Joe, you can live......Lisa,you can live......Sorry Lindsy,your gonna be an ear

The argument to use stem cells for research has been a topic of great controversy. What surprises me is how most people feel very strongly one way or the other, without actually understanding the real issues of stem cell research. At the heart of the argument is weather or not embryonic stem cells should be used. What most people don't realize is that stem cells don't just come from embryos. Most stems cells used in research today come from bone marrow and blood from umbilical cords. Some scientist argue that the stem cells that come from embryos can be easier to work with, or grown into a larger variety of different cells. The fact is this has not actually been proven. What I cant argue with is that embryonic stems cells is an additional resource and could possibly further or speed up the research. That doesn't mean that they must be used or that the same goal can't be achieved using other stem cells. I will say this. . . . If you say that an embryo is not life and should be used for research, than you must have a definition of when life begins after the embryonic stage. If you do not have any such definition, than you must acknowledge that an embryo could be life. If you say life begins at birth, than you should have no problem with a mother getting pregnant, carrying her baby for 8 months, having an abortion and using her unborn fetus for research. Point being, if you want to weigh in on the argument, you should first decide for yourself where life begins.
One of the poorest arguments I hear is that other countries don't have the same moral dilemma as the United States so they are already using embryonic stem cells, so if we don't start using them, we will be so far behind on the technology, we won't be able to keep up. If ten years from now you get a new kidney as a result of the research that went on in France, do you really care? I'm not gonna turn away a French kidney if my daughter is dying. Even if it makes her yell "I surrender" every time someone sneaks up behind her.
I'm excited to see what stem cell research will bring, but lets not kill anyone to save anyone, it kinda defeats the purpose. Using bone marrow and umbilical cord blood stems cells will eventually yield the desired results. Any scientist that spends time trying to make embryonic stem cell research ethical, is wasting time that could be used researching the stem cells that are ethical.