What's the issue with them, if any?
2007-04-11 22:12:04 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells which have the capacity to differentiate (theoretically) into any cell type. This property makes them an attractive prospect in research looking at ways to repair organs or tissues which normally do not recover after damage. For instance they could be used to replace heart muscle cells in people whose hearts have been damaged by a heart attack or to replace certain types of nerve cells to cure conditions like Parkinsonism and many other similar applications. Unfortunately the most reliable way to get stem cells is from a human embryo. Typically the embryo would be from couples which used some sort of treatment for infertility to induce multiple ovulation and had in vitro fertilization. Typically there would be extra embryos left after successful IVF which the couple could decide to either freeze for possible later use, discard, or permit to be used for stem cell research. I agree that the embryo had the potential to grow into a human being but I don't see that being an obstacle to using it for research. You may as well prosecute all couples who use contraception for destroying so many sperm (and ova) each of which had the potential to grow into a human being!
2007-04-11 22:39:51 · answer #1 · answered by Vinay K 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The problem is that these cells come from a embryo(baby) and the process of taking these cells kills the baby. Now do you see the picture?
2007-04-11 22:24:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋