by Shannon Brennan
Recently, many high profile people and organizations such as Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Lance Armstrong Foundation,
Christopher Reeve Foundation, and many more have come together to
promote the use of all stem cells for research,including embryonic
stem-cells, and using federal and state tax money to fund these
projects.
Stem cells are cells that have the ability to divide and give rise to
more specialized cells which are used to find cures in all kinds of
diseases and cancers. There are many different kinds of stem cells that
are ethically acceptable to use in many research projects, such as
those from the umbilical: cord, mouth, nose, bone marrow, baby teeth,
and fat stem cells.
However, there is one type of stem-cell research that Catholics and
pro-life supporters do not find acceptable embryonic stem-cell
research. Embryonic stem cells are cells taken from a living human
being who was either aborted from his mother, or the embryo is created
in a laboratory only to be killed, destroyed, to be used for research.
In Missouri, there has been a TV commercial featuring a type 1
diabetic who states there will be no hope in curing his diabetes unless
researchers use embryonic stem cells. However, that statement is
completely false. There is a foundation called the Lee Iacocca
Foundation that found a cure for diabetes in mice, and these
researchers did not use embryonic stem cells. This means that there is
hope to find cures for diseases without the killing or destroying of
another’s life!
I am a type 1 diabetic and I believe embryonic stem-cell research is
wrong. I feel it is a horrible practice because taking one life to
benefit another is never acceptable or right. Every person on Earth
once started out as just tiny cells. As cells, we did not have a voice
to determine our fate—whether we would live, die, or have someone do
research on us. Therefore, we must protect those who do not have a
voice to make their choice.
Also, during the past 20 years of research, embryonic stem cells have
not been proven to be beneficial. They can form tumors, they are
unstable, and there is a possibility of immune rejection. This proves
that these cells are not the safest cells to use for research, and it
provides further evidence against this immoral practice. Killing is NOT
a cure!
Shannon Brennan is in the 7th grade in Immaculate Conception School in
Jackson, MO. This article originally appeared in The Mirror, the Diocesan newspaper of Springfield-Cape Girardeau.
