Don’t lump all stem cell research together

President Bush opposes stem cell research.

Wrong.

President Bush opposes federally funded stem cell research.

Note the difference.

Stem cells come from a variety of sources, including adults, children, umbilical cords, human placentas and embryos.

Embryonic stem cells usually come from unused and discarded embryos from fertility clinics.

Embryos are created for couples undergoing invitro fertilization. Oftentimes during this process, more embryos are created than implanted in the mother.

The extra embryos remain frozen in laboratories. Some do not survive, some are destroyed and some are implanted into an adoptive mother.

Embryos are destroyed when stem cells are extracted. But we can harvest stem cells from other sources that do not destroy life. By not providing federal funding for some types of research, Bush and others are not condemning those with Alzheimer’s, juvenile diabetes, Parkinson’s, spinal cord injuries and other life-threatening illnesses to no hope of finding a cure.

In 2001, Bush supported federal funding on dozens of existing embryonic stem cell lines created before Aug. 9, 2001, while preventing the creation of new cell lines and the further destruction of embryos. He has vetoed two bills calling for federal funding to develop new lines of embryonic stem cells. He opposes legislation forcing taxpayers to pay for research that relies on the intentional destruction of human embryos.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton supports research on new embryonic stem cell lines, and said she would overturn Bush’s 2001 ban if elected in November. Sen. Barack Obama favors relaxing federal restrictions of embryonic stem cell research.

Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain supports research using embryos discarded by fertility clinics but opposes the use of cloned human embryos. He voted for a bill that would increase federal funding for non-embryonic stem cell research.

Ron Paul does not support federally funding embryonic stem cell research, saying the U.S. government does not have the constitutional authority to fund any form of stem cell research. Paul also opposed H.R. 2520, a bill that provides federal funds for umbilical-cord stem cell research, based on the same premise.

But there are other sources for stem cells. A new study on rats by scientists at MIT and Harvard show that normal skin cells, reprogrammed to behave similar to embryonic stem cells, may be used to help people with Parkinson’s disease. However, much research remains to be done before the cells can actually be used for treatment.

The potential for using skin cells trumps introducing foreign cells into a body. Cells coming from a patient’s own skin would not be as susceptible to the body’s rejection of foreign tissue. Umbilical cord and placenta cells may offer the same anti-rejection possibilities.

Studies show that blood cells taken from newborns’ umbilical cords can cure leukemia and lymphoma and may eventually be used to treat diabetes, heart disease, cerebral palsy and blood disorders.

Two hospitals in Ohio allow families to store their baby’s stem cells. These cells can be gathered after the birth of the baby and donated to a public National Marrow Donor Program or be put into a private bank (unfortunately, at more cost than most people can afford). Additionally, many people will never need to use the privately stored cells.

Still, given the vast number of births each day, the discarding of potentially life-giving umbilical cords and placentas is disgraceful. Federal funds should be put towards harvesting, researching and publicly storing these cells.

Our energies and resources can and should be put towards sustaining, not destroying life.