Draft #1 Argumentative Essay

Yanna Sanchez

Ms. Nargiza Matyakuboya

English 21003. Section M

3 October, 2017

Draft #1 Argumentative Essay

Censorship in Science?

The Controversy on Embryonic Cell Research

Abstract

            The study of stem cell research broaden biological scientific knowledge.  Researchers have many advances towards curing what was once believed to be uncurable diseases in studying embryonic research.  This research would benefit every one, for the creation of new drugs, methods, and knowledge.  However, embryonic stem cells are derived from fertilized eggs bringing up many moral and ethical issues to many individuals.  In 2004, the embryonic stem cell research was explored and debated amongst the Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space and the United States Senate.  This hearing ended with scientist being able to continue to explore research the limitless knowledge being discovered in stem cell research the potential benefits.  In 2010, however another hearing was conducted to increase government funds to continue the research.

            The possibilities embryonic stem cell research offers are endless.  Researchers believe that this research will shed light on basic understanding of diseases, disorders, and can even aid in correcting injuries sustained from accidents.  Huntington’s disease, a late-onset neurodegenerative disease, is believed to be curable with further research into embryonic stem cell research.  This research may also be responsible for the treatment of Fragile X syndrome, a developmental disability, and Rett syndrome, a debilitating brain disorder.  This controversy of embryonic stem cell research involved several other controversies that are still debatable and involve subjective stances on the matters.  The controversy of where does life begin? Is brought up in the discussion.  The other controversy brought up is the acceptance of cloning of embryos.  There are many individuals who believe this research goes again ethical and religious views on how far is the field willing to push boundaries to better humankind.  Therefore, the benefits of embryonic stem cell research are found to have great importance to futuristic biological knowledge, medical advances, and providing people with hope.

            Embryonic Stem Cell research will be able to deepen knowledge on basic fundamentals of life.  Francis S. Collins the Director of National Institute of Health in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services states that the research being conducted allows for the understanding of the molecular pathways and the development of diseases (8).  This deep understanding well be able to allow researchers to develop and create methods that will treat and cure diseases and disorders, and in turn will provide the benefiting individuals with a better quality of life.  The researchers have been using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), which were created on the information gathered from embryonic stem cells.  However, the study on the iPS stem cells still lack the information the embryonic cells provide.  The creation of the cells has led to a clinical benefit in avoiding transplant rejection, since they can be derived directly from the patient (Collins, 8).  However, the comparisons between the iPS cells and the embryonic cells continue to hold much differences, and researchers are still unsure if the differences will make a difference in a clinical setting is still unknown.  Thus, to truly know more the potential embryonic stem cells have on the molecular level are yet unknown, and must be researched further.

            Embryonic Stem Cell research also provides many advances in regenerative medicine.  Embryonic Stem Cells are pluripotent cells, which means that they can become any cell in the human body, and they are self- renewing so they can reproduce endlessly (Collins 7).  This fact, enables researchers to share the cells with other researchers in other facilities to conduct their own research.  This study is said to generate spinal cord cells, which means that individuals who have suffered a traumatic accident and have severed their spinal and are paralyzed can be treated, and maybe even cured.  In the figure Human Embryonic Stem Cells, we see how the pluripotent cells can literally be created into the following: neurons the method of communication between the brain and the rest of the body, pancreatic cells that can potentially allow a pancreas to produce healthy tissue, bone cells, and heart cells.  Therefore, it is evident that research on human embryonic cells is very important.

Figure 1 Human Embryonic Stem Cell Courtesy of Francis S. Collins Director of NIH Department of Health and Human Services p.17

                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                 

            Another important aspect of embryonic stem cells, is that this research and findings give people hope to a better future.  Francis Collins brings this letter to the hearing held with the Senate in 2010:

I have held my breath with hope that my sons would benefit from the early stem cell research.  I watched as American scientists and science fell further behind on the global scene during the past decade.  In 2009, I had such hope that once again our medical schools and universities would begin to attract the best and brightest young minds to work in this exciting and promising area of research.

This week’s news was devastating to me.  I had no idea how strongly I would be affected by it.  Your message of support for the research once again gives me hope, hope that there will be change, hope that we will see effective treatments in our lifetimes for these devastating diseases.

This was a letter written by a mother whose sons suffer from type 1 diabetes, while she suffers from Parkinson’s disease, a central nervous system disorder that affect movement and with time will worsen.  Both of these diseases can potentially be cured if proper research were dedicated to the research of Embryonic Stem Cells.

            However, because of the nature in which the embryonic cells are created many individuals feel that it is important to consider the ethical issues behind human embryo research.  In the Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Exploring the Controversy Richard M. Doerlflinger Deputy Director, Secretariat for Pro- Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, states “human life and dignity must not be trampled on in the pursuit of medical knowledge useful to others” (11).  He claims that the progress of medicine while destroying a human is inhuman, creating a paradox being involved in the issue.  Dr. Laurie Zoloth states that no one can really determine “when life begins” because it is not a fixed biological question.  Therefore, the claim against the research is misplaced and to actually answer this question further research on embryo would need to be conducted.

            Many individuals also claim that this research goes again moral rights.  Doerlflinger claims that regardless to what scientist impose the embryo’s to be life begins with that one celled zygote, a fertilized egg.  However, Dr. Zoloth states that morally people with all back grounds and beliefs believe that it is “morally imperative” that research is conducted to use blastocysts, a further developed embryo, to create the stem cell lines that enable the researched to “save lives” (7). 

            People also state that the Embryonic Stem Cell Research is also a “slippery ethical slop” in other controversies.  Richard claims that allowing institutions to conduct such research opens the door to even more ethical controversies surrounding the concept of cloning and destroying embryos.  However, Dr. Daley states in “Embryonic Stem-Cell Research”, in The New England Journal of Medicine, that stem cells provide unique opportunities for science and medicine, enabling researchers to investigate basic mechanisms of human development.  This is way this is also a political issue in regards to how legislation should handle these unprecedented informations.

            Therefore, Embryonic Stem Cell testing is important to the further advancement medical research to better the lives of millions of people, to the deeper understanding of many diseases, and disorders, this research is also important to providing people with hope to a better tomorrow.  Based on benefits of embryonic stem cell research and the reasons why this is our best option towards better medicine, methods, and treatments there should be unrestricted limits to the research being conducted that can ultimately change everyones lives. 

Works Cited

"Citizens weigh in." Nature, vol. 502, no. 7473, 2013, p. 598. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=cuny_ccny&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA350978145&it=r&asid=b9b467d7a90e9d48951a1c1272b09911. Accessed 29 Sept. 2017.

“Embryonic Stem-Cell Research.” The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 351, no. 17, 2004, pp. 1797–1798.

June, Patricia L. “Embryonic Stem Cell Research. (Letters to the Editor).(Letter to the Editor).” Pediatrics, vol. 109, no. 5, 2002, pp. 990–1.

Kondro, Wayne. “Court Upholds Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research.” CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal, vol. 184, no. 14, 2012, pp. E749–E750.

Moon, Seongwuk, and Seong Beom Cho. "Differential impact of science policy on subfields of human embryonic stem cell research." PLoS ONE, vol. 9, no. 4, 2014. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=cuny_ccny&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA375582401&asid=3e3fd7fc714c691e51180e7e71faeb43. Accessed 29 Sept. 2017.

"Stem-cell finale." Nature, vol. 493, no. 7431, 2013, p. 138. Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=cuny_ccny&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA314651836&it=r&asid=eddfb3cbacdd6d40da894d527adefdb8. Accessed 29 Sept. 2017.

United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health Human Services, Education, Related Agencies. The Promise of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Hearing before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, Second Session, Special Hearing, September 16, 2010, Washington, DC. Washington, U.S. G.P.O., 2011.

United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science, Transportation. Subcommittee on Science, Technology, Space, author. Embryonic Stem Cell Research : Exploring the Controversy : Hearing before the Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, One Hundred Eighth Congress, Second Session, September 29, 2004. 2013.