Stem Cell research has proven to be the latest and greatest controversy of the twenty first century. Many have tried to link it to the abortion issue and make the case that Stem Cell research can only be accomplished by performing abortions. This new science has demonstrated that it has the potential to create tissue that can be used to create cures for various diseases.

Stem cell research is conducted on two different fronts, the first front is embryonic stem cell and the other is adult stem cell. The area of embryonic stem cell research has been the source of the greatest controversy and the source of the greatest potential as well. The controversy comes from the fact that embryonic stem cell research is being performed on blastocyst, which are human cells that are five days old.

The cells are derived from human eggs that are fertilized in a dish and allowed to grow for a period of fives days to get enough cells to work with. There are no human qualities at this stage and the cells have the potential to become anything.

This is the point in development where they are normally frozen for woman that want to store their embryos. The ones that are received for stem cell research are donated for research by woman that have made that choice as an alternative to the disposal of the unused blastocyst into the garbage.

The second source of stem cells for stem cell research is from the umbilical cord of newly born healthy babies. Many hospitals today offer you a chance to store your baby's stem cells for future use for about $10,000. This speaks to the level of acceptance by the medical community to the viability of adult stem cell research. Adult stem cell research also comes with the potential for making medical break throughs.

The biggest difference between the two forms is the ability to gain the cells in the amounts needed for research. The embryonic stem cells can be grown in large volumes in culture dishes for the purposes of stem cell research. The adult stem cells are far more rare and while they do have the potential of embryonic stem cells, they cannot be expanded as the embryonic stem cells can.

To date, the only stem cells that have been used on humans are the adult stem cells. They have been used in tests to determine their affect on heart disease, leukemia and other cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson's Disease and Type I diabetes. While the tests are not completed at this time, the preliminary results, so far, have been very promising. This is giving hope to many for possible cures for these diseases in a few years, which will dramatically improve the quality of life for millions of people.