A Road of Controversy: Embryonic Stem Cell Research

As we begin to explore the different roads that we may take in life, we come upon several paths. The first pathway that we will begin to venture down is that of the natural sciences. Down this pathway exists many twists and turns, many roadblocks as well. Looking down this road, there are many controversies. There are no direct answers, no easy outs. You must search for what you think to be correct. If you choose to travel this pathway, you must make tough decisions and know what you believe. It will be rewarding, but you must be willing to accept this pathway - twists, turns, and all. Hopefully, this glimpse down the road of the natural sciences will give you a quick peak of what it could entail if you were to journey down it.

As mentioned, down the road of the natural sciences, there are lots of twists and turns, many controversies. One controversy you will encounter down this road is the debate of stem cell research. To catch you up to the level of those already on this road in life, there are two, no three, sides to this debate: those for stem cell research, those against it, and those who don’t know where they stand. For what we will be talking about, the stem cells we are concerned with are called embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells “come from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, the term for a fertilized egg four days after conception (Time).” Those against embryonic stem cell research see these cells as a life. They do not support them being used for research or “killing this life.” On the other side, there are those who see the possibilities that using embryonic stem cell research could bring. It would help cure diseases, and people see that as a logical reason for their use. Then, there are people who stand in the middle, not knowing what they believe. If you choose to venture down the road of the natural sciences, you have to choose, you must not stand in the middle (Time). The two articles that I will be presenting to you show two opposing sides in this debate. The first believes that not enough funding is being given to embryonic stem cell research, while the other wishes for it to be banned.

The first article* notes that within the past year, President Barrack Obama lifted the funding ban on embryonic stem cell research. However, this article also says Obama needs to take it a step further, for he did not lift the mandate coming from the Dickey-Wicker amendment, an amendment saying government money may not go to research in which embryos are created or destroyed. Though Obama has made it feasible for cell lines to be created from donated embryos, research is still limited due to the restrictions stemming from the Dickey-Wicker amendment. This author wants more to be done for there he believes that with more funding, more results may be found from experimentation (Nature).

A second, older article * presents congress people attempting to block stem cell research, with the author backing these protesters. Instead of pressing the President for more freedom concerning the use of embryos for stem cell research, this article illustrates a scene in which people are pressing the Secretary of Health and Human services to recall a decision that allowed research using human embryonic cells. These congress people are calling for the precedent to be returned (Wadman).

The first article utilizes logic in that an example of how the Dickey-Wicker amendment is being worked around. It shows that this amendment is merely making it harder for scientists, but that research will still go on regardless of whether this amendment is still law. It infers that with this amendment lifted, much more progress could be made quicker. On the other hand, the second article is based more off of personal belief. There is no justification or benefit from restricting the research on embryonic stem cells. The backing the second article lies upon ethical belief.

Down the road of the natural sciences, you will have to make a choice. What do you believe is right? What is your stand? You must be willing to answer these questions to venture down this road. Choosing a stance on embryonic stem cell research is just one hurdle you will come upon down this road. Get ready!

*in order to access these articles, a subscription to Nature is required