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OPINION: Stem-Cell Sam* By: Steve Rose, Chairman SOURCE: The Johnson County Sun http://tinyurl.com/5sdex July 29, 2004 Nancy and Ronald Reagan Jr., meet Stem-Cell Sam*. Sam Brownback is your leading obstacle in the United States Senate, blocking embryonic stem-cell research. In last week's Sun, Sen. Brownback wrote a guest column, responding to a column I had written a week earlier. The headline was "Brownback: I support stem-cell research." Thus, it would appear Stem-Cell Sam* would be an apt nickname. What was missing, however, at the end of that headline was an asterisk* the size of the planet Jupiter, with an appropriate accompanying disclaimer. Brownback supports only adult stem-cell research. He opposes embryonic stem-cell research, the most likely to lead to discoveries to successfully treat heart disease, diabetes, cancer, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease, and possibly Alzheimer's disease. Sam Brownback can testify all day, every day in front of the C-Span cameras about the wonders of his kind of limited stem-cell research, but he cannot hide from the truth. Only 15 stem-cell lines are available under current guidelines he supports. At the same time, there are 400,000 available embryos that are in excess of childless couples' needs. Nearly all of those embryos are likely to be destroyed, because they far outpace the demand for them. Adult stem cells are very limited in the cure of diseases, because they can only become different cell types of their tissue of origin. Embryonic stem cells can become all cell types of the body. Those are scientific facts. But let's cut to the chase. Even if Sam Brownback agreed that embryonic stem cells were far superior to adult stem cells for curing diseases, he would still be opposed to their use. He would argue that an embryo is a life, and that one life should not be destroyed, even if it led to curing dreaded diseases and saving millions of lives. Brownback makes a philosophical argument that has validity, even though I totally disagree with it. The Brownback argument is that one embryonic cell, even one that almost certainly will be destroyed, is worth keeping in the freezer as long as possible, because no cure is worth sacrificing that embryo. For Sen. Brownback to argue, however, that embryonic stem-cell research is a waste of time because it has never been successfully used to treat a human - an argument he made last week in his guest column - is absurd. If we cannot conduct the research, because Sam Brownback and others are blocking it, how can we know the outcome? Sam Brownback specifically defends himself against Nancy Reagan and her son, who support embryonic stem-cell research, by claiming embryonic stem-cell research probably will not produce a successful treatment of Alzheimer's disease. This is a disingenuous argument. First, no one knows the answer to that for certain. But even if this were proved to be absolute 100 percent fact, Sam Brownback would still be opposed to it, because he would argue that one embryo is worth more than saving millions of people from a debilitating disease. That makes Stem-Cell Sam a Stem-Cell Sham. Sen. Brownback hides behind false arguments and theories that embryonic stem- cell research will not be successful and, thus, is not needed. He argues that adult stem cells are good enough, as good as embryonic stem cells. Those arguments are a clever diversion from his true underlying belief: No cure of a hundred diseases, saving perhaps millions of lives, is worth one embryo donated by a willing couple. Sam Brownback should stand up and say exactly that, because that is what he believes. He owes us that truth, not the counterfeit arguments. I am voting for Republican Arch Naramore for U.S. Senate in the Aug. 3 primary. I dedicate my protest vote to the memory of Ronald Reagan, a great man whose mind was destroyed by Alzheimer's disease over a nightmarish decade, and to his wife, Nancy, who sat beside him and painfully watched him decay over those 10 years. Nancy Reagan has said she believes if her old Ronnie were back with us, he would be a champion for embryonic stem-cell research. I believe he would. As one of the great visionaries of our time, Ronald Reagan would have seen the potential of what may be the most important medical research in the history of mankind. SOURCE: The Johnson County Sun http://tinyurl.com/5sdex * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn