EDITORIAL: Stem cell research - What role should the federal government play?

[Murray Charters <Murray_Charters@xxxxxxxxx>]

The Dallas Morning News
Stem cell research
What role should the federal government play?
06/24/2001

Stem cells have been deemed the 21st-century equivalent
of antibiotics.  Scientists believe these master cells, the
precursors to other cells in the body, can be prompted
to develop treatments if not cures for everything from
juvenile diabetes to Alzheimer's.

Stem cells can be harvested from many sources, ranging
from fertilized human eggs to certain adult tissues.

Controversy has surrounded research on embryonic stem cells
because the process of removing the stem cell from an embryo
eliminates that embryo's potential life. This process raised
questions about whether the federal government should support
embryonic stem cell research.

The federal government is prohibited from funding research
that creates or destroys human embryos. To comply with that
prohibition, the Health and Human Services Department has ruled
that federal funds could not be used to remove stem cells from
embryos but that federal funds could be used by scientists to do
research on those cells. Some consider this a side-door practice
that should not be allowed.

Before any federal funding was disbursed for such research,
President Bush called for a policy review that is expected to
soon be complete.

Should the government support embryonic stem cell research?

YES
The stem cells come from sources that were to be discarded anyway,
such as fertilized eggs left over from in-vitro fertilizations and legally
aborted embryos and fetuses.

Federal funding not only would assure government supervision,
it would speed the development of treatments that could save lives.

It would be unethical not to pursue promising research on embryonic
stem cells and thereby delay needed therapies. Dr. John Gearhart, a
pioneering stem cell researcher at Johns Hopkins University, points
out that adult stem cells have restricted potential, so the embryonic
cell research is essential.

NO
Supporting research on the stem cells of the unborn indirectly
supports the destruction of human life, which is not a business
the federal government should be in.

The government need not be supporting such research. For those
scientists wanting to pursue such research, private dollars can be
raised.

Other sources of stem cells show promise. For example, stem cells
can be taken from umbilical cords ? the Texas Legislature recently
approved the establishment of an umbilical cord blood bank, which
might assist such research locally.

OUR VIEW:
This research deserves federal funding

This should not be a debate about abortion or in-vitro fertilization,
but a consideration of the life-giving possibilities of embryonic
stem cell research. Federal funding of research on such cells should
be supported. The fact is that embryos from which stem cells are
culled already are fated for elimination. Federal funding could allow
for controls while facilitating important therapeutic research that
would aide the lives of many Americans.

With GOP conservatives like Connie Mack of Florida, Strom
Thurmond of  South Carolina and Orrin Hatch of Utah expressing
their compassionate support for embryonic stem cell research,
President Bush would have conservative company in supporting
funding. He could satisfy his scruples and right-to-life supporters
by considering a third way for the short term ? allowing federal
funding for research on existing stem cell lines and currently
frozen fertilized eggs, which number in the thousands.

This issue should not be demagogued. There are several ways
to obtain good science with a clear conscience.



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