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The Truth About Stem Cells - Part Two
by James Carvin 8/27/04

I had suspected stem cell research would be a hot topic. I still haven't even begun promoting my web site. But one Christian friend read the article and responded with some interesting thoughts, to which I replied. The story of our journey would only be complete if I tagged on his response and mine as a sequel to part one. Here are my friend's remarks:

First off, I am against abortion. But, for now, abortions happen, despite my objections. My understanding is that currently an aborted fetus can go into the trash, or its stem cells may be harvested first. To me, this is a no-brainer. Sad as it is that someone aborted that fetus, it is literally throwing the baby out with the bathwater to NOT harvest these life-giving cells. There remains the question of whether pro-choice people are deliberately USING the above argument to INCREASE the number of abortions performed. This may be true. If so, it is WRONG of them to do this. I would not want to see one SINGLE additional abortion performed by someone who thinks they are doing something GOOD by making embryonic stem cells available. So. Where does that leave us? Should pro-life people fight ALL attempts to legitimize fetal stem cell use out of FEAR that it may strengthen the hands of pro-choice folks? Very tough call. I honestly believe this debate WILL tend to result in more abortions. I also think the use of fetal stem cells will SAVE LIVES. I have no way of knowing if it will save more lives than the number of increased abortions, but at this point in the debate, that is IMMATERIAL because I AM NOT QUALIFIED to make a value judgment weighing one life against another. Only GOD is.

Thank you for your thoughts. My wife was suggesting the same thing not too long ago. And this is a natural first response for anyone who really thinks things through.

Morally, there would not be a problem with your thinking if it could be shown that: 1)No additional abortions would occur with public acceptance of embryonic research/therapy, and 2)ebryonic stem cell therapy was shown to not only be effective but the only available treatment in any given case, all things being equal, or a more effective therapy than the other types.

I think you already know the answer to number one. The answer is "yes." Additional abortions would occur. And from everything I've read, the answer to number two, is "no." Embryonic stem cell therapy seems to be the least effective of the three types of stem cell therapies.

I won't pretend to be an expert on this. I'm no scientist. And I am a little well read, but not an authority, as any person wanting therapy for his wife might be. But for broader education on what has become a political issue, there is a particular that needs observation. And it goes beyond the above two points. Please, consider this:

The blastocyst has about 100 cells at the one week point. Abortions normally occur around the eighth week or later. They occur at the third week at the very earliest. Aborted fetuses or embryos can't be kept artificially alive the way stem cells taken from blastocysts can. And they are much more like adult humans in terms of what stem cells they make available by the time abortions normally occur. In other words fetuses don't actually have stem cells any more than adults do.

So your point sounds good but it is invalid. By contrast, blastocysts are unique in that they have not yet begun the process of differentiation, thus they are spherical and rich with stem cells in an easy to identify center. Not so with the older embryos and fetuses.

How can I spell this out? Abortions are not performed on blastocysts. Human beings at the age of one week are too difficult for abortion doctors to find in the womb. That is another reason abortions very rarely occur prior to the third week of pregnancy.

Make no mistake there is almost always a beating heart involved. Blastocysts are only separated by in vitro fertilization and kept in culture dishes when scientists create life with the specific intention of using them for this research. Embryonic stem cell research therefore amounts to willful premeditated murder. For the one who believes life begins at conception it is even more insidious than abortion. Impregnation is deliberate. The intention is to kill.

The Kerry campaign wants to call all this "ideology." Call it what you want. The truth is that it is a repeat of what the machines were doing in the Matrix. What we need is a pill that will wake us up to the fact - and a Savior.

(Click here for Part One)

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