The Stem Cell Debate

July 5th 2005

As a nation, we thrive on improvement. Americans simply eat up the latest gadgets, cures and intelligence that are made available every day. It would be quite difficult to argue that this everlasting progress that has been made since the beginning of time and will continue until the end is a bad thing.

However, a popular contender against logic, George W. Bush, would like to try his hand at it.  Just recently, Bush made it quite clear that he would veto a bill lifting his ban on stem cell research if the novel idea were to ever reach his desk. According to Bush, "The use of federal dollars to destroy life is something I simply do not support” (The Associated Press).

What Bush fails to recognize is that stem cell research, if properly funded and executed, could save millions of lives versus “destroy” them. Stem cell research is expected to cure Diabetes, Parkinson’s, forms of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, among others.

Over 30 million Americans alone suffer from these diseases. Although President Bush remains firm in demanding that the sanctity of life be protected, he is ignoring the fact that millions of lives are being treated inadequately when they could be benefiting from this research.

I’m aware that the president has ruled this because of his personal, ethical stance regarding abortion. However, until Bush’s moral crusade decides to take over even more than it has, abortion is legal and occurring daily.

To add to his war with logic, Bush has ruled out stem cell research while abortion is legal. According to his set of ethics, why wouldn’t the president decide to bring some good out of this practice?

Current research projects have obtained stem cells from tissue which has been removed during terminated pregnancies or from embryos produced by in-vitro fertilization clinics. Once isolated, the cells can be grown up in the laboratory and stored for future use.  Millions of abortions will happen, and while they do, embryos will be aborted and destructed instead of used to find cures in diseases that are killing millions of people. As good sense would determine, instead of losing lives to abortion and disease, the number could be lessened considerably by the use of stem cell research.

If you don’t agree with abortion, don’t have one. If you don’t agree with stem cell research, don’t fund it. However, until you are able to come up with a better idea to possibly save the lives of over 30 million Americans, keep your war of ethics to yourself.

By Molly McHugh
Molly is a freelance writer