Casual analysis - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages Although scientists want to make us believe that embryos are not humans, they have done studies to demonstrate that development of humans starts from fertilization to adulthood. This depicts that though embryos may not be rational, they represent a stage through which all humans must pass and without which no human would be in existence (Family Research Council Web). Human embryonic stem cell research is a controversial issue not just in United States in all nations where scientists have attempted to seek government funding for the research. President Bush banned federal funding on stem cell research involving human embryo. However, irrespective of the controversies surrounding the human embryonic stem cell research, President Obama lifted the ban allowing research in human embryonic stem cell to be funded by federal government. This paper argues that the lifting of the ban on embryonic stem cell research was erroneous since embryonic stem cell research will result in negative effects. Additionally, the paper will demonstrate how federal funding, state funding, and debates on the media have encouraged continuance of embryonic stem cell research irrespective of the several negative impacts associated with the research. Human embryonic stem cell research is a research that involves manipulation of stem cell extracted from an embryo. For the cells to be extracted, the embryo must be destroyed. Jamie Thomson initiated the embryonic stem cell research in 1998. The research involves removal of embryonic cells from an embryo and culturing them in the laboratory for research on human diseases (“The Witherspoon Council on Ethics and the Integrity of Science” 129-133). The cells are preferred by scientists due to their great capacity to develop into different body cells. Since its start, embryonic stem cell research has aggravated serious controversies in the political, ethical, and religious arenas. However, stem cell research is wide and it involves use of adult stem cells as well as embryonic stem cells. The use of adult stem cells is not controversial since it does not involve dehumanizing acts. The main controversy is that the embryonic stem cell research involves sacrificing of human life, which is unethical since the embryos used for the research do not survive (Family Research Council Web; James 8-9; Robertson 193-195). Every scientific study is required to follow certain ethical principles. One such principle is that it should work towards raising the human dignity. In case of embryonic stem cell research, there is great disregard for human life. The argument that an embryo cannot be considered a human has already been disapproved by cloning, which has shown that life begins at conception. Therefore, treating embryos that are below fourteen days old as non-humans is unethical. The pre-embryo and post embryo distinctions used by embryonic stem cell researchers to validate their practices is not justifiable (“The Witherspoon Council on Ethics and the Integrity of Science” 132-135). The stem cell research is surrounded by many ethical questions. The main ethical question regards the morality of destroying human embryos that have the potential of developing into independent beings. Although supporters of this research argue that the embryos used for research are not obtained from the human uterus but produced in the laboratories, the research is still unethical. Creating life to destroy it is erroneous (Family Research ...Download file to see next pagesRead More