin- Madison developed a technique to isolate and grow ESCs in cell culture. After this discover ESC research spread around the world; however, it caused the ethical debate because his team derived the …show more content…
With the recent political moves made by President Obama allowing federal funding to further research, the benefits are too excessive to stop the research and the number of live that can be saved cannot be overlooked. The debate on whether the cells are obtained ethically will always be a problem, but the methods that the researchers use are ethical. Embryonic stem cell research is the way of the future, and its research is here to change our lives and benefit all of
Before introducing the reasons why ESC research should be continued and supported, the history of stem cells needs to be explained. Stem cells were introduced to the medical community in 1998 when a group of scientist led by James Thomas at the University of Wisconsin- Madison developed a technique to isolate and grow ESCs in cell culture. After this discover ESC research spread around the world; however, it caused the ethical debate because his team derived the …show more content…
With the recent political moves made by President Obama allowing federal funding to further research, the benefits are too excessive to stop the research and the number of live that can be saved cannot be overlooked. The debate on whether the cells are obtained ethically will always be a problem, but the methods that the researchers use are ethical. Embryonic stem cell research is the way of the future, and its research is here to change our lives and benefit all of