Regenerative Medicine

Richard J. Gross, a developmental biologist, once said, “If there were no regeneration, there could be no life. If everything regenerated there would be no death.” In 2001 President George W. Bush banned further funding of embryonic stem cell research. Why? Some feel that embryonic stem cell research encouraged abortion, and that banning the federal funding for embryonic stem cell research would lessen abortion rates. However, just recently President Barack Obama has reversed that law, allowing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research to continue. Why was only embryonic research federal funding banned? Furthermore, why ban funding on stem cells when they could potentially save millions of lives? Webster’s dictionary states that a stem cell is, “a cell that upon division replaces its own numbers and also gives rise to cells that differentiate further into one or more specialized types, as various B cells and T cells” (Webster’s). According to the CDC, Center for Disease Control, one in five-hundred people will become diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Every seventy seconds someone will develop Alzheimer’s. One in five people will die from some form of cardiovascular problem. One in five people will become diagnosed with diabetes. All of these diseases have the potential to be treated with some form of stem cell therapy. The United States should continue to invest in stem cell research because of its medical benefits, potential to cure various diseases, and potential to help other regenerative projects. Embryonic stem cell research should be federally funded because it is the most effective method of cell regeneration and has the most potential among the other forms of stem cell research to produce treatments. The source from which the stem cells are extracted is the controversial issue. There are three sources in which a stem cell can be derived: from

2 the fetus (embryonic stem cells), adult tissues, and umbilical cords. However, embryonic stem cells...