http://usliberals.about.com/od/stemcellresearch/i/StemCell1_2.htm

We found this link today. I personally had not payed much attention to the decisions the presidents had to take until I read the excerpt of Dr. Frederick Grinnell. In one section he discusses how President George W. Bush cut the funding for embryonic stem cell research, however, according to this article in 2009 President Obama lifted the ban and began funding the research once again:

         "Medical miracles do not happen simply by accident. They result from painstaking and costly research, from years of lonely trial and error, much of which never bears fruit, and from a government willing to support that work..."

Here we not only see individual belief, but also a change in belief and aspirations of a nation as a whole. As a result we now begin to see a greater support for the use of these embryonic stem cells.

No responses from Dr. Hamra yet, but we have begun delving deeper into the actual process of stem cell research. In our previous conversations with our mentors, I realized how much I actually don't know about the process, besides the basics and a general overview. There is much more to what is done and how scientists view stem cell research.

Hopefully the scientist who performs this research can meet up soon, but with the holiday season coming it may be hard to find a time to meet up.

Dr Frederick Grinnell sent us an excerpt of his paper on the ethics of stem cell research, and the paper is about 10 pages long. I don't know if I have permission to post it here, but I'll ask and if it is allowed I will add it.

Dr Grinnell also answered our questions, and I have requested a meeting with him as well. Dr Hamra has not responded to our request to have a meeting, so we are now awaiting a response from both of them.

Neither of our possible mentors have responded since last time. I showed the questions with Jesus, and we tweaked a couple. Of course, more questions will come along as we talk to our mentors and they provide us with more information.

Dr. J will be assisting us with the survey, although we will be doing the work and she will just comment on it. We also have taken a look at the survey guidelines to understand what we're allowed and what we're not allowed to ask.

Thankfully both of our mentors have responded. One, Dr Kent Hamra, has asked if we wish to meet in person or have a Skype/cell phone group call. I have asked to meet in person, to see exactly what Dr. Hamra does, and to observe the process.

Dr. Frederick Grinnell is the other person we have contacted. His focus is more on the ethics of stem cell research, which is more of our focus. He has asked for a list of questions, and I have begun typing up what we need to ask him. Here is the current list of questions I have made, and others will be soon added.

Ethics Questions

For survey purposes:

• Do you know what stem cell research deals with?
• Do you believe that the study is ethical and does not violate human rights issues?
• Do you have any thoughts on whether this violates religious views?

After this part, give a brief overview of the research, and how human rights could be violated. Mention embryonic stem cells as well as the religious aspect.

• After hearing the description, has your perspective changed in any way?
• If so, do you agree more with stem cell research?
• Do you still believe any form of human rights are violated?

General questions:

• What exactly do you do in this field?
• What has your research led you to believe about embryonic stem cell research?
• What do other scientists believe?
• Are scientists ever bothered by the idea that lives are being taken from these cells?
• Do you agree with what is being done wholeheartedly?
• Additional thoughts on the ethics?

Unfortunately our mentors have not responded so we have not been able to meet up with them to discuss our thesis. We have emailed them once again and  hopefully find a more efficient way to contact them for future purposes.
As for our research, we have found many sites that have similar information. We will now start to condese our gathered materials to analyze it and move forward to more detailed sections.

Today, since the November 1st applications are due tomorrow, both of us finished up some Baylor apps and other college apps.

We did a bit of research for our thesis as well, and found this info:
http://www.eurostemcell.org/factsheet/embyronic-stem-cell-research-ethical-dilemma

The ethical dilemma

Embryonic stem cell research poses a moral dilemma. It forces us to choose between two moral principles:

• The duty to prevent or alleviate suffering
• The duty to respect the value of human life

In the case of embryonic stem cell research, it is impossible to respect both moral principles. To obtain embryonic stem cells, the early embryo has to be destroyed. This means destroying a potential human life. But embryonic stem cell research could lead to the discovery of new medical treatments that would alleviate the suffering of many people. So which moral principle should have the upper hand in this situation? The answer hinges on how we view the embryo. Does it have the status of a person?

Further within the article is more info on the ethics and the debate over whether or not this type of research is ethical.