Pros of embryonic stem cells.

The argument so far.

The pros of embryonic stem cells is a topic hotly debated by people from all walks of life. Parents, doctors, patients and even celebrities and politicians fiercely debate whether the use of embryonic stem cells is the right thing to do and whether using them will lead to a state where people are encouraged to abort children or whether it will simply lead to aborted fetuses being used for a very good purpose. As president, George Bush was virtually forced into making a decision on the path that would be taken with research using embryonic stem cells and he came up with what many consider to be a reasonable compromise but the decision has by no means subdued all sides of the debate.

Finding the pros of embryonic stem cells.

While the cons of the argument may be all too apparent to many, religions believe that the use of embryos for research or any other purpose is basically the equivalent of taking that life even if it would be used to save another. However, the pros can sometimes be difficult to find. This, of course, doesn't mean there aren't any and it is important to weigh up both sides of any argument before making a final decision.

Pluripotency.

Probably the biggest of the pros of embryonic stem cells is the fact that the stem cells found in embryos are pluripotent. Pluripotency means that the stem cells can grow into any of the cells that our body requires to function and recover. Unfortunately, adult stem cells do not show this same level of plasticity and are fairly rigid in that they can only become specific types of cells within our bodies. In the case of adult stem cells taken from bone marrow donors they can only become specialist blood cells. Obviously they still have great benefits to bestow, but the fact that embryonic stem cells can develop into any cell make them a much greater tool in the fight to beat various diseases.

Finding adult stem cells is difficult.

Adult stem cells are difficult to come by. We know they exist in bone marrow, although in quite small concentration. This low concentration means that a reasonable amount of marrow must be removed and the entire process is painful and intrusive for the donor. Using blunt stainless steel needles stem cells are retrieved from the bone marrow of the patient in question. This is one of the reasons that there are far fewer donors than there are patients who require the transplants. Adult stem cells are also found in the blood stream but they are very difficult to find and the concentration is even lower than with bone marrow.

The amount of blood that would need to be recovered to gain usable stem cells in any reasonable quantity is more than a single patient can take. Adult stem cells have also been found in the brain randomly placed amongst millions of other stem cells. It is simply not feasible to remove these without very probably risk of damaging other, perfectly healthy cells needed to survive.

A stock of stem cells.

Unfortunately, millions of embryos are aborted every year. While this is a tragedy in itself, these embryos could be a valuable resource of stem cells. By only using the stem cells from aborted embryos greater levels of research and a much greater number of transfusions could be carried out. The simple fact is that the use of embryonic stem cells will accelerate the rate at which we are finding cures for certain degenerative diseases. Umbilical cord blood is another good source and while the stem cells from cord blood still retain a high level of plasticity they are still not as potent as those found in human embryos.

The use of aborted embryos for research into stem cells has now become legal in the USA and money has been set aside for further stem cell research using embryonic stem cells. This will undoubtedly see advances not only in stem cell transfusions but also in the potential cure for various cancers, Parkinson's and hundreds of other diseases.

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