Alison Geisler
English 11
Mrs. Gouker
1 December 2014
Stem Cells are the Seeds of the Tree of Life In 2013, in the United States, 49 percent of Americans thought abortion was morally wrong, yet only 22 percent of Americans thought embryonic stem cell research was morally wrong. As a Catholic, one is told to not believe in abortion, but only 45 percent of Catholics are pro-life; the other 55 percent think abortion should be legal under certain circumstances (“Abortion viewed” n.pag). Every day, there are approximately 3,300 abortions (Abortion Statistics n.pag). October is national Respect Life Month, especially in the Catholic Church. Fortunately, one does not have to have an abortion to obtain stem cells. There is the ability to obtain stem …show more content…
If one is unable to find a direct match, a scientist is able to grow the stem cells and infuse them into the specific location. There they can still grow and cure what is wrong. There are also three different types of specialized and unspecialized stem cells: embryonic, adult, and perinatal. Embryonic stem cells are between the ages of three to five days old; these cells are called blastocysts. They obtain 150 cells that can become any type of stem cell for the body. Adult stem cells are contained in adult tissues such as bone marrow and fat. These cells have a limited ability since they are already specialized stem cells. Lastly, perinatal stem cells are contained in amniotic fluid or umbilical cord blood. This specific type of stem cell can change into specialized stem cells like any other unspecialized stem cell (Harens 14). When narrowing down the type of stem cells, these five criteria are the basics. Every type of stem cell fits into one of the five categories and just about any type of stem cells can be used in order to repair damaged parts of the body or cure a deadly …show more content…
One of the most famous controversies was in 2001 when President George W. Bush stopped allowing researchers to use federal funds. This controversy was phrased by author Andy Coghlan: US President George W. Bush limits federal funding of research on human embryonic stem cells because a human embryo is destroyed in the process. But Bush does allow contended research on human embryonic stem cells lines that were created before the restrictions were announced. (Coghlan n.pag)
These limits halted all research and disallowed continuation of further research to come up with more cures. Barack Obama lifted these restrictions in 2009, but federal funding was still restricted. Once these restrictions were lifted, the National Institute of Health released their own guidelines in 2009. These included defining stem cells, how they are able to be used in research, and ways for donation (“Stem Cell Transplant” n.pag). These guidelines are still in effect today. Despite this, people who are pro-life are unhappy about the fact that the research is able to be continued. Even with all this progress, there is still an ethical
English 11
Mrs. Gouker
1 December 2014
Stem Cells are the Seeds of the Tree of Life In 2013, in the United States, 49 percent of Americans thought abortion was morally wrong, yet only 22 percent of Americans thought embryonic stem cell research was morally wrong. As a Catholic, one is told to not believe in abortion, but only 45 percent of Catholics are pro-life; the other 55 percent think abortion should be legal under certain circumstances (“Abortion viewed” n.pag). Every day, there are approximately 3,300 abortions (Abortion Statistics n.pag). October is national Respect Life Month, especially in the Catholic Church. Fortunately, one does not have to have an abortion to obtain stem cells. There is the ability to obtain stem …show more content…
If one is unable to find a direct match, a scientist is able to grow the stem cells and infuse them into the specific location. There they can still grow and cure what is wrong. There are also three different types of specialized and unspecialized stem cells: embryonic, adult, and perinatal. Embryonic stem cells are between the ages of three to five days old; these cells are called blastocysts. They obtain 150 cells that can become any type of stem cell for the body. Adult stem cells are contained in adult tissues such as bone marrow and fat. These cells have a limited ability since they are already specialized stem cells. Lastly, perinatal stem cells are contained in amniotic fluid or umbilical cord blood. This specific type of stem cell can change into specialized stem cells like any other unspecialized stem cell (Harens 14). When narrowing down the type of stem cells, these five criteria are the basics. Every type of stem cell fits into one of the five categories and just about any type of stem cells can be used in order to repair damaged parts of the body or cure a deadly …show more content…
One of the most famous controversies was in 2001 when President George W. Bush stopped allowing researchers to use federal funds. This controversy was phrased by author Andy Coghlan: US President George W. Bush limits federal funding of research on human embryonic stem cells because a human embryo is destroyed in the process. But Bush does allow contended research on human embryonic stem cells lines that were created before the restrictions were announced. (Coghlan n.pag)
These limits halted all research and disallowed continuation of further research to come up with more cures. Barack Obama lifted these restrictions in 2009, but federal funding was still restricted. Once these restrictions were lifted, the National Institute of Health released their own guidelines in 2009. These included defining stem cells, how they are able to be used in research, and ways for donation (“Stem Cell Transplant” n.pag). These guidelines are still in effect today. Despite this, people who are pro-life are unhappy about the fact that the research is able to be continued. Even with all this progress, there is still an ethical