text: is embryonic stem cell research ethical? i am writing an english paper on stem cell research.  i basically want to know what you think so i can include it in my paper.  thanks so much! the problem with the embryonic stem cell research debate is that too many people equate it with abortion. for years, researchers have been trying to use embryos from fertility clinics. the way the current law is, the ones that are not implanted in a woman are discarded - thrown in the trash. i see this as unethical. why discard them when they can be used on possibly life-saving research? who supports stem-cell research? people as diverse as michael j fox, nancy reagan, curt shilling, and my father, who passed 4 years ago from lou gherigs disease.  i feel it is unethical to discard something that could potentially save lives simply because of misinformation.  pluripotent stem cells, those from embryos, are able to develop into all the different types of cells in the body and multiply rapidly.   adult stem cells, or multipotent stem cells, that could give rise to all cell and tissue types have not yet been found. adult stem cells are often present in only minute quantities and can therefore be difficult to isolate and purify. there is also evidence that they may not have the same capacity to multiply as embryonic stem cells do. also, adult stem cells may contain more dna abnormalities—caused by sunlight, toxins, and errors in making more dna copies during the course of a lifetime. these potential weaknesses limit the usefulness of adult stem cells.  there is a really good paper on this at the michael j fox foundation website called "q&a embryonic stem cells; exploding the myth" (see link)