Embryonic stem cell research cases yield no success

Embryonic stem cell research cases yield no success
By Hannah Flanders

This letter is written in response to the June 28 letter to the editor claiming that embryonic stem cell research holds great promise.First of all, there are no signs of embryonic stem cell research yielding any success cases. Stuart Newman, professor of cell biology and anatomy, New York Medical College, said, “Embryo stem cells entered the world in 1981 ... [with] cells isolated from early mouse embryos .. Even in the mouse system itself, where both authentic ES cells and virtually unlimited genetically compatible subjects had been available since 1981, there had been essentially no progress in curing or even palliating disabling conditions for which mouse ‘models’ existed, such as diabetes, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s and so forth.” (“Averting the Clone Age: Prospects and Perils of Human Developmental Manipulation”- Contemporary Health Law and Policy, Vol. 19:2003, pp. 446-447).
Scientists in favor of embryonic stem cell research are promoting the potential of embryonic stem cells because there is a lot of money involved with the embryonic stem cell movement. They do not favor adult stem cell research because when a patient uses their own adult stem cells for treatments science labs cannot patent them. However, they would be able to do so with embryonic stem cells and these have the potential of becoming VERY expensive, therefore ESCR scientists will make a lot of money for the embryonic stem cell research industries — which are not even working!
Adult stem cell research on the other hand has treated 73 medical cases which have generated success. Coincidently, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, and stroke damages as well as type J juvenile diabetes are listed among these successful treatments.It is true that embryonic stem cells are more flexible than adult stem cells; however because of this flexibility, there also comes a consequence; since the embryonic stem cells are so flexible they are prone to grow cancerous tumors because of the instability caused from the flexibility of the embryonic stem cells.I applaud President Bush for vetoing the bill which would allow federal funding for a system of embryonic stem cell research.Embryonic stem cell research is not only unethical, but also ineffective. By all means, the U.S. is not falling behind in the stem cell research movement, despite America’s so-called “restrictive” policies; it still remains the world’s leader in the field of stem cell research.The Scientist recently reported: that the U.S. is by far the world’s leader in the total number of stem cell articles published, alone accounting for 42% of all stem cell articles published world wide between 2000 and 2004 — even with its supposedly restrictive approach to stem cell research.That is four times the articles published by the second leading nation, Germany, which accounted for 10.2 percent of all stem cell articles published worldwide.Germany, by the way, has the most restrictive policies governing hESCR [human Embryonic Stem Cell Research] in all Europe, and led other European nations in the number of articles published.I would not be so passionate about this particular research if it were not for the fact that human lives are at stake for the sake of embryonic stem cell research. An embryo is a human being in his or her most innocent and vulnerable form of life.Why should society promote an ineffective research that requires destroying these human beings when there are already better alternatives that are actually working?