After doing research there are a ton of organizations and foundations that support Embryonic Stem Cell Research.
One that is close to my heart is cancer foundations. A huge majority of cancer research is from stem cells. So as a Christian holding to the values of pro-life, that life begins at conception, if you were diagnosed with cancer would you refuse treatment because of how they came about finding that treatment, through stem cell?!
I just never thought about it before but I am pro life....however I feel the same as Kelly Black who posted in response to my question above when I posted it on FB:
"If we denied all things that were against our beliefs, we'd be stuck in our homes w/ no tv, no radio, no cars, etc. we'd basically be Amish. Sometimes I feel like we take stands way too much. Yes it's sad and wrong that they use stem cells. Yes we wish we could have it another way. But when push comes to shove and if you or you're loved one needed a treatment that had been researched on a stem cell, I know I would take it if it meant saving my or my family members life."
...especially since I've been directly effected by my dad dying of brain cancer and Nathan with his heart conditions and pacemaker...both diseases do their majority of research with stem cells. If it was just stem cells from umbilical cord that wouldn't make me seek the thoughts of others. But some research comes from aborted fetuses and from fertilization outside of the womb...which then means the baby dies and is discarded after.
2 comments:
Research has moved to more ethical study methods with the use of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS) and Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT). iPS preserves the same genetic information as early embryonic cells without the controversial use of embryos while SCNT transfers a donor cell to an egg cell whose nucleus has been removed.
To cure disease and alleviate suffering are noble pursuits. Nobody knows all the risks or all the possible outcomes, so we have to value it with our perception of the outcome. Perception is influenced by our individual feelings, morals and knowledge about the issue.
As a parent of an Autistic child, stem cell research is critical in understanding his disorder. Valuable information on brain development of autistic children could, no doubt, be critical in understanding many other brain disorders. Is his quality of life less valuable then that of a normal child? Is he less valuable then an embryo? More valuable? Does one outweigh the other?
Who made Stem Cells? Answer: the same God that we pray to on Sunday mornings? do you think STEM CELLS and their usage is random? no. Just as God made you for a purpose and me for a purpose, so to with Stem Cells. In my eyes they are the untapped wonder that God developed so that humans (flawed as we are) have a way of battling cancer and other conditions with affect and impact our bodies. I agree with previous comments that we might over-think some issues too much. In a world that seems so "out of wack" sometimes, isn't it nice that God has made provision for humans to cure themselves with a little know-how and a lot of determination. Keep on thinking!!!! It's good for us all.
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