The Pros And Cons Of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

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Our world is entering the 21st century and with this change in the times, humanity faces many new dilemmas and problems that accompany science's advance, some more pertinent than others. Perhaps the most pressing, and promising, of these ethical conundrums is that of Embryonic Stem Cell Research. As Furcht and Hoffman so aptly worded it in their book The Stem Cell Dilemma, "...nothing today arouses such passion and controversy as stem cells" (Cover flap). In short, embryonic stem cells, hereafter denoted ESCs for brevity's sake, possess the potential to cure a broad range of diseases previously thought incurable or even untreatable. However, to obtain these miracle workers, researchers and medical practitioners must first crack open and kill a fertilized human egg to harvest them. On both sides of the argument, there are those who argue that the preservation of human life is at stake. The true question facing our nation, and the world for that matter, is whether or not to push forward with this research and fund it wholeheartedly or choose to censor it due to its questionable, if not damnable, ethicality. In order to correctly gauge the merits and shortcomings of each side, both arguments must be presented as fully and accurately as…show more content…
One such organization is the American Heart Association (AHA), which only supports adult stem cell research "based not on the relative merits of both types of research or the science and technology involved, but on concerns about..." how they would lose much support and funding if they pursued ESC research (Newton, 38). This lack of support for ESC research, not even taking into account its medical merits, demonstrates just how strongly people feel about the debate. Luckily, even though the national government might not fund ESC research, state entities and private agencies can make their own decisions and fund the research
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