RESEARCHER
Violence against women and girls is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world. According to UNFPA, one in three women have been beaten, forced into sex, or many other types of abuse, and one in four pregnant women have experienced abuse. Women worldwide are being abused or taken advantage of, and that’s not okay. Many men worldwide, believe as males they have more authority than a women. This leads to many being taken advantage of, being victims of rape and other crimes. As a matter of fact, 600 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not illegal. The common issues with many of these problems, is that men are not being punished for the crimes they commit; and doing so, allows for them to want to commit more violence towards women. In many countries it’s not a big issue for a man to commit domestic violence to a woman, because she’s put on a lower rank than a man. Women are humans too and as such, should be treated in a kinder manner.
Woman inequality
The film “Half the Sky,” introduces the idea that the dominant civil rights issue of modern time, could be “The Worldwide Oppression of Women.” There was talk about the oppression of women worldwide.The fact is, we need to be more aware of the troubles of women and the issues they face. In the first half of the documentary, we are exposed to gender based violence, women’s education, and sex trafficking.
In the film “Half the Sky,” there was a group of girls who lived in Vietnam, who had very limited access to education. In particular to one girl, in order for her to go to school- she needs to sell lottery tickets to afford her own education. Her father would not pay for her education. Many families are very poor and just could not afford the fees of school in Vietnam. Another girl, was asked to stay home because she was needed to help around the house. Women’s education isn’t taken very serious in Vietnam because the families can’t afford taking two kids to school, and they’d rather have the boys go and the girls stay home.
Vietnam has a very conservative view of women and men. But in order for women to get ahead, they need to have education. Many of these girls would be stuck in poverty if they never have a chance to succeed. It would become a endless cycle of poverty. Women need a chance to be independent ,and not have to rely on a man to be happy. When women are empowered with education, they can influence change for a nation. So often we don’t think much of what can happen if we just give women a push in the right direction. Without education, a woman can lose her freedom and be subject to become a slave in sex trafficking.
Sex trafficking in Cambodia is a serious issue that needs addressing. While watching the documentary, I noticed that many of the girls who were being sold- were very young girls. They were kidnapped and taken into the underground sex industry. Because of poverty in Cambodia, people are looking for ways to make money, and they find that selling women can make them an easy buck. Women, and children are being taken of advantage of. Many of these girls are really young; and their lives become ruined because of the horrors these children face. The reason many of them are young, is because in Cambodia people are willing to spend more money on virgins. Even parents are selling their own children because they need money, and are desperate. Females shouldn’t be taken advantage of because they are human too, and it’s not right to force them into sex because it affects their lives in big ways. Many of these children are never the same, and one in six of the girls will live a shorter lifespan because of STDs and drugs.
Women not treated as highly as men is a violation of basic human rights. We need to be treating women fairly and they deserve equal opportunities. “Half the Sky,” has made many good points about inequality. Examples being gender based violence, women’s education, and sex trafficking. Women will never have a fair chance if they never have equal rights. They will never have an opportunity to change things. Unless things change, things will continue to be bad for women.
Gandhi and the homeless issue
Gandhi, a Civil-rights leader, once said,” A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” According to an article titled, I Was Homeless by Kristin Lewis, we have the second highest poverty level out of the top 35 nations. The Homelessness issues is not an easy one, we as Americans need to address this issue more closely, lots of us are unaware of the increase of homelessness in certain states of America; the hardships, homelessness people face-with applying for certain programs.
However, some American do not see a issue with the homeless; it’s not a big issue nor is it a government issue. They believe it’s, “as simple as getting a job” or, “just go apply”, they might say. How hard can getting a job be? The reason they are homeless is because they are addicts and no one wants to hire a drunk! Homeless people are lazy and that’s why they don’t get hired, why else would they be homeless? If they really wanted to stop being homeless they’d put more effort! Right?
Wrong. According to the article, I was Homeless, by Kristin Lewis, there are several reasons why people are homeless. The number one reason is due to Housing. In many cities unemployment rates continue to rise and housing costs continue to rise, as well. In a city with cost escalating, lots of people who work on minimum wage, are beginning to lose everything they hold dear to them. A man might be working at target at 8.50$ an hour, and could end up losing his job, finding that he’s living on the streets because he can’t afford rent. In my Disney to Dickens Class, we watched a documentary titled, “Tent City.” It entails a group of homeless people living together in Nashville, Tennessee, who had a community right under a bridge. They lived inside tents and lived there for seven years. The Documentary explained why they became homeless in the first place, many of them had diverse reasons as to why they became homeless in the first place. One person became homeless because they became bankrupt, another was in a abusive marriage, and another because of-medical issues Many of them became homeless because they did not have a support group or family. Many of them had jobs in the city but are barely getting paid to provide the essentials- food, water,and clothing. These people struggled to even save a penny towards housing.
There is a ever-growing amount of why people are becoming homeless, and the statistics are staggering. One in four people are homeless children, many children find themselves homeless because their parents want them out, or their whole family could be homeless. In fact, families with children are among the fastest growing homeless groups in the United States. Parents are beginning to lose to the rat race-the ever-changing economy, the unemployment rates. Some Homeless actually have a high school diploma, and have graduate school under their belts but still find themselves homeless. Homelessness doesn’t discriminate against any race or any social class. One could be the richest guy around, but one-day awake, to find he no longer has any money. In Colorado, homelessness continues to increase; in Pueblo it increased by 75 percent. “Before January 2014, there were 1,720 homeless people; as of August 21, more than 3,000 people are reported homeless.”-According to Douglas Lyons, who works for wsws.org. As a whole, Colorado homeless rates continue to rise, due to many people coming here for job opportunities. Counting how many people are homeless is very tricky due to many not trying to receive any benefits. As of January 2013 there is 610,042 people who experience homelessness.
Though we do have lots of programs, many of them require certain criterias, and can take lots of time to get accepted. It’s great to have amazing programs, but it’s no use if they take forever to be accept or get denied. There's also a lack of knowledge about these programs many people are unaware of these, so lots of people fall through the cracks, and may end up sleeping in the cold. We must work towards allowing people of all different types of diversity to be able to have comfortable living, if these programs were so perfect then there would be more people who aren’t homeless. There should be a safety net for people who may go bankrupt or find themselves unable to work. The Statistics don’t lie and there is lots of things we can do to help. Working in soup kitchens-feeding homeless people, donating money to local charities, and giving can foods or extra food to programs that help feed people.
Finally, as Gandhi once said, “Poverty is the worst type of Violence.” We cannot let ourselves be so careless. There is hundreds of people who need our support, and it’s wrong for us to let them starve or sleep uncomfortably in the cold hard ground. If we are humans, we must be humane. It’s inhumane to not give a crap about these people. We need to help these people. No more passing these people on the streets, help inform them of programs be kind to these people. The Homeless are not a different species and shouldn’t be treated so coldly, in fact they were once functional human beings who were like any other type of person.”A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members,”- How can we be a great nation when we are told to ignore the hurt, the sick, and the poor?
There is some good news, a couple of programs are available to get people off the streets and get them on their feet; many solutions are being created as well. First off, Affordable housing is something that people really need, and on May 20, 2009, President Obama signed the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing act. This act enabled some qualified people to get rapid housing; or temporary housing. The homeless can also try to get subsidized renting an apartment, in which government programs pays for part of your rent allowing you afford housing (Housing Choice Vouchers.). You can also apply for programs that help pay for gas and electric bills. If a Homeless needs help with food, they can apply for foodstamps (SNAP), go to local places that help bring food to homeless, for example Lift up, and Feed My Sheep here in this Valley. They can also go to local job agencies, such as workforce center to look for jobs.
Stem cell research has become a hugely debated controversy. There are two main types of stem cells. Embryonic and Somatic (the one that helped Laura). What are Embryonic Stem Cells (ESC)? Stem cells that are immature cells from embryos that have been taken out of the uterus, to be develop into other cells to save lives. The fact is that harvesting Embryonic Stem Cells kills unborn potential children. It saves lives, but kills another in the process. Why should we sacrifice an embryo (a potential lifeform) to help another life? The second type of stem cell is a Somatic Stem Cell. What are Somatic Stem Cells (SSC)? Adult stem cells that are in many organs and tissues, including brain, bone marrow, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, teeth, heart, gut, and liver. They can be taken from a person without the killing of a life. The downside is that SSC can only become a limited amount of different cells, while, an Embryonic cell can become any cell in the body. Both types of stem cells require removal of a cell from a living human, and being “wiped clean,” removing everything inside the cell. In the mid 1900’s, it was discovered that cells were basically the building blocks of life and that some cells had the ability to produce other cells. In 1998, James Thomson, isolated an embryonic cell and grew it for the very first time in a lab. In 2001, US president George W. Bush limited federal funding of research on human embryonic stem cells because a human embryo is destroyed in the process. But, the law does allow continued research on human embryonic stem cell lines that were created before the restrictions were announced. Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, in 2006, revealed a way of making embryonic-like cells from adult cells – avoiding the need to destroy an embryo. These are called Somatic Stem cells which are clearly a better option.
Both somatic and embryonic stem cells still require a lot of research. Somatic Stem cell research has the potential to do incredible things, and who knows maybe one day it will improve to the point where we do not need to kill an embryo to create any type of cells. For example, SSC could one day provide more insulin producing cells for people with Type 1 Diabetes. Many type 1 diabetics lack beta cells that create insulin in the pancreas. With the help of SSC people may be able to create artificial beta cells. According to Euro Stem Cell, if we are able to study SSC more, they could create beta cells which in then create insulin saving people's lives. National Institutes of health has claimed that nearly 1.1 million people per year have heart attacks in the United states. And nearly 4.8 million people suffer of heart failure every year. With the development of SSC, we could literally build cardiac muscle and tissue to replace weaker muscles. According to an article by National institutes of health, “One important type of cell that can be developed is the cardiomyocyte a the heart muscle cell that contracts to eject the blood out of the heart's main pumping chamber (the ventricle)”. These types of cells can be created with the help of SSC which can be created to replicate the cells needed for muscle growth. With stronger muscles, the average lifespan of people affected with Cardiac muscle, may lower to a considerable amount.
There are many great alternatives to ESC. We should not devalue a life for another or accept the killing of an innocent [potential] human being. However, some people find ESC a better alternative to SSC. They can easily be harvested, ESC are pluripotent, or transformable to many types of cells. Pluripotent means that they can theoretically become any type of adult stem cell. In addition to providing opportunities for extensive research, this option can also eliminate vivisection, because you can test on ESC instead. Vivisections is the practice of performing operations on live animals, because federal laws do not require institutions to record the number of rats, mice and cold blooded animals that are used in experimentation. According to a group against animal cruelty, In Defense of Animals, IDA estimates range from 20-70 million specimen per year. The animals involved can be used without any anesthetic that helps with pain.
Drugs can also be tested on embryonic stem cells instead of animals and humans. Not every drug that works on a lab rat may work on humans. That is the reason we have human trials for drug testing. Often times, what may not be toxic to a rodent may be toxic to us. If we use something which is in humans (cells), we can figure out if it potentially could help us. The concept of using stem cells for drug testing is a relatively new concept, it still needs developing in order to be used correctly. The theory is that a drug testers would inject the prototype drug into a set of stem cells, and they would then be monitored for a lengthy period. The drug tester would then track how the stem cell is handling the injected drug. Improvements for the chemicals in the drug would be made from all the trial runs.
Currently, drug companies have to go through a long lengthy process for developing new drugs, and it could take years to get out a new product. The drugs have to go through dozens of animal trials, costing millions of dollars. There is no guarantee that the drugs that worked on animals produce good results in people. With Stem cells, it could save tons of time and energy into creating a safe new drug. There would be less side-effects and harm for the body. Drugs would be coming out a lot faster through stem cells, because of how closely linked stems cells and the human body are related. According to the California Stem Cell agency, a company could have a bank of genetically diverse amounts of stem cells, and the drugs could be screened for toxicity on a lab created heart, liver, or kidney cell. The results would display any harms certain people would be prone to experience and it would allow for these genetically inclined people to stay clear of certain drugs, as reported by Caladrius Biosciences- a stem cell research production group.
Jennifer Chu Gabriela Cezar, assistant professor of animal science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, injected a drug that mothers use before a pregnancy called valproate (linked to birth defects), into three sets of ESC and found that the Valproate caused much harm to the cells. The data presented that the drug Valproate, may be harmful to humans. Glutamate and kynurenine, both molecules that control early brain development, were the most affected by the drug. These trials result in the protection of human beings using cells for research.
ESC come from embryos which are basically blastocyst. Blastocyst are embryos that are approximately five days old that hold around sixteen cells which can all be harvested to create sixteen new embryonic stem cells. The harvesting procedure is really easy and takes less than two hours to do. The benefit of having abundant amount of cells is a great things, one won’t have to spend hours looking for adult cells which are spread around.
Someone could be in a hospital bed with badly damaged skin, because of a third degree burn which could be life threatening. Waiting for SSC could take a long time to harvest or they could be unavailable to those who have very damaged cells. Embryonic stem cells can save the person by being implanted with multiple cell tissues.
Another important consideration is that ESC are pluripotent while SSC are multipotent. The differences in these types of cells are huge. What are pluripotent cells? Cells that have the potential to become a variety of different cells types. They could potentially become any cell in the body. Image one needs a new liver, one could possibly create a new one from pluripotent cells. Multipotent can become a variety of cells, but are limited only to a certain group. They can only become a certain type of cell depending on where it was harvested from. A cell taken from bone marrow can become solely any type of blood cell.
One day it could be possible for ESC to save thousands or more from everyday situations that can occur. People with AIDS could be cured of the disease with the use of ESC. AIDS patients naturally have a weaker immune system because of a virus that attacks it and weakens it. With the help of ESC, it could potentially help victims of the disease to cure it, by using ESC to create new immune system cells. According to US News, people with Parkinson, could benefit from implantation of ESC because it would raise dopamine neurons that people with Parkinson need. Parkinson's is a neurological disorder that causes people to have tremors, stiffness and lack of mobility. US NEWS said “when ESC were transplanted into rodents with a Parkinson's-like disorder, those replacement brain cells improved the animals' motor function.” Causing many to believe that with time and advancements in the medical field, it could lead to a number of people with Parkinson to be treated.
In all, ESC have great potential, they are easily obtainable since they are abundant in an embryo, they can help to cure disease, and can play a vital role in taking care of ourselves by testing drugs before we use them and without the harm of lab rats or any other type of animal.
ESC do not just come with advantages, they have lots of drawbacks too. They can cause tumors, and if a person uses ESC, they could be subject to spend the rest of their lives being injected with drugs that will keep the cells stable. If they do not get injected with these drugs, the cells will reject the body’s tissue. It is almost impossible to work with this issue without rejection. Lots of research needs to be done in order to use ESC. As of 2016, ESC is still rejected by the body, sometimes even the drugs can’t stop the rejection of the stem cells.
Considering many countries have limited access to the drugs needed to keep the cells stable, patients can end up with tumors or cysts that are difficult to treat. Even if they had a chance to have the drugs available (Stem Cells Stabilizers), patients could easily forget to inject the stabilizer once home, and they could end up with a tumors. Stabilizers influence a person’s brain chemical balance, causing people to develop depression and mood swings. Along with these tumors, people can get lots of damage to the surrounding cells and organs. Too much pressure on these surrounding organs can cause lots of pain.
These countries would benefit more from having SSC that are implanted once. They are easily inserted and need no further treatment for the stem cells. SSC are cheaper and are more widely available. It would help with the country's people who have huge medical emergencies or patients who are unable to move their bodies, without causing them to have to take drugs for their entire lives.
There are many ways to harvest SSC, one of them being through bone marrow. More SSC are collected through this method than any other. The bone marrow process of harvesting SSC is not a lengthy one. The method can be done relatively quickly, but the preparation is a lengthy task. The patient undergoing this surgery, must take lots of iron supplements, and have a healthy diet for the week before the operation. The operator might ask the patient to do some cardio, or lose a certain amount of body fat in the weeks prior- in order to achieve more stem cells.
Thesis Paper
Imagine, someone driving down a freeway-sixteen years old, being carefree. It’s a summer afternoon after all. And they happen to be on the road on the wrong day, when oil is spilled all across the San Antonio freeway, the car slips and crashes into a retaining wall sending them to the hospital. They awake to be paralyzed from the neck down, and are told they are never going to walk again by a doctor; they have suffered a C6 vertebrae fracture that severely damages the spinal cord. Well, that is what happened to a girl named Laura Dominguez. However, this injury did not remain permanent. She was a quadriplegic until recently, when she underwent a huge groundbreaking surgery involving adult stem cells otherwise known as somatic stem cells that were taken from the back of her nose and were transplanted into the site where the spinal cord was injured. After much therapeutic work, her spinal cord began to heal, and following six months worth of rehabilitation, she was able to regain feeling and limited movement all the way to her upper legs. She is not done yet. Laura is working hard on regaining all her abilities, but it goes to show how impactful somatic stem cells can be.
According to Canadian Cancer Society, the first steps in achieving the SSC requires the patient to get an epidural. In the following step, the doctor will make several small punctures in the skin near the pelvic bone. Next, a specific type of needle is attached to a syringe and inserted through these punctures into the bone marrow. “The doctor then draws marrow and blood out of the bone through the syringe. The process is repeated until enough stem cells are collected for the transplant. It usually takes 1–2 hours.” Canadian Cancer Society. The amount of blood and marrow someone will retrieve, depends entirely on someone’s weight and concentration of stem cell in the marrow. The doctor will then place a bandage on the injury sites, and the SSC will be filtered out of the marrow, blood, and fat particles through a machine made for this.
Another popular way to collect SSC is through the umbilical cord. Due to shortage of stem cells, this process is mostly used for little kids and young adults. The process is very simple, but requires the umbilical cord from birth. When a baby is born, the doctors will cut the umbilical cord that connects the baby to its mother. Afterwards, a doctor will use a syringe to draw out all the blood from the umbilical cord. The blood will then be placed into a machine that will separate the stem cells, from the blood. The umbilical is then discarded, or given back to the mother if needed.
The National Institutes of Health believes we will be able to use SSC in a way like ESC. Scientist have discovered that if they change the SSC genes and chemicals, they can transform the cell into a state close to ESC. This type of SSC is called Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, referred to as IPSC. The IPSC has a nature close to a natural embryonic stem cell, and does not require the sacrifice of an embryo.
IPSC will have a great use in the medical field allowing for organs to be regenerated from a single stem cell. Regeneration means the regrowth of a damage or mission organ part from the tissue. As an adult, people can regenerate part of a liver if half is still intact. Our whole skin is constantly being repaired and is always renewing. Unfortunately, not all parts of the body can be renewed. This is where future medicine will be able to fill in. A whole organ can be created from a single stem cell. IPSC taken from a certain organ will be able to be placed in a lab dish, where it will be taken care of and stay in a controlled environment. The cell will remain in the dish until it has grown to its specified organ it was meant to become. Currently it is hard to make a ISCs become/ changed into a new type of cell, because it hard to control what type of cell they become, and is painstakingly difficult to guide into transforming into what you were seeking.
According to Advancing Science, Advancing Society, In order for us to regenerate lost limbs, or organs we would need to create a safe way for a scientist to guide ISCS from becoming non functional organs. The process currently is hard because it’s very easy for a ISCs to change. The Guider would have to temporarily block a chemical in the ISCs that cause errors in regeneration. If successful, the patient could be walking on a new leg, or with a new kidney. If you ever damage a organ you could easily get a new one in the future.
In the end, somatic stem cells, are the way to go because of it’s bright future in medicine, and it does not harm any potential beings. That would help people who fear the use of embryonic cells. In the near future, we will be able to use Somatic stem cells in a way that embryonic are used. Also,Somatic stem cells are more affordable than embryonic stem cell in the long run. Embryonic stem cells can cause tumors, and cause harm to your body without any stabilizers.
Dusty Olivas
