There was a great segment last night about Stem Cell Research on Nova ScienceNOW. It's the clearest explanation of the scientific facts and benefits related to stem cell research I have ever seen. If you missed it, you can catch it online (~15 minutes).

I think that a lot of what's at stake here is that we are going to miss a huge opportunity to better our lives and our standing in the medical economy of the world. If we don't do stem cell research and find cures for Parkinson's, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, etc. some other country will. It's a flat world and we won't be the medical and pharmaceutical powerhouse we are now if we stop certain kinds of viable research from happening. If we don't do it, some other country will, namely India and China.

A lot of the arguments against stem cell research have to do with religious viewpoints on life. Many religions think that life starts at conception and use this as an argument against using stem cells. The thing is, there is no conception going on when making stem cells. You're taking one cell, replacing the genes from another cell and then letting those cells grow and using them to grow other cells to save a person's life. I've got cells flaking off of me everyday and I don't cry at the wasting of yet another human life. One of the cells is an unfertilized egg cell, but that doesn't really change the equation for me. Unfertilized eggs die off everyday and no one seems to be too concerned. We could be trying to save real people with this research, but instead we're passing laws to outlaw it. Why is this seen as an all or nothing issue?

Regulation of this would be a good thing, but this isn't even being talked about. The only thing I hear about is an outright banning of it. I don't think we can go hog wild on this research as I think there are some consequences that need to be addressed, but this discussion isn't being had. Why is everything seen as all or nothing, black or white, yes or no?

The poll on the site is great way to view the arguments of both sides of the issue. I think too many people are arguing about this but are not informed of the issue enough. I'm not saying that once you take the poll, you'll agree with me, but I think the argument is more nuanced than we first think.