[Stem Cell Research—Doing Evil to Do Good] The issue of stem
cell research is once again in the news. Like the creation/evolution
controversy, this volatile subject will always be a front burner topic.
The reason? Researchers tell us stem cells are an untapped source for
medical cures and treatments, but others believe the procedure of
obtaining stem cells annihilates a human life in the form of an embryo.
Society’s turning a blind eye to embryonic destruction is clearly a
result of the decades-old abortion mentality. Many have become
desensitized to human life—at all stages—after so many years of
abortion-on-demand.
What Are Stem Cells?
Stem cells are young and unspecialized cells. Under the right
conditions, they can be chemically encouraged to form any cell in the
body. Because there are just a few in adults, researchers find they are
more readily acquired from the egg cell prior to its implantation in the
mother’s uterus (Ganong 2003, 518).
The recurring argument from those who support the harvesting of
embryonic tissue is the “good” that would result from stem cell
investigation. Personalities with spinal cord injuries, such as the late
Christopher Reeve, have been effectively used by the stem cell lobby.
Certainly, specialized stem-cell treatments could possibly be used to
treat Lou Gehrig’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Criticism has been
sharp both in the United States and abroad as stem cell research
advocates emphasize the medical breakthroughs that studies might
accomplish.
Yet, many—including not a few scientists and President Bush—have opposed
expanded embryonic research because of the issue of where these
embryonic cells come from. When the House of Representatives recently
voted to lift the ban on stem cell funding, President Bush threatened to
veto, citing the “ongoing destruction of emerging human life” (AP 2005).
Stem Cell Alternatives
In May of 2005, a South Korean research team made medical history by
taking a piece of skin from a patient and growing stem cells (adult stem
cells) containing the patient’s DNA. This is good news because it
obviously does not involve stem cells from an embryo, yet may prove
medically beneficial.
There has also been another development in the news that might make the
stem cell issue moot. It’s possible that other ordinary cells of the
body (like skin cells) could be converted into embryonic stem cells.
Washington Post writer Rick Weiss, quotes James F. Battey, chief of the
stem cell task force at the National Institutes of Health as saying,
"That would really get around all the moral and ethical concerns"
(2005). As the field of molecular biology continues to make strides,
particularly in the area of DNA, this discovery indeed looks promising.
Researchers hypothetically could activate certain genes in specific
cells that would literally make them embryonic again – without embryo
destruction. Additionally, there is a move to set up a national databank
for umbilical cord blood. This source of stem cells, called multipotent
cells, does not involve the eradication of the embryo. A national
databank could possibly be used for various stem cell treatments and
research.
How should the Christian respond to the harvesting of embryonic tissue?
Scripture teaches that human life is special (Psalm 139:13-14) and that
people have been created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). Listing the
benefits of stem cell research does not null the destruction cell
harvesting causes.
In conclusion, for all the good scientific investigation this field has
produced, there are alternatives to embryonic stem cell research, and
these options, including adult stem cells, look promising.
References
•Associated Press. 2005. House votes to lift ban on stem cell funding.
MSNBC.com, May 25, 2005. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7964239
•Ganong, William F. 2003. Review of medical physiology. 21st ed. Lange.
•Weiss, Rick. 2005. Stem cell advances may make moral issue moot.
Washington Post, June 6, 2005.
http://www.washingtonpost.com. http://www.icr.org/article/stem-cell-researchdoing-evil-do-good/