Poll: Stem cell research

[JezebelinHell]

Oh for the love of god aborted fetuses aren?t used in stem cell research!

Maybe if it gets quoted a few dozen more times someone will read it before they go on talking about how great it is that there is a use for dead babies.

Adult stem cells have proven more useful and without the moral issues of growing a baby in a test tube. Yea, it is a MORAL issue not specifically a religious one. Some of us can have morals without believing in God. *gasp*

My problem with stem cell research is government funding. I do not want tax dollars going to fund research that someone or more likely some billion dollar drug company is going to patent and charge thousands of dollars to anyone that requires the treatment. Yea, you can bet, there will be some patented process to put the cells through to achieve the results for the treatment. Then, one of those billion dollar drug companies that everyone demonizes for over charging and making too much money will be shafting us even more. Surprise!

 

[Flac00]

Wait wait wait wait. There is more than one kind of "stem cell research." Asking such a question is like asking "are you pro or anti gas?" It isn't definitive enough. Are you asking adult or embryonic, because there is a vast difference.

Adult human stem cell is safe harvesting of stem cells from an adult's body which has proven to be nearly miraculous in it's applications. I am fully for this.

Embryonic stem cells have yet to show any significant medical advancement that is not completely outstripped by adult stem cell research. As such, it has so far been an incredible waste of time and money, and signs are showing that it will most likely continue to be that way, so in practical terms, I'm against.

Also, the idea of growing zygotes to form stem cells isn't my cup of tea.

I see a lot of people are saying basically "Religion is making you do stupid things" and that saddens me, because it really shows a complete lack of understanding, or a complete lack of care towards the understanding of the religious argument against embryonic stem cell research. It shows also the total immaturity of people who just blindly bash religion as being worthless or idiotic, because it's cool to do so.

EDIT: Just a note, the two examples given by the OP were of Adult stem cells. Just pointing that out as evidence for my arguments.

Except from a scientific point of view. We know that embryonic stem cells are much more effective than Adult. The reason why embryonic research has not gone very far is because it has been stagnated by a lack of funding from the US government because of George Bush. Nobody has been saying we should grow zygotes to promote the research, so claiming that is completely speculative. At this point, the pursuit of Embryonic stem cells it at this point in its infancy. The fact that nothing truly lucrative has not come out yet is because that is not how science works. Things don't go instantly, and research takes time.

"From a scientific point of view" doesn't really mean anything, that's pure speculation, with not a shred of proof, historical evidence, or developmental documentation behind it. This idea arises from the theory that a genesis stem cell could potentially be genetically altered into a genesis cell for any function, whereas adult stem cells are defined genesis cells, like osteogenesis cells, or dermal genesis cells, and are ready to "plug and play." Embryonic stem cells frankly haven't shown any significant kind of usability yet.

I don't know where you're saying that embryonic are much more effective than adult, because all major stem cell development has come from the adult side, and there has been nothing of significance on the embryonic side which would set it apart, otherwise they would have earned more funding from private investment looking to capitalize on it. Being nearly an anarchist, I don't believe that the government should necessarily be behind funding, but that's a different argument altogether. But there's an important thing to note...

If Adult stem cell is getting tons of funding, both private and public, whereas the embryonic stem cell is only getting public, that is a sign that the private market sees a viable, profitable future within adult stem cell research, and not in embryonic. Public money doesn't mean anything, because the government doesn't dish money economically, or practically, but politically.

Feel free to correct me, or point me to something I've missed about embryonic stem cells, but being a medical student, I'm always keeping my eyes open for new developments, and I'll admit I might have missed something.

The major reasons why many companies are not funding the embryonic stem cell field is because it is thought to be "unethical". Many companies don't want to be seen even relating themselves to embryonic stem cells at all for that major reason. True, embryonic stem cells have not shown valid results, but that doesn't mean they should be pursued. The major thing that they bring to the table is that they are so flexible. If we are able to use them to their true abilities, we may be able to create full organs within months.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

*snip
The major reasons why many companies are not funding the embryonic stem cell field is because it is thought to be "unethical". Many companies don't want to be seen even relating themselves to embryonic stem cells at all for that major reason. True, embryonic stem cells have not shown valid results, but that doesn't mean they should be pursued. The major thing that they bring to the table is that they are so flexible. If we are able to use them to their true abilities, we may be able to create full organs within months.

Again, that's pure speculation, bordering on wishful thinking. If that's their "true abilities" then why haven't we seen any evidence of that? That's all theory based on the assumption that we can artificially force them to do what nature would eventually bring some stem cells to, except that the ones they use most come from the serous fluid around the embryo which don't grow into anything, rather than from a fetus which does develop.

Embryonic stem cell research is proposed as the holy grail of medicine, yet keeps coming up short. The ethics behind it do put some companies at bay, but how long have we been studying them with no progress? That's a bigger sign. You can't squeeze blood from a stone, and in a capitalistic market, they're not going to dump their lifeblood into a business that is failing to produce anything while the one right next to it is excelling.

 

[xsosxfelix]

2.5 % wow really? if your against stem cell research its because your a troglodyte neanderthal who thinks that it is killing babies or some religious zealot who thinks we are straying to much into gods territory. both of these reason are stupid and without any merit and you need to do more research before actually saying something about a subject of which you are obviously ignorant.