A Mock Election- My Thoughts

Recently my class took part in a mock election; the class was divided into six teams, each of which then handed out topics to each member. I was assigned John McCain with the infamous topic: stem cell research.

I found research on the candidate's different views to be easily excess able. It was the actual information on stem cell research that I found most challenging. It was all there, it was just the daunting task of sifting through it. Some sites were worded with so many medical terms, I had a hard time deciphering it, others were easy to read, but didn't have enough information.

Research did prove to be useful though. I learned so much about the controversy over stem cell research that comes from frozen embryos or aborted fetuses. I found that most Republican candidates were against the use of any of the sources I've listed. They don't like the fact that the stem cells would be coming from something that "could have been a child". They say that adult stem cells are just as good; not necessarily true. It's proven that adult stem cells don't work as well when it comes to doing their job of replenishing "sick cells" in the body. So why shouldn't we use the sources we have such as frozen embryos or aborted fetuses? These are otherwise going to be discarded! I believe that if these "dead children" could help cure things such as cancer or diabetes, we should use them to their fullest potential. I guess that mean I disagree with 2/3 of the Republican candidates! Mitt Romney believes that adult stem cells will do, Huckabee thinks that stem cell research should NOT be funded, and John McCain thinks that it's a banner idea, that is as long as it's not an aborted fetus.

I'd be interested to learn more about what the candidates think about stem cells coming from the umbilical cord during birth.