Made-To-Order Stem Cells Spark Ethics Debate

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Wednesday July 11 6:15 PM ET

Made-To-Order Stem Cells Spark Ethics Debate

By Deborah Zabarenko

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Embryonic stem cells created purely for research from donated human sperm and eggs drew opposition on Wednesday from some scientists who generally support this research, and a key opponent called the practice ``grotesque.''

This latest development in the U.S. debate over federal funding for research using these cells added fuel to the controversy that is to be resolved soon by President Bush (news - web sites).

At issue is whether to approve federal research funds for work with stem cells taken from excess embryos created through in vitro fertilization that are already slated for disposal.

Wednesday's announcement by scientists at the privately funded Jones Institute for Reproductive Research that they had created embryos from volunteer donors of eggs and sperm drew critical comment from a group of biomedical researchers that firmly supports embryonic stem cell research.

``We think that that's an unnecessary approach, given the availability of discarded materials from in vitro fertilization procedures,'' said Sidney Golub, executive director of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, which represents some 60,000 researchers.

Golub noted in a telephone interview that the group supports guidelines set by the National Institutes of Health (news - web sites) which forbid the creation of embryos only for research.

Richard Doerflinger, of the U.S. Catholic Church's Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities and a prime critic of embryonic stem cell research, offered harsher criticism.

``Those who have become accustomed to destroying 'spare' embryos for research now think nothing of taking the next horrible step -- creating human life for the purpose of destroying it,'' Doerflinger said in a statement.

Doerflinger said this ``grotesque practice'' would surely spread if the U.S. government approves funds for embryonic stem cell research. The Catholic Church opposes any research that destroys embryos.

WHERE WILL STEM CELL RESEARCH LEAD?

Gene Tarne, a spokesman for Do No Harm, a coalition of scientists, lawyers and others opposed to embryonic stem cell research, had a similar dispute with the practice.

``This is indicative of the direction where this type of embryonic stem cell research will lead,'' Tarne said by telephone.

Alta Charo, a professor of law and medical ethics at the University of Wisconsin -- where scientists first isolated stem cells from human embryos -- was more accepting.

``I think that the promise that scientific research offers for the treatment of human disease, as well as the promise for faster and safer development of pharmaceuticals suggests that it should be pursued,'' Charo said by telephone, referring to the Jones Institute research.

She said there could be scientific or therapeutic benefits from using stem cells from embryos that are ``so-called made to order,'' and if this was the case, the interests of patients who might be helped by the research takes precedence over the interests of the embryos.

``We must consider the interests of the patients as paramount, because the patients are sentient, they're aware, they're currently suffering,'' Charo said. ``And I think that has to take precedence over the preservation of early forms of life that cannot be self-aware, cannot suffer, cannot be disappointed.''

Embryonic stem cells are early master cells that can develop into a variety of cells in the human body, and may help in the development of new treatments for such ailments as diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease (news - web sites).

-- (the@big.questions), July 12, 2001

Answers

Do we worship life so much that we should demand the right to never die of anything? Do we worship life so much that we create it to destroy it to confer it on someone else? Will the right to have all diseases cured be extended first to those who can pay for it and later to everyone else as a basic human right? Who is human, only those who made it through a womb?

Prisons and mental institutions are full of former embryos. So is the Supreme Court and the Oval Office and the offices in Congress not occupied by space aliens. If an embryo created for destruction is deemed less worthy than an embryo created for implantation, may we later determine which former embryos are worthy of continued life?

-- helen (do@not.do.this), July 12, 2001.


''AS IN THE DAY'S OF NOAH'' they we're cloning-do a study of what was going on. find out who the zamzummin we're. 'there we're giant's in the land' men of reknown-greek mythology,wasn,t all mythology. fallen angel's[demonic] bred with human female's. wickedness got so bad-GOD sent the flood,to cleanse the earth. it,s gonna happen again.

-- al-d. (dogs@zianet.com), July 12, 2001.

may we later determine which former embryos are worthy of continued life?

I watched a movie entitled I think Galactica about a week ago on the Sci-Fi channel. The setting was in the future [of course], and the story was about a child who had been conceived by love in the backseat of his parent's car. This was considered "unnatural" in this society, and at birth a bit of his blood was drawn revealing a 99% chance of heart problems, a 99% chance of ADD, a 49% chance of other maladies, etc. When his parents decided to have another child, they took the approach that the rest of society took. Some eggs and sperm were harvested, united, and tested. I think there were about five zygotes that passed all the testing, so the parents were asked about their preference for gender. They wanted a brother for their son, so they went with a male zygote.

The movie was quite entertaining to me. The first son was seen as inferior by society and could only obtain work cleaning toilets and the like. He longed to go into space, however, and read everything he could on the subject. He routinely engaged in contests with his "perfect" sibling and out-performed him in some instances.

I don't want to give away the plot in case you'd enjoy seeing the movie.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), July 12, 2001.


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