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Joan - I was moved by the clarity and honesty of your article when I first read it and it moves me now. I have just returned to the list after a long absence. I miss Bob Fink (though I didn't agree with his politics/ethics) and I am glad to see that the voice of reason still is heard through you. Nancy deGrazia Joan Snyder wrote: > thanks rayilynlee for posting this amazing man's amazing column. > clearly, don reed is the vioce of reason when it comes to the red-hot > debate over stem cells. this column should be printed on the front page > of every newspaper in America and on the front of every church bulliten, > and splashed across the tv. only when Americans stop equating embryonic > stem cell research with abortion will we ever get what what we need from > the federal government. this column only goes to re-inforce something > that i have long preachd; i am going to reprint an article that i first > posted here a few years ago: > > Stem Cells and Cloning -- The Science behind the Rhetoric > > by Joan Snyder > > Out there on the political battlefield of stem cell research, sides have > been taken, many rounds fired, and causalities sustained by both sides. > So much smoke fills the air that it’s almost impossible to think > straight. The cause of the confusion is often language: words as > powerful as flamethrowers ignite fierce reactions from both sides. > > I am Joan Snyder. Many of you know me as a wife and mom and a > parishioner at St. Edward Catholic Church in Chillicothe, Illinois. > Others know me as a 51 year old woman who has been diagnosed with > Parkinson’s Disease for 13 years, who is an advocate and fundraiser on > behalf of people with this condition. And those who know me well have > seen for years now that I walk a moral tightrope regarding the > controversial ethical problems that have challenged not only people with > my disease, but also those with Alzheimer’s (which killed my father), > juvenile diabetes, ALS, spinal chord injury, stroke, heart disease, and > other devastating conditions that could possibly be cured through stem > cell research, including so-called “therapeutic cloning.” > > I am hopeful that medical research will provide us with new remedies > whose approval will require neither that I compromise my Catholic > Pro-Life beliefs, nor that I turn my back on the many thousands of > fellow PWP’s (people with Parkinson’s). I have gotten to know a good > number of them, both in person and on the web –and as if looking into a > mirror, I’ve seen their slow, downward pantomime. And I’ve also learned > about some of the complexities of this research, and about the > confusions that cloud the essential scientific and ethical issues. > > I’d like to begin by noting that there are some quite thoughtful, > anti-abortion Christians – including people like Nancy Reagan and > Senators Orrin Hatch and Strom Thurmond – who strongly support > therapeutic cloning research. Some Catholic Theologians, such as Thomas > Shannon, also support this research. Let’s examine the issue, and see if > we can understand why. > > Here are definitions of some of the scary words out there: > > _STEM CELLS _--Undifferentiated, primitive cells with the ability to > reproduce themselves and to differentiate into specific kinds of cells. > If we – or, I should say, the scientists among us -- can understand > better how stem cells grow and specialize – then we can use them to > treat injuries and diseases. There are different types of stem cells and > different ways of generating and gathering them. > > _BIOMEDICAL CLONING -- _Cloning is a quite general term in biology that > denotes the creation of multiple, identical copies of a gene, cell or > virus. There are many types of cloning, some of which are now > commonplace in biomedicine. Cloning has allowed scientists to develop > powerful new drugs and to produce insulin and useful bacteria in the > lab. It is one among several new genetic tools that allow researchers to > track the origins of biological weapons, identify criminals, and produce > foods more efficiently. Some of these scientific applications are > rightly controversial, but what I’ve discovered is that so-called > “therapeutic cloning,” in particular, is entirely safe and ethical. But > more about that below. > > _REPRODUCTIVE CLONING –_ This is the use of cloning technology to create > a child. It aims to take cells from a person (or sheep, creating Dolly) > and use them to create a genetically identical organism. I find the > concept of human reproductive cloning abhorrent and immoral. I think > that this kind of research should be banned right away. > > _THERAPEUTIC CLONING _(technically known as SOMATIC CELL NUCLEAR > TRANSFER, or SCNT) --This involves removing the nucleus of an > unfertilized egg cell, and replacing it with the nucleus of a “somatic > cell” (for example, an adult skin, heart, or nerve cell) and stimulating > this cell to divide. Once the cell begins dividing, stem cells can be > extracted within one week and used for research. The SCNT cell remains > in a laboratory on a Petri dish, and the process does NOT involve sperm > at all, does NOT use a fertilized egg, and does NOT produce an embryo to > be implanted in a woman’s uterus. > > The words “stem cell” sometimes evoke an explosive reaction in people on > both sides of the abortion issue. The fact is that stem cells are in our > own blood, brains, and other parts of our bodies. Scientists think that > with further research, these adult stem cells may help us cure disease > like Parkinson’s, juvenile diabetes and many other diseases … but no one > knows for sure. There is the research being conducted right here in > Peoria by Dr. Rick Weber who is an Associate Professor of > Immunopharmacology and Microbiology here at the University of Illinois > College of Medicine, who is working on stem cell research that uses a > patient’s own white blood cells to help cure that patient. > > There are also stem cells that can be harvested from umbilical cord > blood that is routinely discarded after a baby is born. Around the > nation, cord blood banks are being set up to help doctors and families > donate their umbilical cord for research. > > We would all favor this humane stem cell research, if we understand it. > The problem lies in the very mention of the words “stem cells.” People > tend to forget that there are many kinds of stem cells that scientists > work with. “Embryonic stem cells” are the flashpoint that ignites both > sides of the abortion issue. Sometimes these are harvested from > “leftover” embryos that are created by a couple using in-vitro > fertilization. These embryos are routinely destroyed by clinics and > hospitals each day. Should they be discarded in this way? It is at this > point that clouds of uncertainty obscure our vision and raise serious > questions: > > Which is more pro-life: to destroy these embryos, which will never > become children because they are not transplanted into a woman’s womb? > Or to give these embryos value by using them to advance life-saving > research? I have to admit that I don’t how to handle this ethical hot > potato. But I can tell you that over the years, watching this disease > take my life and those of my friends away little by little, sometimes > makes me deeply question my own beliefs. > > So, this brings us back to the issue of cloning. The key to > understanding the issue lies in the distinction between reproductive > cloning -- which should be banned immediately -- and life-saving, > therapeutic cloning. Therapeutic cloning is entirely moral, in agreement > with the fundamental values of all of the major religions, and offers > great promise for curing terrible, fatal diseases that affect young and > old people alike. Therapeutic cloning will save lives; it cannot create > them. > > I hope that I have helped to clear up some of the misconceptions about > cloning, and to find common ground where pro-life and the pro-choice > people can come together in a united effort to heal the devastation and > suffering of so many. > > > -- > Joan Blessington Snyder 54/14 > [log in to unmask] > http://www.pwnkle.com/jes/jes_web/index.htm > “Hang tough……..no way through it but to do it.” > Chris in the Morning Northern Exposure > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn