Hook: human embryonic stem cells (hESC)
We are here today to talk about a controversial matter that you may have heard in the news and current affairs programs, of the controversy over stem cells. This controversy has seen many arguments arise in recent years concerning the use of stem cells in science, and the strong opposition from ethical backgrounds (Bevington, 2009). For those of you that don't know, Embryonic Stem Cells are undifferentiated cells extracted from unborn fetuses. Stem cells have the potential development of a new field of "regenerative medicine," which aims at growing tailor-made human tissues or organs to be used to colonize or replace damaged tissues/organs to recover their lost function. Something that would push the field of medicine further up to achieve never before seen lifesaving treatments. This is, however strongly opposed by many religions (CUF, 2001). Who in this room believes Stem cells should be made legal for scientific reasons? Who here doesn't think they should be made legal, and who is undecided?
Introduction
Stem Cell research is a wonder in the medical field, with every day comes, more and more possibilities with Stem Cells, they seem to be one of the latest breakthroughs in science. A stem cell is a class of undifferentiated cells that have the spectacular quality of morphing into specialized types of cells (Australian Government, 2015). The most common way and widely accepted way of obtaining these Stem cells is through extracting them from Umbilical Cord blood or harvesting them from Adult tissue, which is adult stem cells and is not as efficient as other methods. But the most controversial is the embryonic stem cells. These stem cells are an alternative to adult stem cells because how they have not had time to specialize into specific cell types, they can therefore be developed into a larger variety of cell types, like umbilical cord stem cells (Coosta, 2017). These embryonic stem cells come from the embryos formed during the blastocyst phase; during this time, the stem cells are derived from the inner cell mass of the developing embryos. As this cannot be done with killing the embryos it is put on par with ethical dilemmas such as abortion. These embryos can come from those formed in in-vitro fertilization for the sole purpose of creating a life just to use its resources, and also from already aborted fetuses. However, these blastocysts are donated with full informed consent to research and are deemed in excess following in vitro fertilization treatment. Many religions do not see eye to eye with scientists' points of view. Some people regard research on human embryos created by any means, and at any age, as unethical, believing that human life begins when a human egg gains the ability to form an embryo. Islam and Roman Catholicism are assumed to be in this category of people. It is hypothesized that the scientific community is for Embryonic Stem cell research, whereas Religious communities ...
