Richard Wadman - SLCC ePortfolio

BIOL 1090, Human Biology (BS)

Credit Hours: 3.0

Course Description: Focuses on humans as biological entities. Introduces the scientific process, chemical and cellular bases of life, role of DNA in the continuity of life, evolution, and inter-relationships among humans and other living organisms.

Signature Assignment from Taking Sides

Throughout my BIOL 1090 course, I completed three issues in the Taking Sides assignments. The three issues consisted as follows: whether embryonic stem cell research should be permitted or banned, whether doctors should prescribe drugs based on race, and if there's a link between vaccination and autism. With the first issue on stem cell reseach, Jeffrey Hart contended there are many benefits to stem cell research whereas Ramesh Ponnuru argued that a single-celled human embryo is a living organism and shouldn't be used for experimentation. With the issue on race-based drugs, Sally Satel believed it's important to note a patient's race and to treat accordingly whereas Gregory Michael Dorr and David S. Jones argued that there is a risk to using race and ethnicity to select treatment options. In the final issue on the link between vaccination and autism, Matthew Normand and Jesse Dallery contended that studies have failed to uncover any specific link between autism and mercury-containing thimerosal vaccines whereas Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argued that childhood vaccines containing thimerosal is linked to autism.

Out of the three issues, I decided to use embryonic stem cell research as my signature assignment. The main question of the issue was: should embryonic stem cell research be permitted? Professor Jeffrey Hart said yes to the main question because he contended that there are many benefits to stem cell research and that a ban on funded coloning research was unjustified. Writer Ramesh Ponnuru said no to the main question because he argued that a single-celled human embryo was a living organism that directs its own development and should not be used for experimentation. Between the two sides of the issue, I felt Ramesh Ponnuru's article that supported the No side was most correct. Ramesh Ponnuru was really concerned about how embryonic stem cell research is destroying potential human lives. If you think about it, if embryonic stem cell research was to be permitted, then many potential human lives will be lost. Right below is an attached "short form" that I have completed that has influenced me the most, and it describes the analysis of the side that I have supported.

Reflection 

I gained a better understanding on embryonic stem cell research when I completed the assignment. I learned from two viewpoints on stem cell research how it can possibly cure certain diseases and how it can destroy potential human lives. It helped me understand what can really happen in the medical field world. Anything can happen in the health department that can seriously affect the lives of others. We need to be aware of what is around us in the health department and to take a stand for what is right.

I came to know how difficult analyzing an article can be. There were times when I got stuck on answering the questions on the long form for the Taking Sides assignments because I either didn't know what the question was asking specifically, or it was time-consuming to find the answers. Once I got the hang of it, I was able to analyze other articles easily because of the practice and experience that I went through. I know that this tool of analyzing articles or any type of particular writing can eventually help me in the near future.