Stamp Out Stem Cell Ignorance!
by James Carvin 10/12/04
With stem cell research being brought up frequently
right before the election, especially with the death of Christopher
Reeve, I have to respond. I can't believe all the things I've
been hearing. The ignorance on this subject is amazing.
We need to start from the beginning. Is stem cell
research unethical? If so why? If not, why are some conservatives
saying it is? Even if it is unethical, isn't it worth it to save
lives? I've researched this and have answers below. To keep it
simple, I've laid it out in a question/answer format:
Q. When does human life begin?
A. We don't know. Scientists say it begins at conception. That's
because DNA is the basic building block and identifier of a human
life. And a person gets their DNA at conception. That's when a
male human sperm cell makes its way into a female human egg. God
only knows when human life actually begins. Conception is the
most obvious point in time. Then again, the beginning of human
life may have more to do with the implantation of a soul. That
is a theological rather than scientific issue. But if you believe
in God it shouldn't be ignored.
Q. When is a soul implanted into human chemistry?
A. We don't know. But do we want to risk deliberately killing
a soul made by God? If the soul is implanted sooner rather than
later then abortion is murder. We don't know. As Americans we
may have the right to it. But the fear of God has its place.
Q. Why is the question of when life begins relevant
to the debate about stem cell research?
A. Because in order to get embryonic stem cells we have to kill
embryos. There is no other way to do it. Specifically, we have
to kill embryos that are about one week old. If the one week old
embryo, known as a "blastocyst," is not a human being
with a soul, then it is not murder to kill it. If it is a human
being with a soul, then it is murder to kill it.
Q. Is a blastocyst a human being with a soul?
A. Maybe.
Q. Should we outlaw something just because we might
be killing a person? What about our freedom to choose?
A. Many of our laws are made to prevent killing that might not
occur even if we choose a certain behavior. Consider traffic safety.
We might not kill any people if we choose to speed. Nevertheless
there are laws against speeding which restrict that choice. This
is because life is a higher value than choice, even when we are
uncertain about whether we are really saving lives by slowing
down.
Q. Is George W. Bush opposed to stem cell research?
A. No. He supports stem cell research and therapy in the two forms
that work - adult stem cell therapy and umbilical stem cell therapy.
He has also allowed for research on existing lines of embryonic
stem cells but has disallowed research on any new embryonic stem
cell lines.
Q. Why did George Bush cease funding new embryonic
stem cell lines?
A. Because of the possibility that funding new stem cell lines
would mean killing more human beings with souls. In his opinion
this might have been murder. He couldn't approve of it.
Q. But what about the lives that might be saved
through this type of therapy. Isn't it worth the cost of a few
embryo's lives to save people with diseases?
A. No. Saving lives is always good, but people with diseases profit
more from the types of stem cell therapy that actually do work.
The most effective stem cell therapy uses cells from the umbilical
cord. These provide a good match to either a child or a parent.
No lives are sacrificed. The stem cells are plentiful and easy
to extract. And research has shown this type of therapy has the
fewest complications, such as tumors and cancer, which embryonic
therapy has been shown to produce.
Q. What if no umbilical cells have been saved?
A. That's when you use adult stem cells. These can be extracted
from your bone marrow or from your peripheral system over time.
Adult stem cells are an exact match. This type of therapy has
proven to be very effective.
Q. Does embryonic stem cell therapy work?
A. Some doctors say it does. But most agree that it is too risky
and not effective compared to adult stem cell therapy and umbilical
stem cell therapy.
Q. Do these other forms of stem cell therapy involve
killing human embryos?
A. No. And there is no ethical concern with regard to them. That
is why George W. Bush fully supports this type of research.
Q. Babies are being aborted anyway. Shouldn't we
just use their stem cells? It seems a shame to let them just be
thrown in the garbage!
A. That would not be possible. Abortions normally take place around
the eighth week of pregnancy or later and very rarely as early
as the third week. Embryonic stem cells have to be taken from
embryos in the blastocyst stage, when they are only about one
week old. It is impossible to perform abortions at one week. Therefore,
blastocysts have to be deliberately cultivated in test tubes through
in vitro fertilization if we are to create new embryonic
stem cell lines.
Q. What about embryos that are stored in In Vitro
Fertilization (IVF) Centers? Aren't there thousands of these available
that could be used?
A. The purpose of these embryos is for implantation into a mother's
womb. Any unused IVF embryos very quickly pass the blastocyst
stage and are no longer useful for stem cell research but could
still be implanted into a womb. Stem cells need to be deliberately
extracted, killing the embryo, at about the seventh day of life.
Almost all of the "spare" IVF Center embryos are beyond
that stage. And the ones that are at or prior to the ideal stem
cell extraction stage are still there for the sake of parents
seeking assisted reproduction. Again, blastocysts need to be deliberately
created and cultivated for the purpose of being destroyed, with
their innards being used for stem cell research. PETA has successfully
lobbied for laws to protect animals from such unethical treatment.
Can we not do the same for humans? Finally, just as adoption is
the only right option for unwanted embryos in the womb, adoption
is also the only right option for unused embryos banked in IVF
centers. There are, in fact, a number of excellent agencies
that handle adoption of IVF Center embryos.
Q. Why does John Kerry say that George W. Bush opposes
stem cell research?
A. Because this is an election year and he will say anything to
make George Bush look stupid. He knows most people have little
or no idea what stem cell research actually involves or what progress
has been made.
If you would like to end this ignorance, copy this
web site address and pass it on to all your friends.
