An Ethical Breakthrough in the Stem Cell Debate?

Fr. Thomas Berg explains:

Ever since the debate of embryo-destructive stem-cell research began in earnest in 1998 when researchers at the University of Wisconsin first isolated human embryonic stem cells, we’ve known that the best overall answer to the ethical impasse would be a solution that both allows the search for stem-cell related cures to go foreword, while doing so without harming or destroying embryonic human life in the process.

We now have that solution.

Two major scientific papers published today in Science and Cell offer proof of principle research to show that it is possible to generate patient-matched pluripotent stem cells without human cloning and its attendant moral pitfalls: the need to harvest and use human eggs from female donors and the subsequent destruction of cloned human embryos. Both studies used reprogramming of adult human cells to generate stem cells known as “induced pluripotent state cells” (iPSCs) that have all the properties of human embryonic stem cells.

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Reprogramming takes normal adult body cells — such as skin cells — and sends each cell's nucleus back to a pluripotent state. In other words, the reprogrammed cells would then be capable of producing any tissue type in the human body — essentially equivalent in versatility to human embryonic stem cells. The reprogrammed cells would, furthermore, be genetically matched to the person who donated the original body cells. They could then be used to grow tissues for future use in tissue replacement therapies (everything from regeneration of damaged heart tissue to Parkinson's to spinal-cord injury). A perfect genetic match, these tissues would not be rejected by the donor's immune system. Most importantly, there would be no embryo created, destroyed, damaged or used in any way at any point in the process.

The papers were published by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, and by James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. A year ago, the journal Cell published Yamanaka’s research in which he reported successes in reprogramming mouse cells by adding four key genes to those cells. His findings were like a shot heard round the stem-cell world. Almost immediately after his work was published, two additional teams of researchers set out to duplicate and, if possible, exceed Yamanaka’s findings.

If the promise of this research comes to its fruition, look for the embryonic stem cell debate to be put to rest once and for all. And look for the pro-death crowd to have coniption fits.

Mind you, they won't display those coniption fits openly; but know this-- they will be in a state of mourning, as another of their strawman arguments for the disposability of human life is about to be turned into ashes.

And for the culture of death crowd, isn't that what it was really all about in the first place?