Human stem cell research

Overview

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Quotations:

Embryonic stem cells:

An embryonic stem cell is a primitive type of cell that can be coaxed into developing into most of the 220 types of cells found in the human body (e.g. blood cells, heart cells, nerve cells, brain cells, etc). Some researchers regard them as offering the greatest potential for the alleviation of human suffering since the development of antibiotics. Over 100 million Americans and two billion other humans worldwide suffer from diseases that may eventually be treated more effectively with stem cells or even cured. These include heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

Stem cells can be extracted from very young human embryos -- typically from surplus frozen embryos left over from in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures at fertility clinics.

A couple undergoing IVF is faced with four alternatives for their 16 or so surplus embryos:

There are very few parents willing to give their embryos to another couple for a variety of emotional reasons. There are very few couples willing to receive them for emotional reasons and because thawed embryos have a lowered chance of starting a pregnancy. Preservation can be expensive. So most ask that they be discarded.

There are currently hundreds of thousands of surplus embryos in clinics. One source estimated that there were 400,000 stored embryos by mid-2003, and that the number is increasing. ₃ However, a minority of pro-lifers and a majority of pro-life organizations object to the use of embryos in research. They feel that a few-days-old embryo is a human person. Extracting its stem cells kills the embryo -- an act that they consider to be murder. Stem cells can now be grown in the laboratory, so (in a pinch) some research can be done using existing stem cells. No further harvesting needs to be made from embryos. However, existing stem cell lines are gradually degrading and will soon be useless for research.

Government research using embryonic stem cells has been authorized in Britain, but was initially prohibited in the U.S. by the Dickey Amendment to the Labor, Health and Human Services, & Education Appropriations Act of 1996. That amendment banned the use of federal funds for research that created embryos for research purposes or that damaged or destroyed embryos. President Clinton signed the act into law. ₅

On 2001-AUG-9, President George W. Bush decided to allow stem cell research in government labs, but restricted researchers to use only 72 existing lines of stem cells. By 2003-MAY, most of these lines had become useless. Only 22 remained in mid-2006, and many of them were of limited usefulness because of DNA damage.

Embryonic stem cell research has always been allowed in private labs in the U.S. However, there is little private money available because investors typically require a quick return on their investment. They are unwilling to wait for decades to see a profit. Research also continues in both government and private labs in the UK, Japan, France, Australia, and other countries.

On 2002-SEP, Governor Davis of California signed bill SB 253 into law. It is the first law in the U.S. that permits extensive embryonic stem cell research. Davis simultaneously signed a bill that permanently bans all human cloning in the state for reproduction purposes -- i.e. any effort to create a cloned individual.

Former president Ronald Reagan died from Alzheimer's during 2004-JUN. It is a slow, lingering disease that took a decade to kill him. Nancy Reagan her entire family, except for Michael Reagan, mounted a campaign to encourage President Bush to relax restrictions on embryo stem cell research. Fifty-eight senators, almost all Democrats, sent a letter to President Bush, urging the same action. The effort failed.

A federal bill passed the House on 2005-MAY-24 to allow government funded research on embryonic stem cells extracted from surplus embryos in fertility clinics. It was later passed by the Senate. President Bush vetoed it on ethical grounds -- the first veto of his presidency.

Adult stem cells:

Stem cells can also be extracted from adult tissue, without harm to the subject. Unfortunately, they are difficult to harvest, are severely limited in quantity, and -- above all -- are limited in their flexibility. There is a consensus among researchers that adult stem cells can only produce a few of the 220 types of cells in the human body.

Adult cell research has a twenty year head start over embryonic stem cells. According to Focus on the Family Action:

"... more than 70 diseases and ailments are being treated and more than 1,500 clinical trials are using adult stem cells for treatment." ₄

Unethical reporting on stem cells:

Focus on the Family Action emphasizes that:

"The truth is that embryonic stem-cell research has yet to yield a single successful treatment for patients. Meanwhile, adult stem cells continue to provide success stories." ₄

They note that investors have little interest in investing in embryonic stem cell research at this time because there is little likelihood that fully tested treatments or cures will be made available for general use in the near future.

This is a common assertion found in countless social and religiously conservative news sources. The implication is that embryonic stem cells will never successfully used to treat or cure human diseases or disorders. Their implication is that embryonic stem cell research is a blind alley. We have seen this same story mentioned dozens of times from at last a half dozen conservative news sources. None of them have ever mentioned that embryonic stem cell research is in its infancy and will probably need another two decades to arrive at the same stage as adult stem cell applications are today.

References:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. Charley Reese, "Liberals are making hell on Earth," Orlando Sentinal, 2001-JUL-22, at: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
2. "NIH publishes final guidelines for stem cell research," National Institutes of Health, 2000-AUG-23, at: http://www.nih.gov/
3. Andis Robeznieks, "Researchers ponder best use of 400,000 stored embryos," American Medical News, 2003-JUN-16, at: http://www.ama-assn.org/ [Paid access required]'
4. "Embryonic Stem-Cell Firm Abandons Efforts," Focus on the Family Action, 2007-JUL-23, at: http://www.citizenlink.org/
5. "Legislators Toolkit: Federal Public Policy," Kansas University Medical Center, at: http://www.kumc.edu/
6. Judith A. Johnson & Erin D. Williams, "Stem Cell Research," Congressional Research Service, 2005-AUG-10, at: http://fpc.state.gov/ This is a PDF file. You may require software to read it. Software can be obtained free from: 

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Copyright © 1998 to 2007 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2007-NOV-21
Author: B.A. Robinson