In said column that you won't be reading, I also ask the question: since adult stem cells have been used to send Parkinson's into remission for 5 years, recover bladder control in paraplegics (a tremendous psychological gain), set women confined to wheelchairs for close to 20 years back on their feet (with therapy and braces) and, as announced just last week, partially regrow a spinal column after 20 years: why are these miracles not front page news?
I speculated that it's a money thing. A product developed from a cell line that can be packaged and sold as a product would be a money-maker in a way that cells you donate to yourself if you need them never can be.
Princeton's Robbie George -- a man not given to hysteria-- has a more ominous answer. Echoed this weekend by Fr. Thomas Berg of the Westchester Institute (who discounts my "follow the $$ explanation) at a presentation he gave at the conference I was attending. Fetal farming . Fr. Berg believes we have a very short window in which to win the public's attention in this regard --because the moment there's a cure for Parkinson's or paralysis from an embryonic stem cell, there will be an enormous temptation to "unfetter" research.
I think we need to do two things (I mean apart from the writing to your state officials and telling them you don't want your state funding the destruction of embryos).
- Publicize the miracles every way you can. Compassion entails real cures, not false hopes. The leading stem cell researcher gave an amazing interview (chronicled here previously) to a British medical journal admitting that embryonic stem cell research might never yield any cures --or could be easily 40, 50 years away. (Don't you think the people of CA might like to know that as they pour $300 mil into the research?) The Michael J. Foxes and Christopher Reeves of this world can get help right now from adult stem cell research.
- Beware the power of the word "clone." When people hear "clone," they think of sub-human creatures of the Star Wars stormtrooper variety. It's a dehumanizing word that gives a false impression (like "choice"). The truth is a clone is simply your test-tube created twin. You want scientists experimenting on your twin? Even the embryos harvested as leftovers from IVF procedures are someone's fraternal twin (or triplet or higher multiple).
Spread the word: Soylent Green is people.
