Recently there has been a large debate about stem-cell research. Is stem cell research immoral and unethical? Is stem cell research pro-life or is it considered abortion? People have even gone to the extremes in asking is stem-cell research murder? But the most important question that has been surfaces is should Federal money be appropriated for stem-cell research.
Let's start with the basics. What is stem-cell research? By encyclopedia definition, stem-cell research is: unspecialized human or animal cells that can produce specialized body cells and at the same time replicate themselves. Embryonic stem cells are derived from a very young embryo that contains 200-250 cells. Stem-cells can also come from adults from the umbilical cord and placenta or from blood, bone marrow, skin, and other tissues. These cells are used to cure many diseases.
There are two sides to this debate. One side is that stem-cell research is moral and beneficial to the medical world as well as the general population. People from this side of the debate argue that the embryos used for stem-cell research are frozen in laboratories. Some will not exist very long being frozen and some will be destroyed. So why not use them for something beneficial, like curing Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease? All the medical field needs is Federal funds. Proponents of stem-cell research assert that failing to fund this could harm the millions of people who might benefit from it.
But in every debate, there has to be an opposing side. This side is mainly supported by the "Prolifers." They believe that embryos are denied there right to life when destroyed after the cells are harvested. These are defenseless human beings here, and support should not be given for the destruction of them just to possibly benefit others. This is the position I am taking. Federal funds should not be provided for stem-cell research because a human embryo must be developed and destroyed.