There are many reasons to be against embryonic stem cell research. The most notable, of course, is the notion that embryos are human beings and deserve to be treated with respect and not farmed out for scientific research. There are other ethical and moral objections to the idea of embryonic stem cell research, as well. Stem cell research is an expensive undertaking, and resulting treatments are likely only going to be available to the affluent. This creates moral dilemmas about two-tiered medical care and the rights of all individuals to equal health care.

Many assume that only religious fundamentalists are against embryonic stem cell research. This is simply not the case. A number of group, including atheist groups and other groups of all faiths, have offered moral objections to the use of human embryos for scientific medical research.

Medical research is a large field, with any number of potential therapies being tested and evaluated at any given time. For research dollars to be allocated to a morally questionable practice when there are countless other researchers seeking funding at the same time can be said to be a moral issue as well. Because stem cell research is a prominent, newsworthy subject, it garners a lot of attention and funding, whereas classical research on drug trials, nutritional and preventative medicine are placed on the back burner.

Of all the reasons to be against embryonic stem cell research, the most obvious is the right to life argument. The embryos being used as lab specimens have all the genetic content of a fully formed human being, and if they were placed in a living womb instead of a petri dish they would have a chance at a full life. With thousands of couples desperate to bring a child into their lives, there are other options for 'selectively reduced' or 'leftover' embryos from other fertility treatments.

Many arguments have been made both for and against embryonic stem cell research. To fully understand the argument, anybody looking to become vocally involved in the debate needs to be fully educated on the subject. Please do your research, and make an informed choice when choosing sides in this controversial debate.