As a young Catholic schoolboy, I remember using the all-too-famous Horton Hears a Who! story to defend my beliefs on abortion. The hearty elephant character would allow no one to stomp on his flower, eventually convincing the rest of the jungle that the flower was, in fact, filled with microscopic denizens.
And two years after my last high school days, embryonic stem cells, also known as the new abortion
arrive to test the morality of society - and myself.
As science progresses onward, stem cell research usually wiggles itself into all my biology classes, along with the disgruntled expressions on young scholar's faces. No one really wants to talk morality in biology class at 9 a.m., but professors insist on developing well-rounded scientists and engineers.
This is important because embryonic stem cells are one of the few topics itching to revolutionize the world, lacking a mere push from our Uncle Sam.
Embryonic stem cells can transform into any tissue in the body, and consequently cure various diseases. We chose mice to be the lucky guinea pigs slated for testing embryonic stem cells. These experiments' amazing results would make Bill Nye proud.
The formula to the cure is a special cell, which can be isolated from embryos. After an egg is fertilized, it starts to differentiate. The single fertilized cell becomes a gold mine of cells. At that point, you have embryonic stem cells that can form any cell in an adult body.
Once you isolate the stem cells, the rest is relatively easy. You simply take a stem cell and transfer it to the damaged location. This can be anywhere from the sensitive spinal cord to your beating heart. And then nature takes over. The stem cells begin to form new cells and repair the damaged area in a short amount of time. The cells have cured brain damage caused by Parkinson's and even type 1 diabetes in mice.
So why are we not spending billions to treat incurable diseases, you ask?
Well, if we can grow an entire mouse from one embryonic stem cell, we could also grow an entire human from that single embryonic stem cell. And if you can successfully accomplish that, does one stem cell equal one entire human?
This is where science exits and ethics takes over. Many who sport their pro-life views argue an embryo has the same rights as a full grown human.
And we arrive at an impasse.
The Catholic Church illuminates us by proclaiming life begins at the moment of conception. Originally, the church utilized this stance during the abortion debate. Now it has transferred over to stem cell research. Many religions still stand atop different pedestals when it comes to stem cell research. Either way, the majority believes the fetus does not have the potential to be human, but is rather a human being with potential.
The United States Supreme Court concluded that human life begins when the fetus can live without help from the mother. The point when this occurs is about 24 weeks into the pregnancy. As science advances, however, the waiting period might become shorter and shorter.
Because of this, the government bans federal money for stem cell research. Currently, federal funds cannot be used to conduct research on embryonic stem cells. The only research permitted on stem cells is privately funded, an endeavor few will undergo without a guarantee of profit.
That leaves us with the question of mice and men. Mouse DNA, and the research we do on it, is not guaranteed to work on humans. There is increasing pressure to begin working on human stem cells with a start up package directly from taxpayers' pockets.
Do I believe the potential of stem cells for curing human suffering far outweighs any harm? For me, a person's a person. No matter how small.
Luis Delgadillo is a sophomore studying chemical engineering and Thursday columnist for The Post. Send him your favorite Bill Nye bow tie color combos at ld199907@ohiou.edu 4
Opinion
Luis Delgadillo
