The heavily debated issue of stem cell research will be discussed at the University of Massachusetts in an informational hearing with the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care.
The event will be held on Friday, September 14 in room 168C of the Campus Center and is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and will continue until 2 p.m. Panelists include doctors, researchers, and ethicists, all of who will provide their opinions about the future of medicine with the inclusion of stem cell technology. The talk is free and open to the public.
“Stem cell research is more than just an idea in Massachusetts- it’s a reality,” Harriett Stanley, Chair of the committee said in a statement to the press. “Scientists and researchers in the academic community, as well as the private bio-tech industry are developing new research that will lead to new disease treatment protocols.”
The stem cell is capable of developing into any kind of tissue, and is often taken from an embryo during the developmental stage of life at the point in which the cells can be programmed to become a different type of cell.
Because the stem cells are difficult to obtain, useful cells are often only found in embryos, a fact which has been causing much ethical and moral debate regarding medicine versus the value of life.
A number of people, including Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R- Mississippi) came out against using taxpayer dollars to fund research for stem cell research.
“It doesn’t have to be, you know, embryo stem-cell research or fetal or cloning,” Lott explained to CNN. “There are very serious concerns here from the moral and bio-ethicist’s standpoint that you have to evaluate. I believe, though, that there’s a great deal that you can do in terms of research with adult stem cells or other cells that come from umbilical cords, things of that nature.”
The Vatican also came out against stem cell research explaining that by using embryonic cells it would be a form of abortion.
“This moral condemnation also regards procedures that exploit living human embryos and fetuses sometimes ‘produced’ for this purpose by in vitro fertilization, either to be used as ‘biological material’ or as providers or organs or tissue for transplants in the treatment of certain diseases,” the 1995 papal encyclical stated. “The killing of innocent human creatures, even if carried out to help others, constitutes an absolutely unacceptable act.”
President George W. Bush took opinions into consideration before making his announcement on August 9th to allow limited stem cell research. Bush announced on television that he would allow research on the currently existing 60 lines or colonies of stem cells. The President took about three months to make his decision and consulted with a number of experts on both sides of the issue in order to make his decision. By deciding to allow research on the existing 60 lines he has allowed for research, while at the same time preventing any new embryos from being used.
“He worked to achieve a solution that recognized the tremendous hopes of those who suffer from terrible illnesses,” Presidential Counselor Karen Hughes said in a press conference. “On the other hand, he has strong moral convictions and felt all along that there was a line we should not cross.”
Scientists believe that stem cell research may allow for cures to such diseases as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes as well as a possibility for cures to spinal cord injuries.
“We must be well informed about the long and short term potential of this research,” Stanley explained. “It’s risks and rewards, as well as the impact of federal policy governing the use of public funding for research.”
Information from cnn.com was used in this story.
