Legalization of Stem Cell Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legalization of Stem Cell Research - Essay Example In the search for answers for diseases and conditions that are devastating people who would otherwise be thriving and active members of society, the research that is being done on stem cells is invaluable and must continue unhampered by laws based on unfounded suppositions. Robert Pederson, a top embryo scientist whose work had created innovations in discovery concerning embryonic research, left the University of California in order to take a position at the University of Cambridge in England as a result of a lack of support and funding for his research. Federal restrictions instituted under George W. Bush restrained the ability of scientists to further research on stem cells from embryonic resources. The isolation of these cells was found independently in November of 1998 both from research teams at John Hopkins University and from the University of Wisconsin. This discovery allowed for the advancement in knowledge in how a single cell could divide and create separate organs and tissue during fetal development (Paarlberg 45). However, due to a lack of basic understanding in the reproductive value of embryos, restrictions were placed on the research under the guise of the debate of the sanctity of life. The information that seems to be overlooked is that the embryos that are used in stem cell research were never going to be transferred into the womb (Magnus 35). Furthermore, throughout a woman’s lifetime there may be dozens of fertilized eggs that never implant and are naturally sloughed away. This means that embryos are not more than organic matter that is used or not used at the whim of nature. Fertilized embryos from a lab are much the same. They are disposed of if not implanted. Therefore, research using these disposed of cells can create valuable tools for cures of diseases like Parkinson’s, for regeneration of nerve and tissue, and for the development of powerful cancer fighting treatments. The central argument of