Imagine a cure for spinal cord injuries. In 1995, Christopher Reeve, the man who popularized "Superman," fell from a horse and broke his neck. He was paralyzed from the neck down. The Christopher Reeve Foundation is part of the American Paralysis Association and supports all efforts made to cure spinal cord injuries.

One of these cures could begin with embryonic stem cells.

In 2001, President Bush placed restrictions on stem cell research. Under his guidelines, research could only be done on embryonic stem cells already in existence as of August 2001.

Early next week, the Senate will vote on allowing federal funding to support embryonic stem cell research, which would nullify Bush's initial legislation.

Stem cells, or undifferentiated cells, have the ability to become any range of different types of cells. This alone renders them a large source of medical advancements. Researching stem cells could lead to advancements in treating different types of cancer, heart damage and countless types of spinal cord injuries.

Stem cells can be harvested from embryos, fetuses and adults. Researchers believe that embryonic stem cells would lead to more advances because stem cells harvested from adults have less of an ability to become different types of cells.

The controversy surrounding harvesting stem cells from embryos centers on the beginning of life. While all cells are alive, from the cells that make up trees to the cells that make up skin, the point when human life begins is largely debated and disagreed upon. Those who believe that human life begins at the embryonic stage or earlier disagree with harvesting the undifferentiated cells.

The potential benefits of studying embryonic stem cells, however, outweigh any prior convictions with the research.

Imagine never having to wait for an organ transplant to save your or a loved one's life. With further study, embryonic stem cells could be cultivated into entire organs. If this were the case, organ waiting lists would disappear.

Diseases resulting from neural damage would be minor inconveniences. Multiple sclerosis, a disease characterized by scars interrupting the flow of information on the spinal cord, could be fixed with an injection.

Permitting and encouraging the use of embryonic stem cells could save numerous lives and prevent countless degenerative diseases.