The Impact of the Stem Cell Research on the Society - Assignment Example

The Impact of the Stem Cell Research on the Society During the past century a rapid development of the technology in all of the spheres of science happened, and biology wasn't the exception. Numerous drugs were invented in order to treat the illnesses that were previously considered to be fatal, and numerous devices were designed in order to help the doctors save human lives. Due to this fact, the term of life has dramatically increased in most of the developed countries. But before the scientists announced about their research of the stem cells, a notion of immortality has never been seriously aroused in a medical world. The thing is that the stem cells are able to replace any of the other cells in the human organism, transforming themselves into the cells needed in a particular organ or tissue. Thus, the stem cells can be used to replace any of the seek tissue, thus allowing the body to keep living. After the results of the research had been announced, the debates begun around this issue, as the views on moral and ethics are quite different in our society despite the globalization that also took place throughout the 20th century. The idea to use the stem cells for treating people provoked violent protests from the human rights defenders, as the most valuable Stem Cells, that are able to develop to any kind of sell in the body, the so called totipotent cells or the early embryonic stem cells, can be got from only from the human embryo during the first days after the fertilization took place. Human embryo is also the source for the two other types of stem cells, the ones capable of replacing almost any other human cell. They are called blastocyst embryonic stem cells and fetal stem cells. The umbilical cord stem cells and the adult stem cells are multipotent, which means they can replace only some types of the human cells. Thus the development of this technology opens the way for numerous abuse and malversation towards the unborn human children. The unofficial data says that it is already happening nowadays in some of the developing countries, as people are ready to pay the enormous sums of money in order to become younger or to improve their health. What is also important is that there are numerous believers in the modern society, whose religious views don't allow both using the cells of the unborn child, and doing anything to reach the physical immortality. The religious leaders of those churches and confessions encourage their believers to stand against the use of the stem cells in the medical industry. Thus the conflicts occur between those, who consider the stem cells to be the chance for the humans to life forever, or at least, for the much longer period than it was possible beforehand, and the followers of different confessions, some of which play a significant role in the contemporary society, who consider the stem cells research to be immoral and wrong. The stem cells therapy is not widespread now, but analyzing the societal tension that exists concerning this problem we should beware of the rattling and abuse towards the scientists and doctors who work in this area, the same as it happened and still sometimes happens with the medical workers who are employed in the clinics and hospitals where the abortions are performed. Except for the believers some people exist whose moral norms and principle also don't allow to accept the stem cells treatment. Those are the ones that respect human life most of all, and consider it to be the most valuable thing. For them using the human embryo to treat the other human being is immoral and unacceptable, as it means killing one human in order to cure the other. Thus the two groups of people exist who are against the stem cells therapy, as their religious and moral values and principles do not allow them to accept this way of treating people. The more the stem cells therapy will be spread, the more conflicts it will provoke between the adherents and the adversaries of this idea, thus increasing the tension in the society. Moreover, the stem cells therapy is a very expensive treatment nowadays and it doesn't seem to become cheaper in the recent years. Thus only the rich would be able to allow it. And here again the ethical conflict arouses, as it's immoral and wrong to live the person to die if you have the means to cure him or her, just because he/she doesn't have the money to pay for the treatment. And now let's look into the faraway future. Let's assume that the stem cell therapy will transform the human dream of immortality into the reality. There are already more than 6 million people on our planet, and this number increases rapidly. If the technology that allows to extend the life path will appear, than the earth will come across the problem of overpopulation much sooner than it would've had without that technology. In order to overcome this perplexity the global society will have to design and accept the laws limiting either the breeding or the right for the immortality. Regardless of the way they would choose, it would reshape the society dramatically. The invention of the stem cell technology has already made a significant impact on our life, and it will continue to change the society, as regardless of all the protests the research won't be stopped. Sooner or later the society will have to make up its mind with the fact that in order to save the lives of its citizens it sometimes has to kill its unborn members. The number of those, who are totally against the stem cell therapy, will decrease gradually, as the new children will be born and raised in the society, where it will be considered to be normal. The experience of the centuries shows that the humanity had never dropped the new toys it invented, regardless of how dangerous or immoral they were. Let's only hope that the stem cells research will take place only under the strict governmental control, in order to prevent abuse and crime. Read More