The embryos from which human embryonic stem cells are derived are typically from four or five day old blastocysts. The blastocyst includes three structures: the trophoblast, which is the layer of cells that surrounds the blastocyst; the blastocoel, which is the hollow cavity inside the blastocyst; and the inner cell mass, which is a group of approximately 30 cells at one end of the blastocoel. Human embryonic stem cells are isolated by transferring

Embryonic stem cell research is a heated debate with two very passionate sides. On the one hand you have people like Christopher Reeve, Michael J. Fox, and Nancy Reagan who are big advocates of stem cell research and say stem cells could cure their diseases or Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer condition. Nancy Reagan has addressed Bush about the potential benefits of stem cell research and the consequences down the road to the U.S. if the federal government doesn't fund this research. On the other side you have people who's reason to oppose it is because they say life starts at conception whether that conception is done the natural way or done in a petri dish in an in-vitro fertilization lab somewhere. They say that these leftover in-vitro fertilization embryos frozen in labs all over the country could at any time be implanted into a woman's uterus and become a child and, in fact, have pointed out that some infertile couples have adopted these embryos and impregnated the wife and today have happy healthy children who say no cure is worth destroying a human embryo. And since stem cells research at this point usually involves an embryo or fetus, this is where you get the debate.

In compliance with the ban on testing human embryos (imposed by President Bush), scientists cannot use federal funds to derive stem cells from embryos. However, they may use federal funds to study the 60 stem cell lines that already exist. Scientists who procure stem cells from fetal tissue are eligible for federal funding, as fetal tissue research is not under government ban. California recently became the only state in the nation to adopt its own law funding and expanding embryonic stem cell research.

I believe embryonic stem cell research would increase the quality and length of life for millions of people worldwide. I feel that Bush should open the doors to the potential benefits that stem cell research has to offer. It would boost this country's health and economy. I agree with California's new law, which expands the research, but still has guidelines to follow, so that mad scientists can't create embryo farms and sell them on the black market. I think the federal government should adapt a new law similar to California's. Excess embryos are created in in-vitro fertilization labs and I think they should be used for a good cause rather than be destroyed or stuck in storage. I don't think that embryos should be created for the sole purpose of research, but if they are already there why not take advantage of them?

Unfortunately adult stem cells don't seem to have the same potential as em

Some common words found in the essay are:
, California's Excess, President Bush, Nancy Reagan, stem cells, embryonic stem, embryonic stem cells, stem cell, cell research, stem cell research, federal funding, adult stem cells, adult stem, cell lines, cell types, embryonic stem cell, stem cell lines, inner cell, Reagan's Alzheimer, private companies,
Approximate Word count = 1741
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)