Ethical Stem Cell Sources

-- Congress Urged to Halt ESCR Funding in View of Life-Honoring Alternatives
By Bill Fancher
August 26, 2005

(AgapePress) - The discovery of new sources of cells that are similar to embryonic stem cells in nature has the Christian Coalition calling on Congress to apply the legislative brakes to embryonic stem-cell research (ESCR) funding. Researchers are now saying stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood may allow them to explore cures for disease without killing human embryos in the process.

An international team of American and British scientists has informed the public that these embryonic-like cells, which they term "cord-blood-derived-embryonic like stem cells" or CBEs, have been shown to exhibit pluripotency -- the ability to transform into any kind of body tissue, just as embryonic stem cells do. The researchers have also noted that CBEs could be mass-produced using technology from NASA.

Also, more recently, Harvard scientists announced possible long-term successes from research fusing adult skin cells with embryonic stem cells. This fusion would theoretically lead to the creation of useful stem cells without first having to create and destroy human embryos.

Based on this latest information, Christian Coalition's Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Jim Backlin, wants to see U.S. congressional leaders take action. He says because of these new developments, his group feels Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist should move to "postpone or cancel the vote scheduled for this fall on the Castle-DeGette Bill -- we call it the Human Embryo Stem Cell Destruction Bill."

The Castle-DeGette Bill would fund research on embryonic stem cells obtained by creating a human embryo, destroying it in the process of extracting its stem cells, and then discarding the remains. Backlin hopes to see the legislation scrubbed.

"We feel that there's no need for such a divisive vote," the Christian Coalition spokesman says, "especially considering that 52 percent of the American people do not want their tax dollars going for human embryo destruction research." The coalition is mobilizing its supporters to apply pressure on Senator Frist and other leaders in Congress in hopes of preventing the controversial vote from taking place.

The discovery of new sources of stem cells that have much the same properties and potential as embryonic stem cells may prove to be a tremendous boon to society at large, and especially to those who have fallen on either the ethics or the medical expediency side of the ESCR debate.

Backlin is optimistic that new sources of embryonic-like stem cells will provide what is needed to allow the hunt for cures to go forward without the ethical problem of having to destroy human embryos.

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