BOTANY

Detailed explanation-1: -Pluripotent stem cell lines can be derived from the inner cell mass of the 5-to 7-d-old blastocyst. However, human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research is ethically and politically controversial because it involves the destruction of human embryos.

Detailed explanation-2: -Opponents argue that the research is unethical, because deriving the stem cells destroys the blastocyst, an unimplanted human embryo at the sixth to eighth day of development. As Bush declared when he vetoed last year’s stem cell bill, the federal government should not support “the taking of innocent human life.”

Detailed explanation-3: -But when scientists learned how to remove stem cells from human embryos in 1998, both excitement and controversy ensued. The excitement was due to the huge potential these cells have in curing human disease. The controversy centered on the moral implications of destroying human embryos.

Detailed explanation-4: -The ethics behind embryonic stem cell research are controversial because the criteria of ‘personhood’ is “notoriously unclear.” Personhood is defined as the status of being a person, entitled to “moral rights and legal protections” that are higher than living things that are not classified as persons.

Detailed explanation-5: -Pros. Embryonic stem cells are thought by most scientists and researchers to hold potential cures for spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, hundreds of rare immune system and genetic disorders and much more.