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The United States Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute of Health must remove restrictions on creatingembryosforresearchpurposesbecausethroughembryonic stem cell research scientists may be able to reduce the risk of transplantation, repair physical trauma, and develop treatments or cures for diseases such as Parkinsons. A stem cell is a cell that has the ability to duplicate itself or become another cell that has a specialized job in the body, like skin cells. There are two different types of stem cells: an embryonic stem (ES) cell and a adult stem cell. A ES cell, which is harvested from anembryo,hasabetterpossibilitytochangeintodifferent specializedcells in the human body. While adult stem cells have a more finite number of possibilities. Even though embryonic stem cells have the potential to create many benefits for mankind, the research isheldback by federal legislation that prohibits creating embryos with the pretext of using them for research purposes. For mankind to gain those benefits from stem cells, the United States government must lift theserestrictions. In the pasttherehavebeenobjectionsandlimitationsonembryonicstemcellresearch,sincethe cells are harvested fromembryos. In2007,PresidentBushissuedExecutiveOrder13435stating,No life should be used as a mere means for achieving the medical benefit of another human embryos and fetuses, as living members of the human species, are not raw materials to be exploited orcommodities to be bought and sold and instead supported the researchwherescientiststrytorevert thespecialized cell back into a stem cell (Bush). Theprocessoftryingtorevertaspecialized cellbackintoastemcell is a more painstaking process because it sometimes requires a surgical operation to acquire the specialize cell and then to implant it backintothepatientordonorafterward. Embryonicstemcells,on the other hand, are created by using the donors adult cells nucleusandthen injecting itintoaeggcell,

creating an embryo that is genetically identical to the patients (University of Utah). The process of creating embryonic stem cells is more direct than the roundabout process of Bushs support on reversingaspecializedcell. Current laws are more lenient on embryonic stem cell research by allowing scientists to use leftover embryos, which are mainly given by couples who have gone through in vitro fertilization to become pregnant and have more embryos than they needed, and aborted fetuses (Boston Childrens Hospital). In 2009, President Obama issued Executive Order 13505 stating that most limitations on embryonic stem cell research have been lifted and that the research now has federal funding, whereas research had only private funding before. The order also revoked Bushs earlier executive order and allowed scientist to research to the extent permitted by law. There were only two rules researchers could not violate: the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes or research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero (Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009). Except embryonic stem cell research can advance even quicker, if scientists could create embryosspecificallyforresearchpurposes. Without the further advancementofembryonicstemcellresearch,therewouldbealargernumberof

patients who are suffering from multiple diseases, physical trauma, and the risk of transplantation than thenumberofpatients ifthelawswererevoked. Theresearchcould createacellbasedtherapytotreat illnesses like diabetes, Parkinsons disease, stroke, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, heart failure and spinal cord lesions (Oxford Journal). Hanna,aresearcheratthe NationalHumanGenomeResearchInstitute, states, this type of cloning could overcome grafthost responses if resulting therapies were developed

from the recipient's own DNA,soforphysicaltrauma,ascientistwouldbeabletotakeanucleusfrom an adult cell in a patients body and produce cells that have the same genetic information. This could reduce the risk of transplantation because the cells would have the same genetic information, and then the patients body would have a smaller chance of rejecting the transplant organ. Scientistbelievethat they can start creating whole organs with stem cells, suchaspancreases that produceinsulinforpeople who have diabetes (Science Daily). Inthenearfuture,theprogress ofsuchresearchcanbehastenedif therestrictionsonembryonicstemcellresearcharelifted. The one way to remedy this problem of limited researchmaterialsisforthefederalgovernment to lifttherestrictionsforresearcherstocreateembryosforresearchpurposes,evenwiththechance ofa result of harmed embryos. Embryonic stem cell research and abortions are similar in the fact that embryos die in both processes. Most of the time scientists do not even extract the cells from what is considered an embryo. The cells are extracted from a blastocyst, a bundle of cells. An embryo is considered an embryoduringthefirsttoeighthweekafterfertilization, whileablastocystisconsidereda blastocyst just after a few days. During the times, when a blastocyst is used for experimenting, the blastocyst is not even considered as a person because it, is not an embryoasitwillnotgiverisetoan individual. Instead,itisacellularmassthathasthepotentialtoyieldone,two,three,ormoreindividuals. As such, the blastocyst cannot be considered an individual (Magalhes). Therefore, if it is legal for women to obtain an abortion in all 50 states, then creating embryos for researching purposes, where theymightgetkilled,shouldbelegaltoo(Abortion73). Researchers have such a finite number of materials for experiments, such as leftover embryos, abortedfetuses,mice, goats,sheep,cattle,andpigs,thattheresearchisprogressingatsuchaslowpace

(Hanna). Additionally the limited amount of animals that canbetestedon,haveaveryminimalsuccess rate because, Many [of the] cloned animals die in utero, even at late stages or soon after birth, and those that survive frequently exhibit severe birth defects, which eventually leaves only the extra embryos andabortedfetuses tobethetestsubjects(Hanna). Exceptwhenthe researchfocusesonthe actual cells themselves, and not the result, thenthemicestillareexcellentmodelsforunderstandingthe niche in which hematopoietic stem cells are engendered because the mice and human embryos share originofsomestemcellslocatedintheirbonemarrows(WattandHogan). If the restrictions on embryonic stem cell research is not lifted then the repercussions would be a

greater number of deaths of sick people, who could have been saved. Not only will the outcome of embryonic stem cell research create treatments for existing diseases, it will create, cures for currently untreatable diseases. In addition, embryonic stem cell research may lead to rapid, reliable methods of screening new drugs for toxicity and efficacy without having todothesetestsinhumanbeings(Boston Childrens Hospital). Additionally, even though scientists are researching how to clone a human using embryonic stem cells with the somatic cell nuclear transfer process, where thenucleusisplacedintoan egg cell, itisonlypossibleforittogrowforafewdays. Excepttheeggcellcannever beimplantedinto a human females womb because it is also illegal to clone humans for reproductive purposes (Boston Childrens Hospital). The restrictions on embryonic stem cell research is making it even harder for scientisttofindadditionalwaystogroworgansandlimbsforpatients. As a result of humancloning,somepeoplehavebeguntothinkthatifscientistareallowedtoclonea

human, asuperhumanwillbeproduced. Exceptthethreatofasuperhuman,createdbyembryonicstem cell research, is illogical to begin with because it wouldn't be economically viable. It would require a

large amount of resources, not to mention years in research and waiting for the clones to grow (Magalhes). Even if there is only one superhuman being produced, therewillstillbeallthoseyearsof researchtrying toachieveahighersuccessrateofproducinganindividualthatcansurvivethepregnancy andbirth,forone,and,secondly,bebornwithoutanydefects. Even if embryonic stem cell research receives federal funding and has most of the past limitations

lifted, the laws impeding the creation and destruction of embryos for research purposes and the prohibition of reproductive cloning continues to slow down the progress of the research. The restrictions slows down the advancement of treatments and cures formultipleillnesses,thereductionof the risk for transplantation, and the chances for repairing physical trauma. The benefits gained from embryonic stem cell research will not be limited to one agegroup,oroneethnicgroup,oronecountry the benefitswillbeavailabletotheentireworld. Embryonicstemcellresearchhasthepossibilitiestorid mankindsillnesses,butthiscanonlybeachievedifthestatedlawsarerevoked.

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StemCells.9Mar.2009.PDFfile. OmnibusAppropriationsAct,2009.11Mar.2009.PDFfile. TheSkinnyonStemCells|SuccessfulHumanCloningStirsHopeandControversy.Nerac.N.p., n.d.Web.3Feb.2013. <http://www.nerac.com/nerac_insights.php?category=articles&id=63>. Superhuman.Dictionary.N.p.,n.d.Web.6Mar.2013. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/superhuman?s=t>. U.S.AbortionLaw.Abortion73.N.p.,n.d.Web.5Mar.2013. <http://www.abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_law/>.. Watt,FionaM.,andBrigidL.M.Hogan.OutofEden:StemCellsandTheirNiches.Science.N.p., 25Feb.2000.Web.5Mar.2013.<http://www.sciencemag.org/content/287/5457/1427.full>. Wert,GuidoDe,andChristineMummery.HumanEmbryonicStemCells:Research,Ethicsand Policy.OxfordJournals.N.p.,n.d.Web.5Mar.2013. <http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/4/672.full>.