Stem Cell Research

Normally I support any sort of scientific research that may better or extend our lives. I have no problem with scientists working on cloning. I would love to know that if I got sick and the only cure was a liver transplant that we had the capability to take a sample of my liver, adjust the DNA of the sample to fix the problem with my liver, then grow me a new one which could then be transplanted into me with little danger of rejection because it was my liver. Mind you I don’t think we ever need to explore trying to clone a whole human being, just replacement parts. If doctors could grow me a new set of knees and ankles with intact ligaments and cartiledge I would start working a second job today in order to save enough money for the procedure.

However I have not gotten on board with supporting embryonic stem cell research. I see just too much risk of nefarious deeds being perpetrated against a class of humans who can’t defend themselves.

I am all in favor of adult stem cell research. It was medical advances in adult stem cell treatments that allowed my mother another 5 years of life once she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

Now there is a news story circulating around that

Healthy new-born babies may have been killed in Ukraine to feed a flourishing international trade in stem cells, evidence obtained by the BBC suggests.

Mind you this is an news story from a single news agency and we all know how reliable the media has been in its reporting the last few years.

But true or not, the fear of this is the kind of story that keeps anti embryonic stem cell folks awake at night.

For those of you who will hate me for denying your god given right to harvest body parts from unborn children I have this one web site for you to read:

Do No Harm:
The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics

One of the most telling pages on this site is the list of the Benefits of Stem Cells to Human Patients comparing successful treatments using Adult Stem Cells v. successful treatments using Embryonic Stem Cells:

With Adult Stem Cells

Cancers:
1. Brain Cancer
2. Retinoblastoma
3. Ovarian Cancer
4. Skin Cancer: Merkel Cell Carcinoma
5. Testicular Cancer
6. Tumors abdominal organs Lymphoma
7. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
8. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
9. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
10. Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
11. Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
12. Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia
13. Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia
14. Cancer of the lymph nodes: Angioimmunoblastic Lymphadenopathy
15. Multiple Myeloma
16. Myelodysplasia
17. Breast Cancer
18. Neuroblastoma
19. Renal Cell Carcinoma
20. Various Solid Tumors
21. Soft Tissue Sarcoma
22. Ewing’s Sarcoma
23. Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia
24. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
25. POEMS syndrome
26. Myelofibrosis
Auto-Immune Diseases
27. Systemic Lupus
28. Sjogren’s Syndrome
29. Myasthenia
30. Autoimmune Cytopenia
31. Scleromyxedema
32. Scleroderma
33. Crohn’s Disease
34. Behcet’s Disease
35. Rheumatoid Arthritis
36. Juvenile Arthritis
37. Multiple Sclerosis
38. Polychondritis
39. Systemic Vasculitis
40. Alopecia Universalis
41. Buerger’s Disease
Cardiovascular
42. Acute Heart Damage
43. Chronic Coronary Artery Disease
Ocular
44. Corneal regeneration
Immunodeficiencies
45. Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome
46. X-linked Lymphoproliferative Syndrome
47. X-linked Hyper immunoglobulin M Syndrome
Neural Degenerative Diseases and Injuries
48. Parkinson’s Disease
49. Spinal Cord Injury
50. Stroke Damage
Anemias and Other Blood Conditions
51. Sickle Cell Anemia
52. Sideroblastic Anemia
53. Aplastic Anemia
54. Red Cell Aplasia
55. Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia
56. Thalassemia
57. Primary Amyloidosis
58. Diamond Blackfan Anemia
59. Fanconi’s Anemia
60. Chronic Epstein-Barr Infection
Wounds and Injuries
61. Limb Gangrene
62. Surface Wound Healing
63. Jawbone Replacement
64. Skull Bone Repair
Other Metabolic Disorders
65. Hurler’s Syndrome
66. Osteogenesis Imperfecta
67. Krabbe Leukodystrophy
68. Osteopetrosis
69. Cerebral X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy
Liver Disease
70. Chronic Liver Failure
71. Liver Cirrhosis
Bladder Disease
72. End-Stage Bladder Disease

Using Embryonic Stem Cells

None

That’s right folks there has not been one single successful treatment for a human illness using embryonic stem cells. Yet two years ago the deluded liberal idiots of California passed a bill to spend 200 million dollars per year of taxpayer’s money supporting embryonic stem cell research.

Morons!

I’m all in favor of continued scientific experimentation using parts of the human body to cure human illnesses. Just so long as the donor of those parts has the ability to look the doctor straight in the eyes and say “Sure, you can have some of my stem cells for your research.”