The Wrong Path
On November 14th Geron Corporation announced that it was no longer pursuing embryonic stem cell research and would instead focus on its oncology research.
"Geron is seeking partners with the technical and financial resources to enable further development of its stem cell programs."
On May 4, 2011 the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM awarded Geron a 25 million dollar loan for a spinal cord therapy using embryonic stem cells.
The news that Geron was ending the the trial and laying off 38% of its workforce was troubling to the supporters of embryonic stem cell research. Geron has stated that they will pay back the loan the taxpayers of California have funded.
CIRM is now placing most of its money into adult stem cell research as noted in a NY Times article. I find the following quotes from the NY Times interesting.
"The grants thus represent a departure from the program’s original mission. California voters approved the 10-year, $3 billion effort in 2004 largely to get around restrictions on embryonic stem cell research imposed by the administration of President George W. Bush.
Such research is ethically controversial because creation of embryonic stem cells involves the destruction of human embryos. This year, the Obama administration relaxed the previous administration’s restrictions."
"One project financed Wednesday would involve retrieving cardiac stem cells from a patient’s heart. The cells would be multiplied in culture and then put back into the heart to try to repair damage from a heart attack.
Dr. Eduardo Marbán of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, who will lead the project, said embryonic stem cells turn into immature heart cells that might not help an adult heart. “The last thing we want to do is grow rogue heart cells,” Dr. Marbán said."
Potential versus Function
The concern for Catholics concerning the wrong path are embryonic stem cell therapies and experimentation involve the destruction of human embryos.
There are some in the sciences that state that the embryo is not a person, or human being. If that were the case then why would human embryonic stem cells be of any value in treating human illness?
They tout the value of the human embryo because it has cells that may be of value in treating human illness, and those cells are of course human. The human embryo is a potential human being.
Those who say it is not confuse function with potential. Function is a subjective measure of a person. What function or functions will determine person hood? Will IQ determine person hood? Will the ability to speak, hear, or walk determine person hood? Will self-sufficiency determine person hood? A three-month old is not self-sufficient, does that mean the killing of a three month old would not qualify as a homicide?
The fact is that human embryonic stem cells are sought because they are human beings, if there was a chance those cells would produce an ape or a horse by the time of birth they would be of no value to the researchers.
The Right Path
The Vatican is now in a partnership with NeoStem Corporation to advance adult stem cell research. Not only is there no need to destroy human embryos but adult stem cell research is showing more promise in the treatment of disease or illness.
One article published by the Catholic News Agency contains quotes from Wesley J. Smith and Father Trafney concerning the media bias in reporting the success of adult stem cell research. I cannot speak for the media, but in general there is a bias in the media towards the Church or anyone else that holds the position that there are objective truths concerning morality and ethics. Unfortunately media bias will be immune to adult stem cell therapy.
The important story that the Church needs to tell is that the Vatican is not just saying no to one type of medical research but is actively supporting medical research that is showing more promise in developing cures than embryonic stem cell research.
I have included a list of links I used for my research in the writing of this blog.
Pax Christi
