Death to the Old or Death to the Young? Essay -- Science Cloning DNA P

Death to the Old or Death to the Young? Since Dolly the cloned sheep was born on February 24, 1997, stem cell research in the United States has been a widely debated topic, especially after President Bush’s August 9, 2001 speech, allowing federal funding for limited stem cell research. Stem cells, obtained from an embryo, are cells that have not developed to the stage in which they are specified. Thus, a stem cell can develop into any type of cell in the adult human body. In the process of obtaining stem cells from week-old embryos, the embryos are destroyed. Many scientists believe that stem cell research holds the key to finding cures for diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. The issue is complicated by the fact that there are several different ways to obtain stem cells for research purposes and there are several pros and cons for each of these methods. There are four ways of obtaining stem cells, which are taken from week-old embryos, including: using unwanted embryos from fertility clinics, embryos from aborted fetuses, cloned embryos, and/or embryos created for research purposes. Stem cells can also be taken out of adult bone marrow, but scientists do not think that adult stem cells hold as much medical potential. Conservatives are against federal funding for stem cell research because they feel through this funding the government would be contributing to â€Å"murder.† This idea is rooted in religious beliefs, which include the belief that life begins at conception, therefore an embryo is a human being. However, liberals support federal funding for research using embryos because they question whether embryos are full human beings and bel ieve the research could expedite potential... ... Online. Infotrac Expanded Academic. 3. Kinsley, Michael. â€Å"Michael Kinsley: Reason, Faith, and Stem Cells the Government’s New Research; Rules are an Attempt to Reconcile the Irreconcilable.† Editorial. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 1, 2000: 3. Online. Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe. 4. Novak, Michael. â€Å"An Embryonic Religious Conservative.† The National Review. 16 July 2001. http://www.nationalreview.com/contributors/novakprint071601.html 5. Pollitt, Katha. â€Å"Baby It’s Cold Inside!† The Nation. August 20,2001: 4. Online. Infotrac Expanded Academic. 6. â€Å"Stem-cell Research: Drawing the Line.† Editorial. The Lancet. July, 21,2001: 3. Online. Infotrac Expanded Academic. 7. Weigel, George. â€Å"Stem Cells and the Logic of the Nazis.† Editorial. Los Angeles Times. September 3, 2000. Online. Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe.