Stem Cell Research

[kawasakirider]

So guys, what's your opinion on this? Should it be given the go ahead, or is the moral dilemma too great?

Personally, I think we already play God enough, heart transplants, dialysis, transfusions etc, so I don't see the issue in using blank cells to combat conditions. A couple of years ago I contracted a really bad case of Glandular Fever at a party, I nearly died and was hospital bound for ages. As a result of this, I suffered sudden sensory neural hearing loss in my right ear. This means the nerves no longer work, so I am profoundly deaf in that ear.
The doctors could potentially have fixed it if they put me on steroids, but I had an incompetent nurse who told me I had an ear infection (even though there was no infection at all).

I could potentially have it fixed with the use of stem cells, they've done research on mice with the exact same issues in Russia with varying degrees of success. There was a case of a quadraplegic IIRC that went to India and with the use of stem cells was able to breathe unaided for the first time in years.

Without turning this into a $h1t fight, what are your opinions? Do you agree that stem cell research is wrong, when we've already mastered transplanting organs from dead people? Who has the right to stop scientific progression?

 

[vampstorso]

I don't see any issue with the research or application in itself, as long as it's elective. No one has the right to tell someone they should stay disabled forever when it could be fixed, but no one has the right to tell them it must be fixed either...

my main dilemma with it simply is the idea of it being a compulsory treatment.
People shouldn't be forced to change themselves, or to live longer.
I personally, am horrified at our new life expectancies. I'd happily die at 70 or so...not 100 or so, and I guess this will increase it even further.

I say the compulsory thing (although unlikely), based on situations such as say someone has a seizure infront of medical staff, and they don't want treatment (e.g. happened to my cousin when he was shopping), treatment is forced upon them regardless legally.


SO long story short, as long as it's elective, and not something only the "cream" of society have access too...I couldn't care less what happens with stem cell research.

Hopefully they can fix your ear someday, my Dad is deaf in one ear since childhood also

 

[kawasakirider]

I don't see any issue with the research or application in itself, as long as it's elective. No one has the right to tell someone they should stay disabled forever when it could be fixed, but no one has the right to tell them it must be fixed either...

my main dilemma with it simply is the idea of it being a compulsory treatment.
People shouldn't be forced to change themselves, or to live longer.
I personally, am horrified at our new life expectancies. I'd happily die at 70 or so...not 100 or so, and I guess this will increase it even further.

I say the compulsory thing (although unlikely), based on situations such as say someone has a seizure infront of medical staff, and they don't want treatment (e.g. happened to my cousin when he was shopping), treatment is forced upon them regardless legally.


SO long story short, as long as it's elective, and not something only the "cream" of society have access too...I couldn't care less what happens with stem cell research.

Hopefully they can fix your ear someday, my Dad is deaf in one ear since childhood also

It doesn't bother me too much, but I'd like it fixed.... I had perfect hearing before it happened, and my left ear has better than average hearing anyway. I can hear frequencies lots of people can't. Kinda handy when I'm trying to have a sleep in, I just sleep on my left side and don't hear much

I think you're spot on with regards to it being elective. We are on different levels when it comes to life expectancy, though. Death is my greatest fear... It doesn't stop me from living life and engaging in potentially dangerous activities, but I think about it a lot unfortunately. Where did you read that our life expectancy was around 100 now? I'd be thrilled to hear that.

I'm surprised our life expectancy isn't dropping, with all the lifestyle diseases plaguing us, it must have some detrimental effect on statistics.

 

[vampstorso]

It doesn't bother me too much, but I'd like it fixed.... I had perfect hearing before it happened, and my left ear has better than average hearing anyway. I can hear frequencies lots of people can't. Kinda handy when I'm trying to have a sleep in, I just sleep on my left side and don't hear much

I think you're spot on with regards to it being elective. We are on different levels when it comes to life expectancy, though. Death is my greatest fear... It doesn't stop me from living life and engaging in potentially dangerous activities, but I think about it a lot unfortunately. Where did you read that our life expectancy was around 100 now? I'd be thrilled to hear that.

I'm surprised our life expectancy isn't dropping, with all the lifestyle diseases plaguing us, it must have some detrimental effect on statistics.

I can't 100% confirm it's 100, but I'm almost certain it's about that...My Dad's a gerontologist and constantly has to study that sort of stuff, I THINK that's the age I heard him mention recently, though I could be wrong...but with that said he's had plenty of clients at the 100 mark from the generation before his and mine...so it probably is the right age.

Death doesn't scare me...living forever and never having peace is what scares me.

 

[kawasakirider]

That would be interesting to find out. Undoubtebly the life expectancy will continue to rise in developed countries. Would you mind asking him so you know 100%?

I love living, lol. It can be stressful, but there are ways to escape the stress

 

[Crystal..Discus]

Despite the hurdles that the Liberal government threw at it, stem cell research is legal in certain parts of Australia, and I couldn't be happier. We're keeping our fingers crossed that in the next ten years or so they'll open a trial for a currently incurable condition my partner has - same study in the US showed almost a complete recovery after 10 treatments (only problem there is that each treatment cost $30k+). We're not holding our breath though, because even though Australia is a "leader" in terms of research, the ultra conservatives in power make sure anything "radical" doesn't get through for another 20 years.

Everything else aside though, no one should be forced to accept a medical procedure.

 

[kawasakirider]

Which states, Crystal?

Despite being legal, I guess nothings being done about it I don't understand the moral dilemma people have with it, it's just advancing the medical field, which is great IMO.

 

[Crystal..Discus]

Which states, Crystal?

Despite being legal, I guess nothings being done about it I don't understand the moral dilemma people have with it, it's just advancing the medical field, which is great IMO.

It's permissible in all states, as long as embryos are not used to create stem cell lines (covered under the No-Clone act. 2002.) The "moral" dilemma is that the research involves taking an embryo, experimenting, then destroying it. For one reason or another, they believe that "life begins at conception," therefore, it's murder.

A lot of them have never had to suffer, or watch someone they love suffer.

Or be able to think logically for that matter.

 

[kawasakirider]

Aren't there other ways of harvesting stem cells? Cord blood, etc? Even if that was the only way to obtain them, I don't see the issue. Abortion is legal, and we're talking about zygotes in this case.

I'm off to bed. I'll check back for replies in the AM.

 

[Crystal..Discus]

You're not allowed to use the by-product of an abortion for research; all tissue has to be donated from an IVF clinic with the consent from the donors, or from the umbilical cords of newborns. ESC (Embryo Stem Cells) have a greater potential for treating genetic disorders than Adult Stem Cells (cells taken from cord blood) because ESCs have the ability to become any type of cell in the body, but only so much can be done with ASC because the genetic imprint is already there. At the same time, most countries prohibit the use of ESCs, which limits how much we can learn.

The only country in the world with no rules regarding the use of ESCs is China, but I have no doubt they're cloning people already...

Edit: **** I'm tired, don't take all of this as fact, I can't even read anymore.

 

[Jackrabbit]

I have no problem with Stem cell research per se.

The real problem I see is how do we support all the people that we save. If in 100 years the life expectancy is 100+ how does this planet support a population of say 30 billion. we can't support our current population well now. where will everyone live. can we support 300 million in Australia? not if we want to eat and live a decent life.

Darwin needs to come back and teach us about how the strongest survive and the weakest die. We are going against nature by extending life expectancy beyond what is natural. by all means fix people's hearing and sight, make a sick child well so he can grow and experience a full life. if someone is a paraplegic and we can help out of the wheelchair by all means but how are we helping by keeping an infirm elderly person alive for an extra 20 years in a nursing home. (flame suit on) my greatest fear is being stuck in a nursing home for the last 10 years of my life because I can't look after myself properly but I am too much of a chicken to opt for euthanasia.

 

[vampstorso]

I have no problem with Stem cell research per se.

The real problem I see is how do we support all the people that we save. If in 100 years the life expectancy is 100+ how does this planet support a population of say 30 billion. we can't support our current population well now. where will everyone live. can we support 300 million in Australia? not if we want to eat and live a decent life.

Darwin needs to come back and teach us about how the strongest survive and the weakest die. We are going against nature by extending life expectancy beyond what is natural. by all means fix people's hearing and sight, make a sick child well so he can grow and experience a full life. if someone is a paraplegic and we can help out of the wheelchair by all means but how are we helping by keeping an infirm elderly person alive for an extra 20 years in a nursing home. (flame suit on) my greatest fear is being stuck in a nursing home for the last 10 years of my life because I can't look after myself properly but I am too much of a chicken to opt for euthanasia.

I couldn't agree with you more

 

[Australis]

Jackrabbit,
What if the extra 20yrs was before you ended up in a home. great grandparents would be the norm.

 

[Tsubakai]

We already use stem cells every day in standard medical practice in various fields. The issue with further research and development is sourcing stem cells which needs to be developed so we have access to ethically obtained stem cells in large enough numbers to work with.

 

[kawasakirider]

This ^^^ is my point. There are ways of obtaining stem cells that aren't debauched (even though I don't think the way causing the dilemma is an issue).

Jackrabbit - the point you make about sustainability is valid, but if stem cells were harnessed correctly, theoretically you'd need not live the remaining years of your life as a burden in a home. No one knows why we age, cells are continually replaced, but no one knows why this slows (ageing) and ceases (death). Stem cells could theoretically provide youthful, healthy life for... Well... Ever.

 

[benjamind2010]

There shouldn't be any ethical dilemma involved. We only solved that "dilemma" like 40+ years ago, you know, abortion...stuff like that. The government has more or less dictated via law that an embryo or fetus is not a human being and therefore has no protection under any laws in this country.

Bring it on, there are too many disabled people who've suffered permanent losses of bodily functions some of them extremely important to their wellbeing that to deny this to them in the midst of 100% legal abortion is to me pretty slack.

 

[Defective]

i fully support stem cell research, it helped my uncle (not really an uncle, just someone i call that)stay alive. he had myoloma and 3 Stem Cell Treatments later he managed to live for 5yrs and do things he did had wanted to do, he was 70 but extremely fit and so he was an exception. i got to watch the sun set with him, his wife and son got much needed time as he had already done chemo and radiation.

 

[kawasakirider]

Where did he get these treatments? I'm guessing they weren't covered by medicare, do you know how much it cost?

 

[Defective]

he lived in NQLD? i think his were covered because he met the criteria (Medicare have criteria and some procedures are covered if you meet them) but i don't know how much it was, i was more focused on spending what time i had with him and making it quality

 

[kawasakirider]

Fair enough, thanks for the info.