There are a lot of people in the world who are scared by the possibilities of stem cell research.
One specific argument is that if stem cell research is permitted to continue, it will lead to human cloning, which can lead to a new definition of personal identity. This culture of fear was further magnified in 2001 with former President George W. Bush’s executive order that limited federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Fortunately, President Barack Obama reversed Bush’s executive order last month.
Opponents of stem cell research say that it compromises life. Although the exact moment of when an embryo actually becomes a human life is still up for debate, science should not be inhibited by ideologies. The bottom line is that research can save future generations from the disease and health problems facing us today.
“If we are going to discard those embryos and we know that there is potential research that could lead to curing debilitating disease, I think we should go ahead and pursue that research,” Obama said in a March 10 press conference. “Medical miracles do not happen simply by accident.”
History is full of cases where researchers, in the name of science, have done horrible things to humans. During World War II, Nazi scientists ran grotesque experiments on prisoners in the name of research. The classic psychological Stanford prison study was deemed unethical after subjects were emotionally traumatized. Although there are isolated cases of unethical medical research, the potential innovation and advancement in medical knowledge that will come from stem cell research should not be inhibited because of isolated research that has been conducted unethically by a small minority.
Researchers at the U are in the trial process to test the ability of using a patient’s own stem cells to treat cardiovascular and heart ailments. Heart failure affects nearly 5 million Americans each year, according to the American Heart Association. In many of these instances, a heart transplant has been the only option.
“This is the first trial of its kind in the United States, providing patients who have limited to no other options with a viable treatment,” said Amit Patel, a professor of surgery in the U’s medical school. “By using a patient’s own cells, we eliminate the concern of rejection and the need for potentially harmful immunosuppressive drugs. We hope these cells will help with new blood vessels and support the heart muscle in order to improve the heart’s function, thereby greatly improving the patient’s quality of life.”
Medical researchers at the U are also using stem cells to treat vascular disease to prevent leg amputations as well as other innovative research leading the nationwide effort.
With Obama’s stem cell executive order, we are moving in a better direction8212;one in which advancement and innovation can occur in science. New medical and scientific discoveries can be found that will improve our lives and hopefully relieve health ailments. New ideas can now be pursued and we no longer have to live in a climate of fear and distrust stemming from a broad stroke immobilization of stem cell research. The federal government’s new policy on stem cell research is a good thing and will lead to more life-saving medical technologies in the future.
Liz Carlston