If you’re looking for an answer as to whether or not embryonic stem cells are the medical miracle that they’re toted to be, you’ll quickly find that there are many different answers, and that they are all very different. Believers in the research state that it is a world that is waiting to be discovered, and that once it’s full potential is realized, it will revolutionize the world of medicine. Others argue though that the benefits are not worth the risks and the damage caused to get those results.

What are Embryonic Stem Cells?

Embryonic stem cells are cells that have been taken from an embryo, which is of course a fertilized egg and the very beginning of life form. Embryonic stem cells have not yet been differentiated, meaning that they have not been “designated” as being tissue muscle, nerve endings, or muscle mass. In short, embryonic stem cells can be turned into any cell that the body needs. Because diseases and illnesses mean the destruction of cells, being able to produce new cells of anything needed, is a huge advancement for the medical world.

Have Embryonic Stem Cells Cured any Diseases?

Arguers against stem cell research say that the destruction of potential lives in the form of embryos is not only cruel, but pointless because embryonic stem cells have not yet cured any diseases. This is true but it doesn’t really mean anything. The field of embryonic stem cells has just been tapped into, and there’s so much to be discovered. Just because they haven’t cured anything yet doesn’t mean that they won’t and that the very good potential they have for it is something worth looking into.

Is Embryonic Stem Cell Research Ethical?

Again, the biggest argument against the research of embryonic stem cells is that it destroys, embryos, which could potentially be a life. Whether or not this is true is only for individuals to decide for themselves. However, it’s important to consider that any embryos used in the research are created in test tubes in a laboratory, not in a uterus. Because of this, the chance that the embryos would survive even without the researching and testing is not very good.