Exciting/optimistic
Stem cell research can potentially help
treating a range of medical problems. It
could lead us closer to cure:
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Heart Diseases, Stroke and
Diabetes
• Birth Defects
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Replace or Repair Damaged
Organs
• Reduced Risk of Transplantation
This could also give significant social
and economic benefits for individuals
and the society.
Some researchers regard this as the
greatest potential for the alleviation of
human suffering since the advent of
antibiotics.
Scientists see almost infinite value in
the use of embryonic stem cell
research to understand human
development and the growth and
treatment of diseases.
In April 2007, the Democratic-led
Senate passed the Stem Cell Research
Enhancement Act of 2007 by a vote of
63 to 34. In June 2007, the House
passed the legislation by a vote of 247
to 176.
In the US, by 2006 89% of the planted
area of soybeans, 83% of cotton, and
61% maize were genetically modified
varieties. Genetically modified
soybeans carried herbicide-tolerant
traits only, but maize and cotton
carried both herbicide tolerance and
insect protection traits. To date no
adverse health effects caused by
products approved for sale have been
documented, although two products
failed initial safety testing and were
discontinued, due to allergic reactions.
Most feeding trials have observed no
toxic effects and saw that GM foods
were equivalent in nutrition to
unmodified foods, although a few
reports attribute physiological changes
to GM food. However, some scientists[3]
[3] and pressure groups such as
Greenpeace [4] and WWF [5] consider
that the available data do not prove
that GM food does not pose risks to
health, and call for additional and more
rigorous testing.
The world population has topped 6
Dangerous/pessimistic
Designer Babies : The adoption of
genetic engineering for cosmetic
reasons; for genetic enhancements has
spearheaded a lot of controversies.
People have begun asking the question
"Is it ethical to create designer babies
with enhanced physical ability and
appearance?" The National Director of
Christian Voice, Stephen Green said,
"The objection to the idea of designer
babies is that it divorces procreation
from the act of sexual congress, and
there's a real sense in which it is
playing God." Critics point out that the
level of biodiversity in the human race
will plummet, which can result in long
term disaster.
The fear is that in the future we may be
able to use genetic technologies to
modify embryos and choose desirable
or cosmetic characteristics. Designer
babies concept, will lead to
discrimination on the basis of certain
qualities or traits. Kids of rich families
will receive genetic enhancement,
leading to genetic aristocracy. This
gives them an unfair advantage over
the other children. People unable to
afford genetic engineering will be
looked down upon. Thereby, creating a
greater rift in society. Moreover, most
parts of the world are still male
dominated, and sex or gender
determination of the baby can lead to
gender discrimination across the globe.
In the past few years, we have seen the
horror that suicide bombers set loose in
restaurants from Tel Aviv to Baghdad,
and the danger of jets flying into
skyscrapers. Do we really want to see
what happens if a terrorist attacks a
nuclear power plant? Are we so
arrogant as to believe that these
facilities are not already tempting, and
vulnerable, targets?
Let's move on to complicated. The
primary waste product of nuclear
power, spent fuel rods, remains toxic
for thousands of years. We do not yet
know how to detoxify these waste
products and, despite 20-some years of
trying, we have not yet been able to
establish a long-term repository
anywhere in the United States.
Money is not the issue. We have the
resources to build a nuclear-waste
storage facility -- under the Nuclear
Waste Policy Act, customers of nuclear-
generated electricity have been paying
a $0.001 per kilowatt-hour fee on their