Stem Cell News That Can Hopefully Be Used (Updates: Prolife, Vatican Reax)
Amniotic fluid may be a great source of usable stem cells (June 2006 - CNN link no longer works; here is replacement link at Fox News; HT Instapundit).
Scientists reported Sunday they had found a plentiful source of stem cells in the fluid that cushions babies in the womb.
The announcement may make it easier to sidestep the controversy over destroying embryos for research.
Researchers at Wake Forest University and Harvard University reported the stem cells they drew from amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women hold much the same promise as embryonic stem cells.
They reported they were able to extract the stem cells without harm to mother or fetus and turn their discovery into several different tissue cell types, including brain, liver and bone.
It would appear that the need for morally problematic embryonic stem cells would be lessened greatly, if not eliminated.
FOLLOW-UP on formerly Mainstream Media coverage: “Stem Cell Research: The Usual Polling Bias, the Usual Biased Reporting”
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UPDATE, 10AM: From Life News — some almost-official prolife group reax is surfacing, making important points:
Pro-life organizations say that recent news from Wake Forest scientists about the potential for amniotic stem cells should give members of Congress pause as they consider whether to approve legislation to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research.
The researchers have been able to successfully manipulate stem cells found in the amniotic fluid of a pregnant woman that have many properties of embryonic stem cells.
They have been able to grow the cells into various tissue types — the big benefit often cited for embryonic cells — but without the tumors that accompany the injected of embryonic cells or the destruction of human life needed to obtain them.
As a result, one pro-life advocate says he hopes Congress will pass on spending tax dollars on the embryonic stem cell research.
“This new science has been able to isolate every type of stem cell needed for therapy and healing medicine without the moral concern for loss of innocent life,” Operation Rescue president Troy Newman said.
Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition agreed and said “Based upon this stunning new revelation, we strongly recommend that Speaker Nancy Pelosi refrain from moving forward in her plans to fund the highly controversial embryonic stem cell research.”
If the bolded sentence above is indeed true, there is nothing unique available from embryonic stem cells that can’t be obtained by ethically non-controversial means. Then why allow embryonic research to proceed? And at an absolute minimum, why allow government money to be devoted to it?
UPDATE 2: “Vatican Welcomes New Stem Cell Advance“:
The Vatican on Tuesday welcomed a new way of extracting stem cells that does not use human embryos, calling it a significant advance that could help medical research without going against Roman Catholic beliefs.
Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, said the discovery showed medicine can progress without destroying human embryos.
