Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR) basics

ESCR always destroys living human embryos

ESCR is being touted as the key to unlock all the solutions for ailments that plague humanity, but in reality ESCR leads us in the opposite direction by striking at the very core of humanity.

ESCR can only 'succeed' if we destroy human life.Embryos always die when used in this research. We were all once embryos. When we are willing to sacrifice human life at its earliest stages simply for research, we render all human life a mere commodity.

ESCR is ineffective. In the 20 years that ESCR has been conducted, there have been absolutely no resulting treatments--just tumors, rejection problems and dead embryos.

The real political debate about this issue is who should pay for it.Scientists recognize that they aren’t getting the funding they want from private investors, so they are turning to the government for tax dollars to pay for this unethical and ineffective research. 

Stem cells are regenerative cells found in many places throughout the human body. They can be found in embryos (called embryonic stem cells), and in any human that is not an embryo, i.e., an infant, a child, a teenager or an adult (all called adult stem cells).

An embryo is the scientific term for a human life from several days after conception through the eighth week of gestation. Embryos are composed of pluripotent stem cells that are capable of forming every tissue in the body. ESCs are collected from embryos created in Petri dishes specifically for research, from frozen embryos not used in IVF treatments and from embryos created through cloning.

Scientist like to use embryonic stem cells because they think that ESCs are easier to work with, are more powerful than adult stem cells, and ESCs can also be patented and used for financial gain. Despite these characteristics, and the fact that ESCR has been studied for more than 20 years, embryonic stem cells have not lived up to their ‘miracle’ label.

We all have family members and friends who suffer from cancers, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, spinal cord injuries or other health problems that could benefit from potential therapies. We certainly want treatments to be found, but the reality is that ESCR is not the moral and ethical way to find those treatments.

• There have been zero results from ESCR.
• Scientists admit that stem cells will not cure anything; at best they might provide treatments.
• Absolutely no human trials or treatments have occurred from the destruction of human embryos.
• The only results have been dead embryos, tumors (embryonic stem cells grow quickly because they are growing a new body) and rejection problems. ESCs are typically not a genetic match to the recipient and are therefore often rejected.
• On the other hand, there have been more than 73 effective clinical trials in humans with adult stem cell research.

Since the isolation of the first human embryonic stem cells in 1999, scientists have advocated for federal funding for ESCR with the claim that if the money is provided, results will follow.

• In an attempt to compromise, President Bush allowed federal funds to be used on those embryonic stem cell lines that were created before August 19, 2001, but he would not allow further destruction of human life with federal money.
• Setting this limit takes away the incentive to destroy more embryos with federal tax dollars, and has vindicated the pro-life position because, despite the federal funding, there have been no successful results with federally-funded embryonic stem cell lines.
• Private companies are also less interested in funding embryonic stem cell research because there is little economic return on their investments. As a result we see scientists across the country seeking tax dollars at the state level.

Egg harvesting exploits women and objectifies human developmentEmbryonic stem cells can only be created with the use of unfertilized eggs--gathered from women.  Egg harvesting endangers the health and future fertility of young women.

Animal/human hybridsAs fewer women step forward to have their eggs harvested, scientists are turning to animal eggs to conduct their research.  Animal/human hybrids--also known as chimeras--are permissible in Great Britain.  It is only a matter of time before these part-animal, part-human creatures become the standard in stem cell research.

Ethical alternative Each and every embryo is a human life that deserves the opportunity to live. Frozen embryo adoption is a wonderful way to give life to these children who might otherwise remain frozen. Since 1997, over 400,000 children have been born to loving families through the Snowflake Babies program.