Stem cell research

Stem cells can treat anything from Alzheimer’s to baldness. Scientists take these cells out of parts of the human body so that they can treat these diseases that people are desperate to find the cure to.

“What’s the point in doing something like that,” said senior AJ Jessop. “I think that there are better ways to find cures to diseases than stem cell research. I am part of the pro-life movement, and I do not agree with taking stem cells from babies. It just isn’t the right thing to do.”

Stem cell research is a state-of-the-art treatment for many untreatable diseases that are persistent today. Stem cells, in the simplest way to explain them, are cells that have not been assigned to a certain job yet, and came from many parts of the human body. Stem cells do not only come from babies who have been aborted. Infact, most stem cells do not even come from those babies. They come from umbilical cords and cells that are 3-5 days old. Before 14 days old, and embryo can still become twins or just simply not survive at all. By scientists taking these cells, it is not absurd nor morally wrong because this embryo is not even defined if it is one or two babies yet. In our community, these stem cells are more than just a controversial topic. They can treat diseases that we have here in our school.

“I was born with diabetes,” junior David Bishop said. “I’ve gotten used to it by now but it is still an inconvenience because of the pump I have to wear. The pump is an insulin pump so I don’t have to do insulin injections each and every day.”

Researchers have yet to find a way to cure diabetes with stem cells. The researchers would have to inject the cells that come from one of the select areas into the pancreas, which is the organ that causes diabetes. In a diabetic patient, the pancreas fails to produce insulin which regulates the sugar in your blood. If researchers placed stem cells into the pancreas, the cells would repair the damaged organ and it would be able to work independently again.

“As of now, they are working on curing diabetes with stem cells. If they are able to continue to do research, they would hopefully find a cure that would be a permanent solution. Because this is not available yet, I have to get a prosthetic pancreas that will work as a normal pancreas for the time being.”