Connor+S’s+Final+AmEx+2013+Speech

="The Cure For Cancer"=

= = Stem cell research. What comes to my mind when I hear those words? People talking down about stem cell research. One of the South Park episodes which really pissed me off is when they had Christopher Reeves (who was one of the actors who played batman) come to town supporting stem cell research. South Park portrays Christopher Reeves as a crazy fetus devouring monster, which in my opinion doesn’t play true in real life. This is also one of the many episodes where Kenny who is one of the main characters who trouble always seems to find, dies due to his tissue wasting away, which by the way could’ve been saved by stem cell research. South Park is a crude and horrid show but funny nonetheless. So of course they would be the ones to bag on stem cell research.  This topic is a very important one though that is near and dear to my heart and a very controversial topic in America’s agenda. You might ask what stem cell research is? Stem cell research is when you take healthy cells from an aborted embryo and transfer them to a person with a life threatening disease or disorder to make a beneficial and maybe even a life saving change. This is where the whole procedure gets complicated and troubles arise. Some people believe that stem cell research is immoral and inhumane because they believe that contraception is when life begins and that extracting the stem cells is against certain religious beliefs. While I respect these beliefs, personally I believe that we should be able to decide ourselves whether or not we want to participate in the research. An argument which is pro research is when the scientists are extracting the cells, the embryo is only 5 days old and at that stage, the embryo doesn't have vital organs like a heart or lungs and hasn't even begun to form into a human being. This research in my opinion is beneficial to the world, saving millions of lives. Whether you need an organ replacement or a cure for a life threatening disease like cancer, stem cells can be used to save people’s lives. In the world in which I mature in, I hope to see stem cell research totally legalized. I believe that we should take advantage of the opportunity to save lives from a non-living embryonic material instead of throwing it away which is what we are doing currently. We are wasting precious and valuable lives throwing away these embryos and this in my opinion needs to change. I’ve personally had to deal with an experience at a young age which stem cell research could've prevented. I was 13 years old when my dad passed away from a type of cancer called leukemia. With stem cell research, he could still be on this earth and raising me today. Even if you are against stem cell research, try telling a 13 year old whose parent is passing away that there is a cure for him, but that it can’t be used because it is against the law. I believe that it is immoral to let someone die, when there is research that can be done to save their lives. I attend a weeklong camp at the beginning of the summer called Camp Kesem. Camp Kesem is there for kids who either have or have lost a parent to cancer. This is a time when hundreds of kids aged 4-18 gather and have a fun filled week at camp. It’s a helpful way for us to get away from everyday life and connect with people who also have been through the same tragedies which brings us close. By the end of the week we form a sort of family, which signifies how close we all get. As much as I love my Camp Kesem family, I would much rather not have the camp be in existence at all, because then that would mean that cancer would be nonexistent. No more children would have to worry about their parents pulling through. An experience that will be embedded into my mind for the rest of my life was a camp moment. It was the middle of the day and we had just finished lunch when news spread over camp that a camper’s parent had passed away. The camper was about 10 years old and had a little sister. Their dad had passed away from cancer a couple of years before and now they had just received news that their mom passed away while they were at camp. The whole mood of the camp went from being energetic and positive to solemn and mourning. The camper was in shock and everyone could tell that it hadn’t hit him yet since he was acting normal and something like a life altering change of a second parent passing away didn’t happen to him. This is what really worried everyone since we knew that after his stage of shock and disbelief comes the stage of breakdown and despair. Everyone kept checking in with the camper and tried to comfort him and make him feel better. This is a main reason that in the America that I grow old in, I want to see stem cell research totally legalized. I don’t want to experience any more young children or anyone at all experience the passing of a loved one. Cancer and other life threatening diseases could be put to an end with this research.

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