Embryonic Stem cell research should be legalized

Thank you for the opportunity to have an intelligent exchange on this topic, Abarnett. This is not a topic that I have a really strong position on at the moment. I tend to think that the claims of either side could well be exaggerated. I am taking the "con" to learn more and grow in this area. Claims that fetal stem cells are necessary to cure modern diseases may be vastly overblown. That will be the "wake-up" call that I sound throughout this debate. In fact, adult stem cells may be much more effective. Not only that, but adult stem cells has very recently made embryonic stem cell research "obsolete." [1] Many people may not even know about adult stem cell potential, unfortunately, nor understand how widespread it is in the human body. [2] Perhaps, no fetal stem cell research will even be called for in the future. Interestingly enough, adult stem cell research has been used to wipe out the effects of diabetes which the Chinese have used fetal cells for in their research. [3], [2] So, if there is even a remote possibility that doctors who might benefit financially or otherwise from encouraging the number of abortions who would be utilizing fetal stem cells instead of adult stem cells, would that even be ethical given the financial conflict of interest? I wonder if the scientists have thought that far ahead. Additionally, in the cast of type II diabetes, it may not be necessary to harvest either fetal or adult stem cells since the condition can be removed dietarily. [4] We have to ask ourselves, "Where are the research dollars going at this point?" Are they going to support the fetal stem cell research or the adult stem cell research? The widely touted claim that that embryonic stem cells are more powerful or versatile than adult stem cells is being questioned. [5] Adult stem cells are called "pluripotent" due to the fact that they can "transdifferentiate." [5] This is, indeed, a striking and revealing statement: ""At present over 70 diseases have been treated with adult stem cell therapy. In fact, blood forming stem cells have been used in transplants for over 30 years.[ft]"In contrast, the track record for the use of embryonic stem cells in clinical applications demonstrates no successes: "However, to date, no approved medical treatments have been derived from embryonic stem cell research."[ft] [5] Thus, is my opponent's argument built more out of "hype" than "fact"? Another apparent benefit of fetal cell transplantation is attempting to cure "erectile dysfunction." [6] Do we really need to take fetal cells to prevent this problem? No, not at all. When stress is removed through natural means, regular function is resumed which has been demonstrated in numerous studies. [7] In summary, not enough people are even familiar with adult stem cell technology as opposed to fetal cell technology. Adult stem cells can transdifferentiate (move from one organ environment to another and adapt) as can fetal stem cells. Adult stem cell technology shows fewer side effects than fetal stem cell technology. Finally, many conditions don't need *either* fetal or adult cell stems for their treatment since they are naturally alleviated through diet and exercise. Prevention is more important than putting a medical band-aid on a problem. I look forward to future rounds of clarifying our positions and rebutting various arguments in this ongoing societal discussion. [1] https://answersingenesis.org... [2] http://stemcells.nih.gov... [3] http://stemcellres.com... [4] http://healthwyze.org... [5] https://answersingenesis.org... [6] http://www.hindawi.com... [7] http://www.medicaldaily.com...