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These articles outline several key issues concerning stem cell research.
The cell is the basic unit of life. A stem cell is a relatively unspecialized cell that, when it divides, can do two things: make another cell like itself, or make any number of more specialized cells. As an example, a stem cell in our blood can make new red blood cells, or white blood cells, or other kinds—depending on what the body needs.
There are two basic types of stem cells--embryonic and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are harvested from living human embryos. Adult stem cells are obtained from people who are already born so even babies have “adult” stem cells. Adult stem cells can be harvested from various organs and tissues such as umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, nerves, muscle, and even fat.
Contrary to what you may have heard, the Catholic Church is not opposed to stem cell research. In fact, the Church encourages research and development of medical therapies using stem cells--but only using those referred to as adult stem cells.
The Church opposes embryonic stem cell research on moral grounds. The Church teaches that every human being has dignity and worth because each of us is created in the image and likeness of God. The Church also teaches that life begins at the moment of conception. The human created at that moment is killed in the process of harvesting the embryonic stem cell tissue.
No one has to be killed to obtain adult stem cells and there is an added advantage to using adult stem cells. Because the adult stem cells can be obtained from the same patient, they are an exact match. So, the problem of immune rejection that occurs when using embryonic stem cells can be avoided. In addition, adult stem cells are already pre-programmed to replace the various organs and tissues of our body, each according to its type.
Even though some doctors and scientists claim that embryonic stem cell research will lead to cures for many diseases, this is largely speculation on their part. Embryonic stem cells have never treated a human patient and animal trials suggest that stem cells are too unstable to be used for treatment any time soon. Because these cells grow so quickly, they are too likely to form lethal tumors, creating conditions worse than the diseases.
The good news is that 73 treatments have been developed so far for various types of diseases and injuries; among these are:
- Leukemia
- Ovarian cancer
- Brain cancer
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Corneal regeneration
- Parkinson’s disease
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Stroke damage
- Sickle cell anemia
- Limb gangrene
- Rheumatoid arthritis
There is every reason to believe that additional therapies will be developed for more diseases and injuries using adult stem cells.
The information on stem cell research came from United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics web documents. For more information about stem cells, please visit the following websites:
United States Catholic Conference of Bishops
Do No Harm: The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics,
Stem Cell Research Cures
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