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List members: The following is a letter to the editor of my local newspaper from 1994, the year my father died of PD complications and the year after my brother was diagnosed with PD. Bob Martone's recent posting about a letter to NIH reminded me of this letter. Some of the comments about fetal tissue transplants is now outdated, BUT, with some minor editing the same letter would apply to stem cell research. Research is a continuous process. Stem cell research evolved from those experiments in the early 1990s. Bob, you or anyone else may use any of these comments you wish. I stand by what I said then. What I said is just as valid now. Also --- the following quote from a posting a couple of days ago makes a valid point. "Would the people who oppose the research refuse the cure?" K-F Etzold There are people that oppose use of animals in research but if the doctor prescribes the approved medication or medical procedure they accept it. Paul Fahr +++++++++++++++++ February 25, 1994 The Feb. 24 commentary by **** ******* brings up many valid points concerning the conflicts of public policy and moral issues. There is one point, however, where her position on the issue makes a moral judgment that is contrary to her position on the other issues. Parkinson's disease affects thousands of persons in this country. There is no cure. Progression of the disease can be slowed by some very powerful, often hallucinogenic medications but not stopped. Unlike Alzheimer's or most cancers, Parkinson's disease is not a fatal disorder. The patient still has their mental abilities but due to an imbalance in a part of the brain they slowly lose their ability to communicate, lose control of their bodily functions, and lapse into a "fetal" state. They become 100% dependent on another human being for their very existence. Research in foreign countries has shown that implanting a minute quantity of fetal cells into the affected part of the brain of the patient with Parkinson's syndrome can restore that person to a useful, productive life. The results have been profound and well documented. The procedure has been the subject of a documentary on PBS. The actively growing tissue from a fetus has proven to produce the best results. Tissue from a more mature source is not viable enough to reproduce effectively and benefit the patient. You will note that the research has been done in foreign countries, not in the United States where we have the best medical research facilities in the world. That can now change as of 1993. I respect your position on abortion and will not argue that. What I question is your apparent position that a fetus is an important human being but a person 45, 50, or 60 years old is not important enough to try to find a cure for their debilitating disorder--even with a potential solution on the horizon. A person with advanced stages of Parkinson's has all the characteristics of a fetus--they are just 50 or 60 years older. You apparently are willing to sentence a formerly productive, breathing, feeling, loving person to life in prison in his or her own body. Organ and tissue transplants have become an accepted method of using human tissue from a life that has ended to make the life of another human being more fulfilled. I hear no outcry against the practice. We do not question how the donated organ or tissue becomes available...be it by murder, accident, or natural causes. We accept it as a gift and use the resource available to save a life or make a life better. The first step in research is seldom the final solution. I do not foresee fetal tissue transplants as "the answer" to the problem. The ultimate goal is to determine exactly how the process works so that an alternative can be found. Transplants are only a step in that direction. The cure for Alzheimer's or other neurological disorders may result. Let's give the doctors and medical researchers in America the opportunity to solve the problem without undue conflict. You never know when you, your family, or a loved one may become the beneficiary. The brain is a terrible thing to waste---whether it is 6 weeks or 60 years old. Paul E. Fahr ++++++ The editor used the following headline: The brain is a terrible thing to waste at any age