The Stem Cell Research debate is one of the single-most important debates in the history of the human race. The truth about this issue is being diluted and misrepresented. There are a lot of media myths circulating about. The mainstream media continues to struggle to understand this issue and often fails to tell the whole story behind stem cell research, often lumping both embryonic and adult stem cell research into the same category. THE PROBLEM: these are two separate methodologies that should be carefully distinguished. These videos explains the differences between the methods.

Other videos regarding the embryonic vs. adult stem cell debate are below:

Embryonic Stem Cell Research = The Destruction of Human Embryos

Embryonic stem cell research derives stem cells from human embryos and results in the destruction of these human beings.

Missouri passed a Constitutional Amendment (Amendment #2). This constitutional amendment is very controversial as it promotes embryonic stem cell research and cloning of human embryos. The mainstream media (along with Michael J. Fox and other public figures) advocated the passage of this amendment arguing it holds the promise of curing illnesses and diseases.

Embryonic stem cell research HAS NOT provided any cures to date.

The proposed amendment that amended the Missouri constitution is several pages long. It includes a lot of crafty, tricky language. Several who are campaigned for the amendment haven't even read it (by their own admission).

Among other things, Amendment 2 prohibits state and local governments from withholding public funds from those who clone humans for experimentation and who work for institutions that receive public money for purposes other than stem cell research. This means that the state of Missouri would be required to fund the destruction of the smallest human beings.

The amendment supports human cloaning. Page 1 of the amendment says it bans cloning. But page 4 allows bio-tech special interests to clone human embryos through "Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer" - the scientific definition for cloning and the method used to clone Dolly the sheep. The amendment supports duplication of human embryos for scientific study, alteration and destruction.

The amendment exploits women, especially those in vulnerable situations. Page 1 of the amendment says you can't buy or sell human eggs. But page 5 says firms can pay women for their eggs, which will be needed in the millions for the kind of unethical experimentation this amendment allows. This is not only deceptive, but it shows who will pay the real price for these cloning experiments - vulnerable women who will be asked to put their health and fertility at risk.

The lawyers who wrote Missouri Amendment 2 work for giant biotechnology labs that plan to make billions of dollars by cloning humans for research. They wanted to guarantee that Missouri lawmakers could never outlaw it. But they knew that most Missourians oppose the idea of creating and destroying human life in a laboratory.

The operation used to clone human beings for research is called "Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer." This involves combining a woman's egg with the nucleus of another living cell. The result is a human embryo. Two weeks later, stem cells are "harvested" from that embryo, and it's destroyed.

Backers of Amendment 2 claim that this isn't "cloning." But practically every scientific authority disagrees with them, including the National Academies of Science and the American Medical Association. And a Missouri Appeals Court Judge wrote in March 2006 that "Nuclear transfer is cloning." Missouri Amendment 2 is the gateway to human cloning.

Missouri Amendment 2 doesn't actually "ban human cloning." It protects it. This is why voting on this issue is so serious.

Many proponents of Embryonic Stem Cell research portray those who oppose it as being "far-right extremists" who oppose research that might cure debilitating illnesses and diseases. This is yet another unfortunate inaccuracy. For those who oppose this amendment, their reasoning is based on the fact that embryonic stem cell research has shown NO CURES for illnesses and diseases and the furtherance of this type of research will be conducted at the expense of human embryos.

To date, embryonic stem-cell research hasn't cured a single disease.

Adult Stem Cell Research Holds Promise

Embryonic stem cell research derives stem cells from human embryos and results in the destruction of these human beings. Adult stem cell research uses adult stem cells. Adult stem cells do not form tumors. Embryonic stem cells sometimes do. Research shows that after growing for extensive amounts of time, embryonic stem cells develop genetic abnormalities. This does not happen with adult stem cells used in therapies because they are not kept in the lab for long periods of time before being used in patients.

Adult stem cells are different. These can be taken from the hip, the nasal cavity, or from an umbilical cord and other parts of the body. ADULT stem cell research is already proven to work, as it has already cured nearly 100 different diseases and counting.

The Family Research Council has a list of Adult Stem Cell Success Stories.

Adult stem cell research harms no one. The promise shown by the last several years of adult stem cell studies shows these types of stem cells are more versatile than once thought, and they do not require the duplication of embryos (cloning) and the destruction of human life.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Stand up in support of smart science. Put your money into adult stem cell research. Adult stem cell research is curing diseases. Adult stem cell research holds promise and hope.

Don't allow the legislation which will force you to fund (through tax dollars) unethical research.