Cloning/Stem Cell Research:
We Don’t Need To Kill Human Embryos to Harvest Life Saving Stem Cells

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August 2001

By J.Duff Brown, MD. Dr. Brown is a retired Family Physician and an active member of the N.J. Physician’s Resource Council.

Stem cell research is currently at the heart of an important ethical debate across the country. In New Jersey, just prior to the president’s recent decision to not fund research on newly harvested human embryos, a Quinnipac University poll revealed that about two-thirds of the state’s voters feel that embryonic stem cell research should go forward.

But New Jerseyans may not be aware of all the facts. Much of the media has concentrated their reporting on the promise that embryonic stem cells may have the potential for treating Alzheimer’s Disease, Huntingtons Disease, stroke, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, and muscular dystrophy’s. Moreover, most have reported that because these cells derived from human embryos are not yet differentiated, they may be coaxed to grow into any of the more than 250 cell types that make up the human body.

What you probably have not read much about is that stem cells are able to be harvested from adults without pain or difficulty, and that at this time the adult cells seem just as capable of developing into other kinds of cells, as do embryonic stem cells. Indiana State University cell biologist David Prentice stated that “Adult tissues may actually be more promising sources than human embryos, of stem cells used for transplants”. And that “Adult stem cell research has shown progress in treating Lupus, Parkinson’s disease, damaged corneas, and hearts, while embryonic stem cells have failed to live up to their potential” . In addition, McGill University researchers of the Montreal Neurological Institute just published their findings in which skin-derived adult stem cells produced different types of cells and did so at amazing speed .

The problem with embryonic stem cells, referred to as blastocysts, is that they are derived from human embryos in their earliest stage of life and the embryo is killed in the process. The blastocyst is formed when a human sperm is used in the lab to fertilize a human egg. This fertilized egg is implanted in the womb of a woman who has not been able to become pregnant. Any extra eggs are refrigerated and are used to gather stem cells for experimentation.

As a medical professional I must contend that the blastocyst is a living human embryo, not yet developed but none the less a human with body and soul. Nothing that is not a life has potential human life! Those of us who acknowledge the humanness of the early embryo also realize that these blastocysts can be implanted in the womb of a mother who wants to adopt a baby and carry it to term and deliver it.

I applaud President Bush’s decision not to fund new embryonic stem cell research because he is choosing what is best for all the lives that are at stake. Instead he has authorized the government to spend 250 million this year for research on stem cells derived from umbilical cords and adult cells. Our lawmakers must not push for further government funding of embryonic stem cell research because while the research purportedly has great potential, it means sacrificing the life of an unborn child. As a physician I believe it is never necessary to take a life in order to save a life. Killing human beings at any age can never be justified for research purposes.

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