This should be in the D&D. Are you talking about Adult stem cell research, or embryonic stem cell research. Most people don't realize there is two different types. Most of our stem cell advances have come from adult stem cells (taken from adults and is rarely debated). Embryonic Stem Cells have yielded very few results so far and is what is highly debated - although you can argue that the few results are an effect of embryonic stem cells not being as widely used as adult stem cells. Even if you are talking solely about embryonic stem cells (which is what your probably thinking of), its still not an easy yes or no answer.. Some people are against all embryonic stem cell research. Some are ONLY against creating human embryos specifically for stem cell research, but are fine with using embryos from fertility clinics. Some are for all embryonic stem cell research. Me - I'm against creating human embryos for stem cell research..but I'm okay with using the left-over embryos from fertility clinics. (there are almost 1/2 million each year) - so my answer is Yes and No.
If you don't mind me asking, why are you against creating human embryos for stem cell research? I'm just curious as to the reason, I'm trying to learn.
Stem cells are a natural part of human physiology. This poll is like saying, "Are you for or against red blood cells?" ... Now, what you're probably trying to ask is, "Are you for or against stem cell research?" ...but guess what? Even THAT question is too broad Stem cells can be collected from ubilical chords of newborn babies. And stem cells can now be created and replicated from skin cells. So... really, what you probably mean to ask is, "Are you for or against stem cell research that being conducted using cells from baby fetuses?"
I don't believe we should be creating life for the purpose of destroying it. There are plenty of ways to collect embryonic stem cells without this technique (umbilical cords, fertility clinic embryos, etc) and we're learning more and more ways all the time (reprogramming skin cells). I don't believe we should be "playing God" with life - for the same reason, I don't believe in the Death Penalty or Abortion (except in the case of rape, incest, or major health dangers - which accounts for a total of 6% of abortions).
Here we go with the religious freaks. This will someday save a lot of people's life so please just shut up. People like you are the reason why we are like 50 yrs behind in science and health.
there is no need to call people names - have just a little respect please you know absolutely NOTHING about me to make such a rude and hasty comment. If you read my entire post above, you would have seen that I am FOR stem cell research using embryos from fertility clinics (there are almost 1/2 million of them a year to choose from) - and I'm FOR all adult stem cell research (which is where we've gotten most of our medical advances using stem cells anyway) - Way to go with the Generalizations pal.
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kUwnMX8ht3U?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kUwnMX8ht3U?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> Sam Harris for President.
Adult stem cell research appears to be becoming so sophisticated as to make embryonic stem cells practically unnecessary. I am completely in favor of stem cell research, but even if I wasn't, it would make no difference because the demand for and potential in stem cell therapies is so great that research is only going to accelerate. When stories are coming out that German doctors believe they may have inadvertently cured a patient's HIV using stem cell therapy, you'd better believe there is going to be an explosion of investment into new research and development. Most treatments being developed don't even use embryonic stem cells-- the controversy is still too radioactive to approach. Treatments using progenitor cells, adult stem cells, and reprogrammed cells may well be the signature achievement of the 21st Century.
agreed - any debate will be moot in a few years - especially with the concept of reprogrammed cells which will render using embryonic stem cells unnecessary anyway. Till then, we have almost 1/2 million embryos from fertility clinics we could use each year if people would just allow it.
I don't think we should play "God" with life either. It has nothing to do with religion. I don't care what a person holding a religious book does, I care about what a person with REAL genetical power in his hands is doing. Its about the questions of WHO decides what stays and what goes with the body? In order to decide what stem cells get applied to, don't you have to have a model of what the body SHOULD be? How much life do you let "evolve" on its own, and how much do you design? I am for stem cell research. The rewards outweigh the risks but I just don't trust people lol.
