What are the pros and cons of stem cell research?

What are the pros and cons of stem cell research? I want straight up lists too, one of pros, one of cons. Everywhere I look they don't give you the straight dope. It seems the people who say it's bad is because they think they like kill babies in the process or some weird crap. Isn't stem cell research an awesome thing?

Hi,

Here are some of the arguments.

Pro:
-Medical benefits in areas of regenerative medicine and therapeutic cloning.
-Endless potential for scientists to learn about human growth and cell development

Con:
-For those who believe that life begins at conception, the blastocyst (where the stem cells are coming from) is a human life and to destroy it is unacceptable and immoral.

The controversial issue is embrionic stem-cell research. Stem-cells can be taken from adults, amniotic fluid, placentae & umbillocal (sp) cords.

Pros of stem cell research in general:
1.stem cells have the ability to grow into any cell in the body, even lung, nerve & braincells that don't replicate.
2.Cells taken from your own body probably won't be 'rejected' if they are transplanted.
3. Many, many more...

Cons of embrionic stem-cell research:
1. It involves destroying the embrio, which is a seperate organism from the parents (usually grown in a test-tube; never implanted in a serrogate mother)
2. In all experiments conducted so far, tissues grown from embionic stem cell research grow uncontrollable 'tumors' which have prevented effective medical use.
3. There are people who will their opportunity working with human embrios to try experiments with human cloning. (the same tumors & other defects have been problematic in cloned animals, which means that any person who is the result of cloning would likely be subject to a life of medical suffering)

I noticed in one of your other posts that you recently decided that you thought abortion was immoral. Embrionic stem-cell research could be compared to the Nazi's experiments on people they considered to be 'sub-human.'

Some people say that morality should only be defined in terms of suffering, and because embrios don't 'suffer,' then we should be able to do whatever we want if it will alleviate someone else's suffering. By that logic, I should be able to kill anyone who causes me to suffer, as long as I use painless means. Also I don't know what embrios can and cannot feel.

Hope this helps.