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Dianna Godbehere

English 101-86

Mrs. Joan Baird

October 26, 2010

An Embryonic Stem Cell is not a “Baby”

Through media and education, our society has been trained to associate the word

“embryo” with an image of a “fetus”. This fact is important to remember when discussing the

topic of “Embryonic Stem Cell Research” as it is directly relevant to the issue. So-called

“ethical groups” would have you believe that the use of embryonic cells, to extract and even

clone stem cells, is wrong for a multitude of reasons. The fact is this: An embryo is not a baby.

Neglecting this fact simply because it conflicts with ones religion costs lives, possibly even the

life of someone you know.

Stem cell research is one of the most important discoveries in scientific and human

history because stem cells are the most amazing cells we are born with as humans. They have

the ability to reproduce indefinitely and can turn into almost any other type of cell in the body,

such as heart tissue, brain tissue and liver tissue. It is for this reason that stem cells are so

fervently sought after by the scientific community.

This research continues to prove its worthiness to advance medicine at an alarming rate

by and through its ability to cure a very long list of fatal illnesses that includes heart disease and

diabetes. This amazing, life-changing research, however, has been greatly hindered by stringent
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government regulation, both in the US and through the world. Such regulations exist due to

misinformed, uneducated, or just plain stubborn ethical groups and religions.

No one can “abort” anything that doesn’t have potential for life. “Potential for life” or

life has to exist in order for abortion to occur. This does not happen in a stem cell lab by any

ridiculous stretch of the imagination.

Embryonic Cells are merely eggs with a bare minimum of DNA in the nucleus. The eggs

used for Stem Cell research have no more potential for life than the skin cells you shower off the

surface of your body each day, but, because we are trained to think “baby” each time we see or

hear the word “embryo”, we tend to believe that there is potential for life in every human egg.

This is simply not true in the case for Embryonic Cells being used in a stem cell lab, for two

reasons. First, because no sperm is used to fertilize or cause the egg to begin cell division; and

secondly because there is no intent of putting the “fertilized” egg in its proper environment to

grow and become a human life form.

Human eggs can only develop into human beings through the process of conception

inside the uterus, or at the very least, with the intent to put the egg inside the uterus. Not every

human egg will become a human being, and it is ridiculous to entertain that idea. If you can

imagine every woman that has ever been born having a child every year from the time she starts

menstruation until the time she reaches menopause, then you will completely understand how

ludicrous it is to think that every human egg could, or even should, potentially be a child.

“Potential” is not actual any more than an “Embryo” is a “fetus”. These are words taken out of

context to suit the purpose of saving a “life” that doesn’t even exist!
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Pope John Paul II, however, contends that "...there seems to be no morally licit solution

regarding the human destiny of the [hundreds of] thousands of 'frozen' embryos which are and

remain the subjects of essential rights and should therefore be protected by law as human

persons."2 What human destiny? What human? There is simply no “human” in a ball of cells

with no heart beat that does not even remotely physically resemble a human being. I am

stupefied by the fact that a man in control of most, if not all, of his religions affairs made such an

asinine statement. I am certain that he showered that day and killed “[hundreds of] thousands”

of his own cells in the process, none of which were any more “human” than the cells he was

actually talking about in his own statement. You do not hear or see anyone calling the pope a

“murderer” for killing the research potential that can save “[hundreds of] thousands” lives or

even the life of your next door neighbor. Interesting as that is, the hypocrisy does not stop there.

In a stem cell laboratory, chemicals are added to stem cells in a Petri dish in order to

cause them to divide. Conception, on the other hand, starts in the female womb, where a sperm

cell fertilizes an egg cell, resulting in pregnancy. It is utterly insane to compare the two. If the

standard for abortion is so broad that it includes killing off cells to form new ones, then every

human being on the planet is guilty of performing thousands of daily abortions. This is not at all

far-fetched when you think about the fact that the only thing stem cell scientists are really guilty

of killing is the shell of the egg, which contains 50 to 200 cells. When you stop thinking of a

“fetus” every time you see or hear the word “embryo”, then it is easy to see what is really going

on. Killing cells is not tantamount to abortion.

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"Looking into Hannah's eyes, I weep for the roughly 188,000 frozen human embryos like her

placed in frozen-embryo orphanages who could be adopted rather than terminated with my

federal tax dollars.", says Marlene Strege, a woman who testified at a congressional hearing on

stem cell research in 2001. I am certain that she was not thinking about the “188, 000” actual

living, breathing lives that she could potentially be taking when she made that statement. The

actual number of people who could be saved by those "frozen human embryos", makes her

180,000 look like a single grain of sand in the Gobi desert. Again, you do not hear about anyone

calling her a “murderer” of “188,000” born, raised, intelligent, feeling, understanding,

compassionate, and fully developed human beings with life threatening illnesses.

This is how it is, folks: For every “ethical” and religious idiot who believes stem

cell research destroys lives, there is at least one person who is suffering from a fatal illness that

could be cured by the same research. Maybe, one day, the right person of power will become ill

enough to actually need to “kill a baby” in order to save himself. With any luck, that person will

be from one of these “ethical” groups. If and when that day comes, we will all see firsthand how

easy it is to change your mind about those condescending and contradictory convictions of

religious and “ethical” beliefs. That is when we will truly see the difference between “killing a

baby” and killing cells to save lives. Until then, someone you know is going to continue to

suffer, and possibly die, due to the mouths and minds of the misinformed, uneducated, and just

plain stubborn. Sleep well tonight with that thought in mind.

Citations:

1 Nova: Stem Cells: Early Research http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/stem-cells-

research.html

2 Stem cell research: The ethical problems of handling surplus embryos in fertility clinics

http://www.religioustolerance.org/res_stem10.htm