Stem Cell Essay

One of the greatest issues in the world today is the threat of neurodegenerative diseases. These diseases are responsible for about 60,000 deaths per year, many of which are preceded by up to several years of excruciating pain and suffering. These, among other health issues such as heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes, are treatable with stem cell therapy.

With the myriad of diseases treatable with stem cell technology, it is surprising that more effort is not being put into stem cell research. Many labs do what they can to research the benefits of stem cell technology, but without government funding, all efforts to research these new medicines are crippled. Government funding is available, but only if a gauntlet of criteria is met. These include having stem cells that were derived before August 9th 2001, the embryo must have been created for reproductive purposes and was no longer needed, and it must have been a complete donation involving no money. Worldwide, only 71 derivations of stem cells meet these requirements, many of which aren’t