WE MUST OPPOSE
THE KILLING OF BABIES - INCLUDING THE SMALLEST ONES
The Truth about Stem
Cell Research
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There is
a controversy in America today over "stem cell research." The
purpose of this report is to provide you with the real facts about the
matter.
It is being
said that if federal funds were allocated to embryonic stem cell
research, most wonderful medical cures would result,—cures which could
not be obtained by any other means.
Here is a
brief summary of the situation:
• The
spending of private funds on embryonic stem cell research is not
prohibited in America. Private and corporate money can be spent on the
research, if this was desired. The quarrel is over the fact that the
federal government will not provide the research funds.
• To
date, in spite of extensive private research, embryonic stem cells have
not been found capable of healing anything! That is why little
private research money is currently being allocated to embryonic stem
cell research. It never produces any useable results.
• The
problem is that embryonic stem cells tend to go wild and do not
multiply into the kind of cells that researchers want them to.
• Embryonic
stem cell research would require killing fertilized human eggs. In other
words, human beings would be killed. A tiny human being must be
destroyed, so its cells can be extracted.
"Many
ask this question: When does the baby start existing? Various
theories have been proposed. The answer is simple enough: The baby
begins existing as soon as growth begins. That is obvious; as soon as
the baby begins growing. Growth begins as soon as the two cells (the
sperm and the egg) unite. From that point onward, a new person
exists."—Natural Remedies Encyclopedia, Fourth Edition, p.
669 [to be published in October].
• The use
of adult stem cells does not require killing human babies and has
been found to work quite efficiently in effectively treating many
physical problems.
• Why
then is there demand from liberals for embryonic stem cell research?
The answer is simple enough: First, the hue and cry is being raised in
order to embarrass the current U.S. president. Second, the liberals
want yet another opportunity to kill babies. Why? Because doing so would
strengthen their case, that it is alright to kill unborn children.
Keep in mind that the abortion industry is extremely profitable.
Millions of dollars siphoned from the profits are channeled into
political action committees which are demanding more federal funds for
Planned Parenthood, more protection for abortion mills, full
legalization of embryo body parts sale, embryonic stem cell research,
and (eventually) human cloning.
Although, at
the Democratic Convention, John Kerry and Ron Reagan received standing
applause and newspaper headlines for criticizing White House limits on
federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, the entire matter is a
smoke screen. No breakthroughs in the treatment of disease are being
blocked by the government. Scientists themselves know the truth, that
embryonic stem cells are useless in the treatment of disease.
"Candidate
John Kerry is spreading very serious misinformation regarding stem
cell research. Among many errors, he insists that miraculous cures are
just around the corner. Leaving aside the serious ethical concerns
with destroying human embryos, the results of embryonic stem cell
research are nil. Destructive embryonic stem cell research has not
treated a single patient or a single disease. Adult stem cells,
however, have successfully treated thousands of patients and more than
90 diseases."—Austin Ruse, president, Culture of Life
Foundation.
Here is the
reason that not one human being has ever been treated with embryonic
stem cells: Those cells are known to create malignant tumors in lab
animals.
Dr. D.G. McKay
of the National Institute for Neurological Diseases and Stroke
has called the notion that embryonic stem cells will provide an antidote
to Alzheimer’s disease a "fairy tale." No human clinical
trials are being conducted, using embryonic stem cells because of their
unpredictability and the lack of treatment success during animal
testing.
But there is a
kind of stem cell research that is accomplishing extraordinary results;
and, with further research, it will accomplish even more. But it is one
which the media does not tell you about. It involves adult stem cells.
While
embryonic stem cell research requires the loss of life, adult stem cells
do not kill one person in order to help another one.
They do not kill a tiny human being.
SOURCES OF
STEM CELLS
There are five
sources of adult stem cells. The first two, below (embryonic and
fetal stem cells), require the destruction of a human being:
1. Embryonic
stem cells - are
harvested from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst seven to ten days
after fertilization, during early cell differentiation. The embryo at
this stage may be up to 200 cells in size.
2. Fetal stem
cells - are often
taken from the germline tissues that will make up the ovaries or testes
of aborted fetuses.
The following
three types of stem cells are categorized as "adult stem
cells," because they do not require killing small humans.
Therefore, in this present report, they are included in the phrase,
"adult stem cells."
3. Umbilical
cord stem cells -
Umbilical cord blood contains stem cells similar to those found in the
bone marrow of newborns.
4. Placenta
derived stem cells
- Anthrogensis Corporation recently announced the development of a
commercial process that can extract ten times as many stem cells from a
placenta as from cord blood.
5. Adult
stem cells -
Tissues, like bone marrow, lung, pancreas, brain, breast, fat, skin, and
even tooth pulp contain stem cells that have been isolated.
Of all the
above five types of stem cells, only the last three are useable in the
treatment of disease. The first two, when removed from their normal
location, "go wild" and do not grow into something
predictable.
"The
great advantage of embryonic stem cells is that they can differentiate
into 210 different types of tissue. This is also their greatest
weakness. How does a scientist direct development down just one path
[instead of going in another of 210 paths]? Geron [Corporation]
researchers at the December 2000 meeting of the Society of
Neuroscience reported that they had attempted to transplant human
embryonic stem cells into the brains of rats. The embryonic stem cells
did not differentiate into brain cells. They stayed in disorganized
clusters and brain cells near them began to die."—Christian
Medical and Dental Association statement.
THREE TYPES
OF STEM CELLS
This will help
clarify why only adult stem cells can be used in the treatment of
disease:
There are
three types of stem cells: (1) totipotent stem cells, (2) pluripotent
stem cells, (3) and multipotent stem cells.
Totipotent
stem cells are in a
fertilized human egg and can become an entire human being. (What a
miracle of God!). But they cannot be used to multiply into the cell or
organ that the researcher wants them to.
Pluripotent
stem cells, such as
those found in a seven-day-old embryo (a blastocyst), can develop into
any body cell type; and, in some cases, they can become an entire human
being. But they are useless for the treatment of specific diseases.
Unlike the
above two, these are adult stem cells. Multipotent stem cells can
only differentiate into the same type of tissue cell.
For example, a bone marrow stem cell can differentiate into a monocyte
(a white blood corpuscle) or lymphocyte. This is because the blood is
made in the bone marrow. But a bone marrow stem cell cannot form into
kidney, heart, muscle, or brain.
BENEFITS OF
STEM CELLS
Stem cells
have the ability to differentiate into a variety of tissues. This means
that, through careful work, adult stem cells could be used to repair
a damaged brain or heart, rebuild a knee, restore injured nervous system
connections, treat diabetes, and much more. That is the potential
power of stem cells. But only adult stem cells can be used to do
this; for they are the only type which predictably will grow into the
desired type of tissue.
Unlike
embryonic stem cells, which are unmanageable and do not produce the
right kind of cells, stem cells from adult bone marrow do not trigger
such problems, even after the cells differentiate.
"The
cells seem to go only to damaged areas . . [turning] into heart
muscle, blood vessels, and fibrous tissue."—New Scientist,
December 15, 2001.
One writer
described it this way: It is as though they had stumbled upon a packet
of magic seeds. Depending on where they were planted, they can grow
carrots, broccoli, corn, or cabbage.
Theoretically,
according to the type of adult stem cell that is used, they can
produce any of the 210 different types of tissue in the human body;
and they can divide and multiply for an indefinite period of time.
USES OF STEM
CELL THERAPY
There are
three proposed stem cell applications:
1. Cell
Therapy - Adult
stem cells can be guided to differentiate into specific types of cells,
so they can be used to treat disease characterized by cell death (such
as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, myocardial infarctions, or strokes).
2. Gene
Therapy - The
ability of adult stem cells to enter an organ and generate new cells
makes them extremely useful in providing gene therapy to replace
genetically defective cells.
3. Organ
Generation - Adult
stem cells could become the seeds of an unlimited source of lab-grown
organs for transplantation.
STEM CELL
THERAPIES USEABLE NOW
It is claimed
that there is a great need of embryonic stem cell research, so
physicians can treat various diseases and disorders with stem cells.
But—right
now—adult stem cells can, and are, being used to treat several
different types of diseases.
There are
already 15,000 adult stem cell therapies carried out in this country
each year. Bone marrow
derived stem cells are used in cancer and autoimmune treatment
protocols, to replace or repair organs that are damaged by chemotherapy
during cancer therapy. Adult stem cell therapy is being used to treat
brain tumors, retinoblastoma, ovarian cancer, sarcomas, multiple myeloma,
leukemia, breast cancer, neuroblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, juvenile
rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases. Thus scientists already have
broad experience in many aspects of adult stem cell therapy.
Here are some
sample instances in which adult stem cells are being used to treat
disease:
1. Diabetes
- Eleven out of 115
Type 1 diabetes patents are "completely off insulin" after
receiving adult pancreatic cell transplants (Medical Post, June 19,
2001).
Diabetes
- Researchers at Harvard Medical School used animal adult stem cells to
grow new islet cells to combat diabetes. Researcher Denise Faustman
said, "It was astonishing! We had reversed the disease without the
need for transplants." Plans for human trials are underway
("Adult stem cells effect a cure," Harvard University Gazette,
July 19, 2001).
2. Heart
Disease - German
heart specialist Bodo Eckehard Strauer successfully treated a heart
patient, using stem cells from the man’s bone marrow. Dr. Stauer said,
"Even patients with the most seriously damaged hearts can be
treated with their own stem cells instead of waiting and hoping on a
transplant" ("Stem cell therapy repairs a heart,"
London Daily Telegraph, August 25, 2001).
Heart Disease
- "Four out of five seriously sick Brazilian heart-failure patients
no longer needed a heart transplant after being treated with their own
stem cells" ("Stem cells used to repair heart tissue,"
MSNBC News, September 8, 2003).
3. Sickle Cell
Anemia - CBS’ 60
Minutes II reported on 15-year-old Keone Penn, whose physicians at
the University of Pittsburgh say was healed of sickle cell anemia with
an injection of stem cells from umbilical cord blood. According the
report, "the stem cells changed his entire blood system from type O
to type B" and eliminated the sickle cell problem ("Stem
cells from umbilical cord blood used to save a boy’s life," CBS
broadcast transcript, November 28, 2001).
4. Acute
Myeloid Leukemia -
Sixteen-year-old Nathan Salley told a U.S. Congressional subcommittee
how stem cells from umbilical cord blood saved his life ("Teenager
testifies he’s ‘living proof’ of stem-cell option," Denver
Post, July 22, 2001).
5. Multiple
Sclerosis -
Thirty-six-year-old Susan Stross is one of more than 20 MS patients
whose conditions have remained steady or improved after receiving an
adult stem cell transplant. The same results are reported with several
hundred patients worldwide ("Already saving lives, stem cell
research may soon be in full swing," Seattle Times, August 20,
2001).
6. Non-Hodgkin’s
Lymphoma -
Forty-year-old Mark Fulford was not able to receive a bone marrow
transplant; so doctors used stem cells from umbilical cord blood
("Different kind of stem cell already saving lives," Denver
Rocky Mountain News, August 18, 2001).
7. Parkinson’s
Disease -
"Jefferson researchers have early evidence of bone marrow stem
cells able to become brain cells" (Thomas Jefferson University
news release, November 12, 2001).
8. Improved
Stroke Recovery -
"Cells from the blood of an umbilical cord help rats recover from
stroke faster, new study finds" (University of South Florida
Health Sciences Center News Release, November 8, 2001).
9. Blood Stem
Cell Transplant -
"Transplantation: Surgical team uses standard stem cell procedure
in unique way for kidney recipient" (Blood Weekly, March 7,
2002).
Adult stem
cells are being used, in increasing amounts, to improve and save lives.
"Everyone
here gets a sense of accomplishment, recognizing that about 100 lives
are saved each year by the [umbilical cord blood] products from this
bank alone," said Director Michael Creer of the St. Louis Cord
Blood Bank."—Belleville, Missouri, News-Democrat, March 24,
2002.
FUTURE ADULT
STEM CELL RESEARCH
Researchers
have strong hopes for great success, using non-embryonic stem cells. New
breakthroughs keep developing:
"A stem
cell has been found in adults that can turn into every single tissue
in the body. It might turn out to be the most important cell ever
discovered."—New Scientist, January 23, 2002.
Researchers at
New York University School of Medicine announced:
"There
is a cell in the bone marrow that can serve as the stem cell for most,
if not all, of the organs of the body . . This study provides the
strongest evidence yet that the adult body harbors stem cells that are
as flexible as embryonic stem cells."—Science Daily
Magazine, May 4, 2001.
McGill
University researchers, in Montreal, have discovered another excellent
source of useable stem cells:
"Stem
cells deep in the skin of humans that can become fat, muscle or even
brain cells . . Scientists are driven by the hope of bringing science
closer to treatments for spinal cord injuries, juvenile diabetes,
heart disease and brain disorders, through treatments made from the
patients’ own cells."—Los Angeles Times, August 19, 2001.
For additional
information on this,
obtain a transcript of the expert testimony given at the Hearing on
Advances in Adult and Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Research, given to the
U.S. Senate Committee on Science, Technology, and Space, Thursday, June
12, 2003.
A PETITION
SENT TO CONGRESS
Unfortunately,
although adult stem cells are being used to treat some diseases, there
are others which could also be treated (including Alzheimer’s)—but
the research funds are not available. Instead, the pro-abortionists are
clamering for funds to be spent on embryonic stem cell research, when it
is well-known in the scientific community that embryonic research is a
blind alley which will not produce the desired cures.
"Research
and treatments using adult stem cells are 20 to 30 years ahead of
embryonic stem cell research."—Dr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk,
Massachusetts neuroscientist.
The Christian
Medical Association has decided to urge Congress to fund the right kind
of research:
"More
than 2,000 physicians, members of the Christian Medical Association
(CMA), have signed and sent a letter to the U.S. Congress requesting
them to educate themselves on the benefits of research using adult stem
cells.
"According
to CMA Executive Director, Dr. David Stevens, the letter clarified that the
quickest and most economical path to real cures is through adult stem
cell research, and it urged Congress to focus its funding on that
line of study.
" ‘Many
of them are unaware of the research that is out there, and what the
medical journals are showing,’ he said. ‘What they’re hearing is
from the so-called scientific experts who are blinded by their desire
for federal funding.’
"Stevens
said his group’s membership is made up of physicians taking care of
patients with maladies such as Parkinson’s disease and diabetes—patients
they can help if they can get the cures promised by adult stem cells.
" ‘We
cannot stand by and see the country go down the wrong research path—morally
and scientifically—when patients are going to continue to suffer,’
Stevens said.
"Dr.
David Prentice, a former science adviser to members of Congress who now
works for the Family Research Council, said adult stem cells—not
embryonic stem cells—are the ones showing the real success.
" ‘What
we’re finding,’ he said, ‘is you can take these adult stem cells,
and they stimulate regeneration in the heart, in the brain, in the
liver, in virtually any tissue we need.’
"But
embryonic research advocates stand to make millions of dollars from
years spent on fruitless research. And then there’s the abortion
industry. ‘Their fear,’ Prentice said, ‘is that, if you say you
shouldn’t destroy embryos, it obviously puts their particular bent on
human life in question.’ "—News release by the Christian
Medical Association, no date.
A WAY TO MAKE
MONEY
Some
scientists and research centers are urging the release of federal funds
for stem cell research. An investigative report, by Neil Munro in the
National Journal, found that the cause may be "the pecuniary
interests of the physicians and scientists." Three scientists have
been quoted 216 times in the national press. In only 17 instances was
it mentioned that they were shareholders and founders or board members
in private biotech companies that would benefit from federal funding.
Johns Hopkins’
John Gearhart was co-discoverer of embryonic stem cells while working
for Geron Corporation, a leading biotech firm. Geron has a profit
sharing agreement with Hopkins as does the University of Wisconsin,
where James Thomson, the other co-discover works. All these
scientists were special contributors to the NIH report on stem cells
delivered to President Bush. But this conflict of interest has been
ignored by the media.
BIBLICAL AND
ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS
The Scriptures
describe a continuity of human personhood from before birth
(Ps 51:5, Isa 44:2). Man is not to unjustly take human life (Deuteronomy
5:17). Christ’s incarnation began with a miraculous fertilization (Luke
1:43, 26-38). Our Saviour was once a one-cell embryo.
In addition,
there are many ethical implications.
Adult human
beings are the result of continuous growth that begins at fertilization.
There is no normal break in their development. The embryo has total
capacity to develop full physical and brain activity if allowed to do
so. Regardless of whether or not an embryo can feel pain, it is a person
which is harmed by being cut in pieces.
Personhood is
not dependent on a mother’s ability to feel her baby moving. Birth is
just a change of location and degree of dependency. A baby is more
dependent on the efforts of another after birth than it is before.
What about
legal implications? At
the present time, 38 states recognize that life begins at conception and
25 states already regulate embryo and fetal research. Ten states ban
harmful embryonic research altogether. Louisiana designates IVF [in
vitro fertilization] derived embryos as judicial [legally recognized]
persons. Maine, Michigan, and Massachusetts impose up to five years of
imprisonment for harmful research on live embryos or fetuses. Five
states restrict the sale of embryos, five more restrict sale for
research, and eight others prohibit sale for any reason.
The good news
is that there is an ethical alternative to embryonic stem cell research
which, although ignored by the liberals and the media, is wanted by
medical researchers and physicians. The alternative is adult stem cell
research.
Tell others
the facts. They need to know them.
—vf
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