Why should I care about stem cell research?

Why should I care about stem cell research? It has no application to arthritis that I know of. I care because the fact that we're arguing about using cells (that otherwise will ultimately be destroyed or permanently stored) to bring good to the world. The opposite of this argument is not to use them and not to bring good to the world. How can anyone not want to bring good to the world? Where is logic in opposing stem cell research? Primarily from religious groups who offer this dog only the promise of a better afterlife as a solution to my arthritis. As we used to say in the junk yard when we were hungry, "That's slim beef."

We use cells from living people for research and we don't argue about whether these cells come from a human being or not. Of course they do. So whether anyone thinks stem cells represent human life or not, isn't the issue here. We regularly take organs from people, alive and dead, to save others' lives, and virtually no one opposes this practice. It's not really the stem cells I'm worried about; it's the lack of brain cells in the people who oppose using them for research that will make our lives better. If these people do not want to benefit from the advances derived from stem cell research, they have the option to refuse the medicine.

We all need to support each other in a global quest for more research and better healthcare. Advancement in the treatment of one disease often has an impact on others, so even though stem cell research isn't directly linked to arthritis that I know of, we need to support it, and the politicians and doctors who support it.