Why appose Stem-Cell research?

Question

The thing is embryonic stem cell research has the potential to cure many dbilitating diseases. However, many people oppose it because it destroys human embryos. Thousands of these embryos are disposed of, wasted and killed every day when they could be used to change some poor persons life. It seems like a very cruel thing to do, to me its akin to a vegetarian standing in front of a starving man and throwing out slabs of meat rather than feed him because it is against their beliefs. Please rethink this, you are condemning people to a life of suffering so you can protect something that is going to die anyway. All I want to know is: Why?

potential? means there is no sure thing they will do anything- while leaps and bounds are going on with ADULT stem cells... why kill lives for a maybe long shot

I knew this would come up. Adult stemcell lines are limited and contaminated. Embryonic stem cells, on the other hand, can replenish themselves into different tyes much more effectively.

First of all there is NO established Medical report that states "Stem-Cell cures this or that"

My uncle is the president of a company that researches embryonic stem cells. At a convention I met a person who had once been in a wheelchair who had been cured using embryonic stemcells. Some have also been cured at a lab in northern California.

Answer 1

I love your words about this: "a vegetarian standing in front of a starving man and throwing out slabs of meat rather than feed him because it is against their beliefs." It is so true. I have diabetes, and am insulin dependant. I try very hard to take care of myself for the sake of my child. I think later in my life I may not have some extremities, or a lot of problems inside my body. I'm doing everything I can to help my son and myself, and the people I love. It would be so wonderful if I could cure this horrible disease.

On another note, they are opposing it, even though the cells are disposed of anyway, out of power. POWER. That's all it's about. Once they get their slithery hands in one piece, they snatch for other pieces.

Answer 2

The report that stem cells can cure diseases is, in my opinion, not accurate. Research has been done for many years and nothing has been cured, nor is there any hope on the horizon for anything to be cured by use of stem cells.

I do not oppose stem cell research, only embryonic stem cell research because it does kill a life. Stem cells taken from the umbilical chord do not harm anyone and do not kill - why can't those be used?

Were labs allowed to use those that are "wasted" and thrown out, then what would stop people from getting pregnant, only to sell their baby to one of these labs? The moral implications of that alone should be enough to outlaw embryonic stem cell research.

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abram.kelly - I am aware that it is illegal to sell embryo's, it is also illegal to sell alcohol to anyone under 21, tobacco to anyone under 18, put gasoline in an unauthorized container, and purchase cars for recruits to play college football. Fact is, it is being done all the time. If embryonic stem cell research were allowed, don't you think that people would find a way to be compensated for their embryo's? Companies would have their legal department search for a loop-hole and call it a donation, then pay something in return (sort of like I donate $100 to your cause and you give me a coffee cup - you donate your embryo to my company and I give you a new car - or pay your mortgage for a year or whatever - these are just vague examples).

So you justify the killing of a human by calling it a cell? What is that cell going to be? a dog? (actually, more people would object to killing a dog than a person, so that may not be a good choice of words on my part)

The fact is, you are taking something that is destined to be a human being and killing it, no matter what you want to call it.

Answer 3

I actually agree with you, but this is the argument (at least, one of the more philosophically sound arguments).

This is a deontological argument, rather than a utilitarian one, so looking at overall effect is pointless. The core value is that embryos can only be used for creating humans; if it is impossible to create a human from an embryo, then the embryo should be destroyed.

A few of the less-sound arguments: Making any positive outcome available from an abortion might cause more people to get abortions (kind of silly, but that's the argument).
And then there's the people (like the President) who didn't actually read Huxley's Brave New World, but got a 1-paragraph executive summary, and think opening up the field of therapeutic cloning will lead to a "slippery slope" of all sorts of unethical biotechnology, such as Embryo Farms. My personal favorite is the one where the goal of cloning is for each person to have a clone in a freezer somewhere, and if you need a new heart, you just take it from your clone.

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AMDG: non-embryonic stem cells aren't real stem cells. Neither are adult stem cells. The thing that prevents women from getting pregnant and selling their embryos to labs is that it is illegal to sell your embryos to labs. Is that really too complicated for you to grasp?
And even if people were selling embryos, that is STILL not a reason to outlaw stem cell research. An embryo is a cell. Not a person, a cell. Preventing someone from killing a cell is not a justification for causing millions of people to suffer needlessly. If they were killing infants, that would be different. Even if we were talking about a fetus, there might be cause for hesitation. BUT IT'S A FREAKIN CELL!

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I love it when people end their answers with "end of question!!" as though that will somehow actually end the question. Theraputic stem cell researchers aren't trying to create life, linvingwithhim; what they're trying to do is regrow nerve cells in the bodies of paralysis victims, so they can walk again. Is this something that your religion opposes? Perhaps next time you get sick, you should refrain from seeing a doctor, since God has clearly decided it's time for you to die.

Answer 4

Look at the amount of comercials that are for drugs?
Big Business right now runs the country. They say they are christians so they have to speak out about something. And it certainly isn't going to be killing people in war. If they were so against killing why did they send troups to Iraq?
It is not ok to kill a fertilized ovum when 90 % fall out on there own and die anyway. But wait til he grows up and make him a soldier. The religions have made this an issue because it doesn't change anything and they all have interests in the drug industry. Just think what it costs to heal someone with drugs when a few shots would cure it completely.
They would like you to believe they are against killing but I is getting a little harder to believe.

Answer 5

First: It is a complete myth that thousands of embryos frozen right now will be "disposed of, wasted or killed every day." Repeatedly, the medical community has confirmed that only 1-2% of these embryos are unwanted by their parents. Of that 1-2%, a significant number are sought to be adopted by couples who cannot conceive, lacking viable sperm and eggs. Many children have been conceived this way (I think about 200 in America, with many more in utero) and this will increase as time goes by. The remaining 98-99% of frozen embryos are awaiting future implantation attempts by their parents.

Second: The position that fetal/embryonic stem cells are somehow better than adult or cord blood stem cells is also a complete myth. Repeated studies show that embryonic stem cells grow uncontrollably and most times result in the growth of tumors. Adult and cord blood stem cells, on the other hand, do not react this way, either in vivo or in vitro. Adult stem cell lines are not "contaminated," as you suggest; you're confusing today's fetal stem cell lines that are Federally approved for research purposes. Adult stem cell "lines" can be developed at any time, by any lab, anywhere with no restrictions.

Third: Medical science has not even touched the surface of everything adult stem cells can do. They can be harvested from virtually anywhere, but the nose, baby teeth (not from a fetus) and skin seem to be the most popular. Before we destroy human life, shouldn't we first completely exhaust the possibilities adult stem cells have to offer? To do otherwise is imprudent and premature. As I wrote in point number 2, adult stem cell research is not restricted to specific "lines" as fetal stem cell research has been.

Many folks, including myself, believe some liberal scientists are pushing embryonic stem cells as "the best way to go" on a scientifically ignorant American public for an awful reason: they want to start human cloning. Because the problem of tissue rejection is negated by cloning, the patient doesn't need to take costly medications, experience the side effects, and possibly face rejection of the organ or part. Once we slide down that slippery slope, it will be an indication our society has become morally bankrupt.

Answer 6

First of all there is NO established Medical report that states "Stem-Cell cures this or that"
Second so therefore your argument is based on emotions not logic.
Third Much research has been done on Adult stem cells and cord Stem cell with limited success Why not complete the studies that are already in progress that does not destroy a human embryo.

Answer 7

The reason why most pro-lifers are against embryonic stem cell research isn't because they think it's ok to be "wasting" discarded aborted embryos, it's because they don't want to give any kind of justification to abortion. Say you were in Germany during WWII and you wanted to stop the slaughter of millions of Jews, you wouldn't turn around and say well in the mean time lets conduct science experiments on their bodies. You should never add justification to something that is fundamentally wrong in the first place.

Answer 8

exactly

the ones opposed to stem cell research claim that abortion will increase to get the cells, what kind of logic is that? I'm with you, there are plenty happening already, AND there is new research that uses cells from umbilical cords, I'd like to see that vegetarian go stand in front of a lion or hyena

Answer 9

Politics is all about dividing and conquering. It really doesn't matter what the issue is - as long as its divisive. Ask the politicians about this one - most people wouldn't even know what "stem cell research" was if the politicians hadn't made such a big deal about it in order to polarize the masses for election day.

Answer 10

The anti-abortion folks think that legalizing stem cell research will lead to an increase in abortion (or at least a greater acceptance of it).

Sort of like anti-gay marriage folks think that legalizing gay marriage will lead to the marrying of animals.

Or smoking pot leads to using cocaine.

Or encouraging girls to do well in school leads to boys not doing so well.

Or... ok, the list of conjectures can go on and on.