This is going to be one of those subjects where in, you believe the facts that I will lay out, or you will go with your emotions and no matter what I say, you’ll choose to disagree with me. But that’s OK, that’s what we are here for. If it at least gets you to think about this, than so much the better.
As a preface to all of this, let me just say that I am a Christian. I was baptized Lutheran, am a believer in the 10 commandments, and have taken my share of Holy Communions. Now that everyone knows my religious convictions, let us carry on, shall we?
Embryonic stem cell research, the stem cells taken from in vitro fertilized eggs, which is what we want to zero in on here. These eggs are no longer going to be used when they contribute stem cells, and therein lies the scientific and moral aspects of the problem.
These cells are taken strictly from in vitro fertilization, as in fertility clinics with donated eggs. These fertilized eggs are either used for artificial insemination, or if not used after a period of time, they are discarded. Let me repeat that, if they are not used they are discarded. Discarded is a nice way of saying destroyed. But, that’s what happens to discarded in vitro embryos.
The science of embryonic stem cells takes these discarded in vitro fertilized eggs, retains the inner cell mass, and allows it to divide, just as any growing cell would do. The inner cell mass, grown in this way, can not possibly turn into anything except more divided cells. They can’t turn human, they can’t turn reptile, they can’t turn anything except more growing and dividing cells. That’s it. After 6 or 8 months of growth, the cell mass is large enough for itself to be separated, to continue growing, or to be used as tools of medicine.
OK, have we made the connection here? In vitro fertilized eggs that were slated for destruction, are taken by science, cultured into stem cells, and have the potential to cure people of such horrendous problems like broken spinal cords, Parkinson’s disease, muscular dystrophy, to name some of the worst. These in vitro fertilized eggs that were going to be thrown out or dumped down the drain, are able to be cultured by medical scientists with the potential to eradicate some of the most horrible scourges of the human body!
And for those that say there was a potential for each one of these in vitro fertilized eggs to become human, I will agree with, so long as they weren’t flushed down the toilet, which was exactly what was about to happen! Besides, every woman that menstruates kills an egg that has the potential to become a human. And how many sperm die in the pursuit of solo pleasure that also had that same potential?
It’s not a perfect world, but real progress can be made through in vitro stem cell research, that hurts no one, destroys nothing, and gives real hope to those afflicted with incurable maladies that have no hope at all.
Excellent article. I have not yet seen anyone explain this issue so completely rationally and objectively. If only everyone who has an opinion about this issue, one way or the other, could read this, I think people would be much more informed about the facts. To tell the truth, as much as I’ve heard about this issue over the years, I have never had the facts explained to me in such a clear and concise manner. Thanks for writing this. -Ben
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Nicely argued. This is what Christopher Reeves try to get people to understand for years. I am someone who would benefit from such scientific advancements; I had an injury eight years ago that left me a quadriplegic.
There is progress, but it is slow. I’m just glad now we don’t have a president making decisions based on his religion anymore.
I have read about and researched many many articles about in vitro stem cell research, and all of them have been so medically jargonized that it was difficult to understand the good or the bad on either side. My suspicions are that there may be a faction of people out there who don’t really understand this, but must ally themselves with both the emotional aspect as well as the creationist aspect.
I just decided to explain it in the simplest yet hardest hitting language that I know, no medical jargon, but no pulling punches either, and let it ride for what it truly is; a health breakthrough so important that it needs to be embraced and expanded, that has nothing to do with killing embryos on any level.