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PRESS RELEASE: Christian Medical Association Doctors Oppose California's Proposition 71 September 03, 2004 09:00 AM US Eastern Timezone WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 3, 2004--The Christian Medical Association, the nation's largest faith-based association of physicians, opposes the passage of Proposition 71, which would allow the creation of cloned human beings and then mandate that they be killed. "Sacrificing embryos for their stem cells crosses the moral and ethical line that has prohibited harmful research on humans," explains David Stevens, MD (MA, Ethics), executive director for CMA, which has over 900 members in California. "Once we succumb to the false principle that medical benefits justify exploitative research, there will be an ever-expanding group who will become targets of harmful research in the name of medical progress. The process of so-called therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning is the same. The only difference is what you do with the clone after it is produced." The right to life is innate, inseparably bound to each individual. It is not something that is bestowed by government, courts or bioethicists. It is the most basic right enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, "'All men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'" After 3-4 years and millions of dollars poured into embryonic stem cell research, there has been little progress. Scientists have just found more scientific hurdles to cross. Realistic scientists are saying we may not see clinical applications for 10-15 years, if ever. "Promising cures to desperate patients as if they are just around the corner is, to put it kindly, disingenuous," states Stevens. Not only is embryonic stem cell therapy improbable, it is impractical. Every women of child bearing age in the U.S. would have to donate 10 eggs for cloning to just cure the 20 million diabetics in the country if embryonic stem cells worked. At a price tag of over $200,000 a patient, only the rich could afford a cure. In contrast, adult stem cells have made incredible progress in the last few years and are already providing real cures. "We now know that adult stem cells are found in many other tissues than just bone marrow. They can transform from one type of tissue into another and cause healing or tissue regeneration," explains Stevens. "Patients are already receiving their own adult stem cells for heart disease, Parkinson's and even to grow new bone. "California taxpayers shouldn't let unscrupulous scientists desperate for research grants and biotech companies eager for a windfall to pick their pockets. They should follow tech investors who have seen through the hype and decided to keep their money in their own pockets." To schedule an interview, please contact Margie Shealy at (423) 844-1047 or by e- mail: [log in to unmask] The Christian Medical Association is equipped with Ku Band Digital Uplink satellite and ISDN lines. Contacts: Christian Medical Association Margie Shealy, 888-231-2637 or 423-341-4254 [log in to unmask] http://www.cmdahome.org SOURCE: Business Wire (press release), CA http://tinyurl.com/6vjrh * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn