NationStates Jolt Archive

Instead of getting off topic and discussion this issue in the "Abortion" thread, lets talk about it here.

I believe stem cell research is great! Stem cells are only present in babies without out any "life" functions, not to even mention the presence of brainwaves.

Even if the supposedly aborted baby (at the stem cell stage) was to be brought to life, he/she will obviously be rejected by the society, or become victim to poverty and even possibily cause harm to the society.

However, if we take the baby's stem cell and put it into research, we will eventually be able to produce and maintain a stock pile of organs. This would save the millions of patients in need. And it won't end there, we would be able to harvest blood from blood producing organs. Its a win-win situation. Some day S. Korea's going to be the leader of genetic engineering and various fields of medicine, thus decrease the disease mortality rate, and we North American's will say "Why didn't we do that a decade ago."

I believe stem cell research is great! Stem cells are only present in babies without out any "life" functions, not to even mention the presence of brainwaves.

To be clear here, you seem to be talking about embryonic stem cells. These are not derived from a baby, but from a blastocyst - an embryonic stage.

There are other types of stem cells, broadly referred to as "adult stem cells" which can be derived during later stages. These stem cells have less proliferative potential and cannot differentiate into all cell types.

Even if the supposedly aborted baby (at the stem cell stage) was to be brought to life, he/she will obviously be rejected by the society, or become victim to poverty and even possibily cause harm to the society.

Tissue from abortions is not used to derive stem cells. By the time an abortion can be carried out, embryonic stem cells can no longer be derived. On top of that, fetal tissue is usually destroyed by the abortion process to the point that fetal stem cells (a form of adult stem cells) cannot be derived either.

Embryonic stem cells have been derived from excess embryos at in vitro fertilization clinics - embryos that would have otherwise been destroyed, but the derivation of embryonic stem cells has nothing whatsoever to do with abortion.

However, if we take the baby's stem cell and put it into research, we will eventually be able to produce and maintain a stock pile of organs. This would save the millions of patients in need. And it won't end there, we would be able to harvest blood from blood producing organs.

You are very, very, very optomistic. It's a good trait, but we are generations away from anything like what you are describing. Within our lifetimes, however, we may be able to use embryonic stem cells in various forms of regenerative medicine. If we do so, it will most likely not be a matter of keeping organs in stock, but instead will most likely involve therapeutic cloning, in which a person's own cells will be cloned for the purpose of growing them a new organ.