I had posted last Friday that my chosen topic for my paper was stem cell research. After doing some e-mailing with the professor and some of my own research, I have decided to stick with this topic. The controversial part of this subject that the professor helped me point out is where the stem cells are harvested from. Do all stem cells need to be harvested from an aborted fetus? I think that is also going to be the start of my working thesis statement.
This afternoon, I am going to start the research part of my project while working on some sort of rough draft outline. I think it is important to do both around the same time that way you know what you want to research and talk about on your paper. You will find better resources that way-- if you have an idea of what you want to talk about first. I am hoping my research points out different alternatives to using the stem cells of aborted fetuses, and if there isn't, I hope more research is being done to try and find something different. This is a interesting subject, and I'm excited to go to the Kaplan Library. I'll post a little bit later and let you guys know how I did!
That is a great topic to explore! I have always been for advancing medicine, although i do not agree with all the ways it's done. I am really looking forward to reading your paper to find out if there are other ways of harvesting stem cells. It is sad to think about how they are harvested from aborted fetuses. It makes me feel better if I look at it as the fetus is doing some good, but still sad to think about. I feel the same way about that as I do donating organs from babies that are not expected to live. If they have been diagnosed in utero with a fatal disease, I believe the mother/parents have every right to carry their baby to term, even if it is only for organ donation. My boss went through this situation a year ago. Her daughter was diagnosed with encephaly at her 20 week ultrasound. That condition is fatal in 100% of the cases. The baby may be born alive, and if they are, it is only for a few minutes to a few days. She decided to give her daughter the chance to be born alive, no matter how long it would be for. The thought that comforted her was that she would be able to donate her organs to save several other babies waiting for transplants. There is always a silver lining to any story, no matter how grim. I hope that is the way it is with stem cell harvesting!
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