Stem Cell Research

Stem Cell Research

Not everyone knows what stem cells are and what they can do. So here is a little back ground information. The human body contains 220 different types of cells such as blood, brain, heart tissue, nerve cells, bones, etc. In 1998, researchers at the University of Wisconsin and the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore MD found a way of harvesting stem cells from embryos and maintaining their growth in the lab. Stem cells are a type of primitive cell. Scientists have found ways of coaxing these stem cells to develop into most types of human cells, Researchers are confident that they will lead to treatments to many diseases: bone loss, broken bones, brain damage due to oxygen starvation, severe burns, cancer (some forms), diabetes, Lou Gehrig's disease, heart disease, hepatitis, incomplete bladder control, Huntington's, leukemia, lupus, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, Parkinson's, spinal cord injuries, and stroke! The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research estimates stem cell research shows promise to develop cures and/or new treatments for 100 million Americans who currently suffer from a wide variety of diseases and disorders.

Stem cell research has been a very controversial subject in the media across the United States. Is it morally right? Can it really help us? Is there not any other way to go about find the information we need with out having to use these methods? Research is opposed by many pro-

lifers, mainly Roman Catholics and conservative Protestants. They feel that the embryos from which the stem cells are often extracted are human persons. Many believe that the embryos have a soul. Since the embryos are killed when the stem cells are removed, pro-lifers view the extraction procedure as murder and a type of Nazi-like medical experimentation on human beings. They generally have no objection to adult stem cell that are extracted from an umbilical cord, a child's body or an adult's body, if the appropriate consent is obtained.

This statement was made by a biology professor "I am acutely aware of the ethical sensitivities that have been expressed regarding the sources of stem cell lines. But, surely, obtaining cells from legally obtained abortants or from early stage embryos that are destined to be discarded in the course of IVF procedures and making them available for potentially life-saving purposes would be viewed as ethically permissible if not a moral imperative." Paul