Stem cells are considered master cells with the ability to divide for indefinite periods in cultures and can be manipulated and transformed into any type of cell in the The most common use would be the generation of cells and tissues that could beused to either create organs or tissues to be used in transplantation and to treat manydiseases and disabilities. There is a great difference of opinion surrounding stem cellresearch; conservatives and pro-choice activists are highly against further research, but thetremendous advances in health care and President Bushs recent decision to fund moreresearch, have made the future of stem cells seem much more promising. In every ground breaking scientific topic there seems to be controversy, and stemcells are no exception. Stem cell research is so controversial because the best source ofstem cells are derived from human fetal tissue. Removing the stem cells destroys theembryo, which leads many people to believe this process to be immoral. One advantage ofusing stem cells found in embryos is their ability to transform themselves into almost everytype of cell in the body. There are also not enough adult stem cells to allow for therapeuticapplications, like transplants to regenerate tissues or organs that were damaged by disease.Adult stem cells are rare and are many times hard to identify, isolate, and purify. However,stem cells found in the embryo can be generated in large quantities in the laboratory. Manypeople argue that human embryos should not be the subjects of stem cell research thatwould benefit anyone other than the embryos themselves. Embryos are still human beingsand just because they are immature human beings does not give anyone the right todestroy them for research. Even if the embryos were going to die anyway, there is still nojustification in killing them to improve the lives of others. Therefore many people say thatembryonic stem cell research is unconscionable.Even though many p...
