Stem cells have the ability to transform into any type of cell. These cells can divide and also replenish other cells in the body, such as muscle cells, brain cells, red blood cells, or simply remain as stem cells. Stem cells are able to replicate even after long periods of dormancy. They naturally repair damaged tissues and can be experimentally induced to work with particular tissues and organs (NIH, 2013). There are three types of stem cells. Embryonic stem cells originating from a fertilized egg, somatic stem cells are fully mature cells taken from an adult, and more recently created pluripotent stem cells which can be induced through experimentation to assume specific functions (NIH, 2013). The history of using stem cells for experimental purposes dates back to 1998 with Dr. James Thompson. A biologist at the University of Wisconsin, Thompson discovered that embryonic stem cells isolated with other cell types would develop into that type. This led to the hypothesis that stem cells could be used to advance medicine, as they could potentially treat injuries and diseases (AAAS, 2012). The conflict surrounding stem cell research is, ethically, whether it is good or bad. The majority of Americans defend it because of the possibilities for medical advancement, saving thousands of lives. Opponents believe it is unethical to destroy embryos because they are human beings. Those who oppose stem cell research also claim that it causes many deaths during clinical trials and experiments, and could potentially lead to the cloning of humans. The issue has sparked much political debate for ethical reasons. The Dickey-Wick...... middle of paper ......//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1083849/Pollock, J. (2014). Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice (8 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Reaves, J. (July 11, 2001). The great debate over stem cell research. Time, retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,167245,00.htmlSchwartz, SD (2012). Embryonic stem cell trials for macular degeneration: a preliminary report. PubMed, retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22281388Stem Cell Research 11ReferencesSiegel, A. (2008). Ethics of stem cell research. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Edward N. Zalta (ed.), retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2008/entries/stem-cells/.Vatican science project. (November 21, 2011). America, 205(16), 4. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.itt-tech.edu/ehost/delivery?sid=cd02803c-d2c1-401c