"Stem cell research is the key to developing cures for degenerative diseases like Parkinson's and motor neuron disease which I and many others others suffer." -- Stephen Hawking As university students, it is important that we know about and care about the issue of stem cell research. Stem cell research is currently legal in most countries. The United States, normally the leader in terms of new borders, is one of the last to explore this territory. As this is progressing slowly, we will need to be informed. If the project continues to progress, we, citizens, will have to vote for it. It affects most of our lives in personal ways. Most of you know at least one person with diabetes, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. Perhaps you will even face one of these illnesses at some point in your life. It is important to know about issues such as stem cell research, which can help many people in our society. Stem cell research is becoming one of the most profound questions of our time. The issue of stem cell research derived from human embryos is increasingly the subject of dinner table discussions and national debate. The question is faced daily in laboratories as scientists consider the ethical consequences of their work. Parents and many couples experience anxiety when trying to have children or save children already born. The issue is debated within the Church, with people of different faiths, and even many people sharing the same faith, coming to different conclusions. Many people discover that the more they know about stem cell research, the less certain they are of the correct ethical and moral conclusions. What is stem cell research? It starts with an embryo. An embryo is created when a male sperm and a female egg are joined together. A large number of embryos already exist outside the natural environment. They are the product of a process called in vitro fertilization, which helps many couples conceive children. When doctors combine sperm and eggs to create life outside the uterus, they usually produce more embryos than are planted in the mother. Once a couple succeeds in having children, or if they fail, the extra embryos remain frozen in the laboratories. Some will not survive prolonged storage; others are destroyed. A number were donated to science and used to create privately funded stem cell lines..