Stem Cell Research

• Supporters of expanding funding for embryonic stem-cell research say: Leaving stem-cell research funding to the states and private investors creates non-uniform research standards and scientific results. Inadequate funding could deny hundreds of millions of Americans cures for their diseases and disorders.

• Opponents of expanding funding for embryonic stem-cell research say: Taking cells from embryos is tantamount to murder; once a sperm and an egg are combined into an embryo, the embryo is a viable being. Embryonic stem-cell research has yet to prove any true advances, while adult stem-cell research and similar alternative methods have already proven to be viable means of researching with stem cells.

The embryonic stem-cell debate is a prime example of the battlegrounds that Wald was describing. It pits anti-abortionists against scientists, conservatives against liberals, advocates for disease research against some doctors. It is an epic battle, and not one that is likely to be resolved any time soon.

Do you think that it is moral or immoral for researchers to use embryonic stem cells?

Which impulse do you think will win out in the end: the moral objections to using embryonic stem cells, or the possible discovery of a variety of cures from stem-cell research?