Table of contentsIntroductionArguments forArguments againstAssessmentConclusionIntroductionCurrently, in the world there are still a number of diseases for which there is no known cure yet. Type 1 diabetes, neurological diseases and the consequences of a stroke or heart attack are all examples of cases in which an organ has been partially destroyed or damaged and there is not yet a way to remedy this problem. Stem cell research has shown that stem cells have the ability to grow and specialize into many different cell types in the body. The definition of a stem cell is an “undifferentiated cell of a multicellular organism that has the capacity to give rise to several cells of the same type and to at least one specialized and differentiated cell type.” The two main sources of stem cells are from adult body tissues, called adult stem cells (ASC), and from blastocyst stage embryos, called embryonic stem cells (ESC) Daniel Murrell, M. (2018). ASCs are multipotent or unipotent, meaning they have a limited ability to differentiate into specialized cells. ESCs are known to be pluripotent or totipotent, meaning they have the ability to differentiate into any specialized cell. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Stem cell research dates back many years, with the first ever successful bone marrow transplant, which involved ASC , carried out in 1956. After extensive research, in 1998 a method was discovered that allowed scientists to take stem cells from human embryos and cultivate them in the laboratory. However, many stem cell transplants have been successfully performed in the past using ASC; there is still a lot of unknown information about the use of ESC. The understanding and theories already discovered through research have unlimited potential in the medical world. Although this is a very exciting prospect for scientists and anyone suffering from an incurable or degenerative disease, many technical problems remain. These include ensuring that the stem cells differentiate into the desired cell types, that the stem cells are not rejected by the recipient, that they do not cause any harm, and many other issues. Several studies performed on ESC have shown promising results regarding the ability of ESC to repair and improve myocardial function in models of heart disease. However, before this information can be transferred to a clinical setting, there is still a large amount of unknown or uncertain information that must be overcome by more intensive research. There is much controversy surrounding the use and research of ESC. The controversy surrounding ESC has led different countries to regulate ESC research in different ways. The most public objection to ESCs comes from the fact that ESCs are made from cells found in a blastocyst which is technically known as one of the earliest stages of human life. There is enormous controversy over how scientists obtain embryonic stem cells because they often come from a woman's fertilized egg, resulting from the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process (Mayo Clinic). The process of harvesting ESCs involves the destruction of the human embryo in a process called transfernuclear somatic cells. This creates a lot of controversy and debate around stem cells, as many people question the moral ethics involved in the research. Arguments for Many scientists and researchers are very excited about the endless amount of possibilities surrounding embryonic stem cells. The main reason for this enthusiasm lies in the medical benefits of regenerative medicine and the large number of diseases that could potentially be cured using these ESCs. Many diseases still exist today and are currently incurable, such as cancer, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other neurological diseases. There is now a good chance that a cure will be found for these diseases through the use of ESCs, which will be able to repair or replace damaged tissues. Research around embryonic stem cells is currently only done in the laboratory and much additional research is needed before they can be used in public health. However, many high-profile figures have publicly supported the use of stem cells to cure diseases. One example is Christopher Reeve, the actor who played Superman, who became quadriplegic after a horse-riding accident. Christopher Reeve has become an advocate for stem cell research to try to cure spinal cord injuries. Although he did not live long enough to see if stem cell research could help the paralyzed, he donated a lot of money and lobbied for scientists to continue their ESC research so they could possibly healing wounds such as his. While the Christian view states that "life begins and new souls exist upon conception", they also believe that it is acceptable to use stem cells as long as they have not been created solely for this purpose or if the embryos are destined to be destroyed anyway, why not use them so someone can benefit from their brief existence. This is called the "nothing is lost" principle, because discarded embryos will soon die anyway, so if they are used in research, something good may come of it. A view often considered extremist is that of the utilitarian belief. Their view is “the greatest good for the greatest number”. This means that they believe that the potential of embryonic stem cells to help so many people outweighs the destruction of human life. They argue that blastocytes are just a group of cells and therefore cannot be considered human life. The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is responsible for licensing and monitoring clinics that carry out in vitro fertilization (IVF) and research on human embryos. It is also responsible for regulating the storage of embryos. Scientists can only use stem cells that have not grown for more than 14 days and must be able to prove that the research cannot be done by any other method. This considers the research ethical in the eyes of some, because embryos cannot yet feel pain at this stage because the neural system is not developed. Leftover frozen embryos from IVF can only be used with the consent of the donors. Arguments Against The main reason many people disagree with ESC research is that it leads to the death of an embryo and this violates many religious and personal beliefs and views. Many people consider scientistsas having the ability to "play God" in the sense that they can create and destroy life as they please, which creates vast public ethics problems. A major public figure who made his views known was President George W. Bush, as he had very strong pro-life religious views. This led him to ban all funding for stem cell research in 2001; this ban was later lifted by President Barrack Obama. Another publicly discussed debate is whether to allow scientists to destroy human embryos for research purposes. The reason there is conflict in this area is that people think it is a slippery slope and wonder where the line would be between allowing these procedures and allowing the killing of human fetuses for harvest tissues or allow scientists to clone humans. There are also issues with the procedure of creating life in a petri dish, as this is also seen as another slippery slope that could lead to the cloning of humans. In 1997, a cloning technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer was used to clone a sheep, better known as Dolly the Sheep. This same technique is still used today, either for reproduction purposes or to produce embryonic cells for research. This causes great public concern about the possibility of cloning a human being. Many groups have deemed human cloning intolerable on ethical grounds. More than 30 countries have completely banned all forms of human cloning and 15 countries, such as the United Kingdom, have banned human reproductive cloning but allow research into therapeutic cloning. Many people oppose the use of ESC because they believe that there is much more potential in ASC and umbilical cord cells that is not yet known and should be researched much. further before moving on to using the ESC. Recent research has demonstrated that ASC has the potential to become the equivalent of an ESC. This research means that it may not even be necessary to create or destroy an embryo to obtain ESCs. These cells are called induced pluripotent stem cells, which are an alternative method of harvesting ESCs. The use of these induced pluripotent stem cells and other advances in stem cell technology are slowly changing people's attitudes toward ESC research. This is because these methods do not actually involve the destruction of an embryo and therefore eliminate the unethical side of the procedure. Although publicity of embryonic stem cell research in the media gives hope to many people with degenerative diseases, there is currently no real evidence that these ESCs will work in the human body. Research into ESC may actually just give sufferers a sense of false hope. This area of ​​biotechnology has made enormous promises but delivered virtually nothing. Very few studies using ESCs have been performed on humans and none of them have produced significant results. The media can often present ESC research in a biased manner in order to influence the public to support ESC research. There are actually many more medical advances and treatments using ASC and yet reports on the internet suggest that "ESC has the advantage over ASC in its ability to further differentiate." Statements such as this are publicly displayed despite the fact that ASC transplants have been used for many.