Illustration Essay

The New Age
Where does life truly begin, does it start at the fertilization of the egg, in the womb, or at birth? There is a lot of controversy over stem cell research; is it ethical, is an embryo the same as a child? Can the destruction of a single undeveloped embryo be justified if it can save thousands of lives? To understand why I see stem cell research as an acceptable form helping the human race, you must know what I am able to see wrong with it, and what I believe is good about it. Stem cells are immature cells that are able to become different types of cells throughout our bodies. Two of the most basic types of stem cells are: adult and embryonic stem cells. Embryonic cells are the first cells created when a fertilized egg begins to divide. When these cells divide they have a tiny chance to create more stem cells or give a specific function to that cell. The possibilities are endless they can create brain tissue, muscle tissue, and even nerves. This is an important scientific breakthrough because even though some organs have the ability to create new cells, like your stomach lining, skin, or bone marrow. Organs like the heart, kidney, and your muscles are no longer able to create new cells after they become mature. Just as anything that involves children, born or unborn, questions rise. Are they being hurt; isn’t this like abortion; are embryonic cells actually living human beings? Those are just a few questions that are asked when people are told about stem cell research. I, myself, ask these same questions, but go unanswered. Some people believe stem cell research is a gateway to the ability of cloning humans. I don’t think that having the ability to clone our selves is a great thing to do because it will increase genetic variation resulting in more possibilities for disease.
On the other hand being able to recreate lost limbs or organs could be a good thing for the human race. If I were given the option to lose an arm or use stem cells to grow me a new one, I would

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