Cleary 1 Hannah Cleary Ms.

McKoy English 2-2 11 September 2013 Stem Cell Research In 2011, my grandmother was hospitalized for ailments induced by diabetes. She had a high fever and unexplained tingling in her legs. She has had diabetes since she was a small girl and throughout her life she has been checking her blood sugar and maintaining her life with insulin. Millions of people experience loss of eyesight or extremities due to complications of this disease. My grandmother and the millions of others like her do not need to continue their battle with this debilitating disease. Embryonic stem cell research should be funded because it can aid the discovery of cures for many fatal diseases. Controversy over using embryonic stem cells continues after a decade of politicallyinfused debate. Some believe that the use of an embryo is unethical because they consider it to be the destruction of human life. However, I believe since the embryo does not have a heartbeat until it becomes a fetus at eight weeks that this is not the destruction of life but the possibility of saving one. According to the National Institutes of Health, Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including Alzheimer's diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.(National Institutes of Health).What this statement is saying is, stem cells have the ability to replace damaged cells in the human

Cleary 2 body, no matter what part of the body it is. With continued research millions of people, including my grandmother, could enjoy a healthy and disease free lifestyle. I want to research this issue further because I have the risk of having diabetes. If America has the ability to research something that could change and save millions of lives, why not participate and fund stem cell research? While stem cell research can be seen as unethical to some people, I see it as a medical advancement that can bring a brighter future for many people. If we fund this research once again and bring politics out of the question, we as America can discover something advance and bring millions of lives to full heath once again.

Cleary 3 Works Cited What are the potential uses of human stem cells and the obstacles that must be overcome before these potential uses will be realized? . In Stem Cell Information [World Wide Web site]. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009 [cited Wednesday, September 11, 2013