Parents’ Guide to Embryonic Stem Cells

Stem cell research has remained a hot-button topic in the American media and political landscape for over 10 years. The crux of the debate is the morality of human embryos being created for the purpose of experimentation, although not all stem cell research involves human embryos.

Embryonic stem cells are inherently more scientifically and medically viable, as they have powerful characteristics most adult stem cells do not. Specifically, embryonic stem cells can develop into any other type of cell.  They are ‘pluripotent.’ Adult stem cells tend to be limited to the various cell types of their originating tissue.