A Case For Stem Cells
Written by Adam Karsten
Throughout history humanity's thirst for knowledge and natural curiosity has led to many technological advancements. From the creation of the automobile, to putting a man on the moon, we do not see limits to what we can discover and create. Though sometimes we may be hesitant to change, we eventually embrace the technology that can progress our species. So as we look towards the future, a bit of medical advancement called stem cells has led the way for the future of medicine. In 2015, the question still remains: Why are we not funding this?
Discovered in 1981 in mice embryos, stem cells have been seen as a revolutionary treatment option for a variety of diseases (NIH). In 2015 the controversy behind stem cells has slowly but surely begun to fade away as researchers have begun to find different ways of acquiring stem cells. This was in response to the ethical concerns of embryos being used to extract stem cells. But now scientists have discovered that there are different ways of getting stem cells. One type of stem cell is called an induced pluripotent stem cell (NIH). This stem cell comes from an adult stem cell being reprogrammed to act like a stem cell (NIH). Induced pluripotent stem cells are being used worldwide for research purposes to help cure diseases like Diabetes and Alzheimer's. But what happens when a type of research that has been seen as unethical for so many years suddenly has an alternative source? Well, a new wave of “stem cell banks” have been created and this allows the storage of stem cells for treatment. So with all this in mind the government of the United States still hasn’t given more money to this kind of research. The Obama Administration signed a bill in 2008 that allowed more funding for stem cell labs, but there hasn’t been that much change in recent years (Utah). While they are making progress, what needs to happen in the near future is that stem cells should be used to help in the research of0 almost every disease and become a primary treatment option. The facts show that they do help treat diseases like Diabetes and that in most cases they successfully cure the ailment. For these reasons alone the people of the United States need to pay more attention to stem cell research and support it where it is applicable. We need to follow suit with other countries in the world like India where there is a federal stem cell bank and allow the use of stem cells for bone marrow transplants (Pew). They do have a ban on cloning like every other country, but India does heavily support stem cells. Other countries have very similar laws that support the use of stem cells but in the U.S. they are only used for research and have not undergone many clinical tests. This is something that needs to change in order to create a better future for humanity as a whole.
If stem cell research is more heavily funded, stem cells will become the next penicillin of medicine. The more popular stem cells become, the more healthy humans become. Leading to longer lifespans. This could be the future if we just ban together and pledge support to helping the research of stem cells because they can help save lives.
Works Cited
."Stem Cell Research Around the World." Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project RSS. Pew Research Center, 16 July 2008. Web. 05 Aug. 2015.
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