Abstract
In November 2004, California voters passed a ballot measure providing $3 billion for stem cell research to find cures for a plethora of degenerative diseases. Many prominent individuals made pleas for the passage of this measure including California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former First Lady Nancy Reagan, and actors Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease (PD), and Christopher Reeve, who died recently of complications from a spinal cord injury suffered several years ago. But what is stem cell research and why is there a controversy concerning the use of stem cells in medicine? If these cells can provide a cure for many who suffer from degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and diabetes, why would anyone object to stem cell research and its applications? A close examination of this issue reveals the objection is not regarding the use of stem cells, but from the source of those stem cells.