Below, I have copied a paper that I wrote while taking an online college class. It represents my views on Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Please leave a comment representing your thoughts on this topic.

 

                                        Medical Terrorism

The live media coverage of that day was not only graphic, but also horrific. The thick, suffocating smoke that billowed out from the structure left people in shock. Before officials could determine exactly what had caused the destruction, America and the world witnessed a second aircraft slam into the twin of the burning tower. The following minutes revealed to television viewers that the loss of innocent human life would be enormous. The smoldering heat and smoke must have become too much for many as they jumped from windows high above the ground. Inevitably, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center would collapse, and nearly 3000 innocent lives would be taken due to the violent acts of September 11, 2001.

            America has labeled the perpetrators of that day as terrorists. The ideology of the terrorists moved them to commit these acts against innocent civilians and resulted in this huge loss of life. Today, people in America exist with similar ideologies as the terrorists. When someone has the idea that destroying innocent lives is all right, in order to improve the lives of others, what would make that person differ from a terrorist? The answer is nothing. Today, however, innocent lives are being taken in order to attempt to improve and prolong the lives of others through medical research. Although medical research is a key component in our continued battle with disease, researching should never result in the death of a human life.

            According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (2006), scientists are interested in human embryonic stem cells because of the cells’ anticipated ability to treat disease. The NIH (2006) states that the human embryos, in which these cells are extracted, are four to five days old. At this stage of development, the embryos are a mass of cells named the blastocyst (NIH, 2006). The issue that rises with human embryonic stem cell research is the fact that the human embryos are killed when the stem cells are extracted. An article by The Lancet confirms that in one instance scientists experimented on 16 human embryos, and although initially the embryos were thought to have survived, the fact is that all 16 human embryos were killed (2006). For each day that human embryonic stem cell research persists, the death toll on innocent lives continues to grow.

            The fact that the human embryos being used for research are only a mass of cells a few days old may cause many to believe that no life is lost when an embryo is destroyed. If people are under the assumption that life is not lost when an embryo is eliminated, then it makes perfect sense that stem cells from human embryos should be used in treating disease.However, logical and legal evidence exists which proves that human embryos being used for research should be considered living humans.

            On March 5, 2006, the CBS news program, 60 Minutes, aired a story about a man named Marc Emery, also known as the “Prince of Pot” (Olian, 2006). Although Marc resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, he is wanted in the United States by the Drug Enforcement Administration (Olian, 2006). Over the past 10 years, Marc has sold around $15 million of marijuana to people in America (Olian, 2006). According to the story, he is the largest supplier of marijuana to the United States from Canada, and is near the top of the list of wanted drug dealers in America (Olian, 2006). The interesting twist to this story is that Marc Emery is not selling actual marijuana as people might think it to be. He has been selling marijuana seeds (Olian, 2006). Yes, it is against the law to sell marijuana seeds. Obviously, this law is enforced, because, simply put, marijuana seeds can eventually grow into marijuana. If there were a chance that marijuana seeds could grow into an apple tree or a tomato plant, there probably would not be a law against selling marijuana seeds. However, these seeds have a distinct purpose, which is to grow into a plant that is illegal. Therefore, it is illegal to sell the seeds.

            Human embryos also have a distinct purpose. Their purpose is not to grow into anything other than human. These masses of cells are similar to a seed that will eventuallygrow arms,legs, vital organs, thoughts, and all in human form. If it were possible for human embryos to develop into something other than humans, then there would be room for debate. Laws clearly make it wrong to sell a seed that grows into something that is illegal to sell. Shouldn’t it also be wrong to kill a seed that grows into something that is illegal to kill? When an embryo is destroyed, more than a mass of cells is lost; a human life is lost.

            If human embryos are not considered humans then why are they given legal human rights? They are given rights because they are humans. Under the Unborn Victims of Violence Act,

            ...federal law makes it a separate federal offense to bring about the death or bodily injury           of a “child in utero” while committing certain crimes, and recognizes everything from             zygote to a fetus as an independent “victim” with legal rights distinct from the woman       who has been harmed. (Minkoff, H. & Paltrow, L. M., 2006, p.26)

Twenty-four state governments also have laws that state the fetus is an individual person and an independent charge is brought against the criminal if the unborn child is killed (Vestal & Wilkerson, 2006).

            The embryos being destroyed in the process of medical research are within the developmental stages that federal and state laws protect. There is no difference between human embryos that are given legal rights when murdered by a criminal while inside the mother’s womb and embryos that are killed for medical research. Embryos are embryos no matter where they reside and if “ordinary” embryos are given legal rights then all human embryos should be given the same legal rights. If human embryos are not living humans then how can someone be convicted of a crime for killing something that is not alive? Life does exist in the mass of cells that scientists are destroying for research.     

            Stem cells can be derived from other methods that do not involve human embryos. Liu quotes, “…a rich and largely unappreciated source of stem cells, umbilical cord blood, has been used to treat more than 75 conditions including cancers, immunodeficiencies, inborn errors of metabolism, bone marrow failure syndromes, heart disease, and some autoimmune conditions” (2006, p. 2128). Not only are these types of stem cells useful in treating disease, but there is no chance of harming the contributor of the cells (Liu, 2006). Stem cells can also be successfully derived from adult tissue and used for treatment. The fact is that lives are being destroyed through the research of human embryonic stem cells although other successful and safe methods of researching stem cells are available.

            Although the motivation behind the research of human embryonic stem cells is positive, life is being eliminated in the process. If, as a nation, we allow the killing of innocent life in order to create better lives for ourselves, what makes us different from terrorists who also kill innocent people in order to make what they believe will be a better life for themselves? The ideology of taking life in order to preserve life can not exist in a nation whose foundation lies on the statement written in The Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal”.

  

References

Liu, I., M.D., M.P.H. (2006). Stem cells and the family physician. American Family Physician

 

            73(12), 2128. Retrieved September 21, 2006, from EBSCOhost database.

 

Minkoff, H. & Paltrow, L.M. (2006). The rights of “unborn children” and the value of   

 

            pregnant women. HastingsCenter Report, 36(2), 26-28. Retrieved September 17, 2006,

 

            from EBSCOhost database.

 

Olian, C. (2006). The prince of pot. Retrieved October 18, 2006, from the 60 Minutes Web site :  

 

            http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/02/60minutes/main1363340.shtml

 

Stem Cell Information (2006). Stem cell basics. Retrieved September 17, 2006, from the

 

            National Institutes of Health Web site: http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/

 

The Lancet (2006). Stem-cell “breakthrough”: much heat, little light. The Lancet, 368(9538),

 

            816. Retrieved September 17, 2006, from EBSCOhost database.

 

Vestal, C. & Wilkerson, E. (2006). States expand fetal homicide laws. Retrieved October 1,

 

            2006,   From http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=135873