PA Family Institute Statement on Embryonic Stem Cell Research Executive Order

Member Group : PA Family Institute

President kills ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research

Executive order reflects a disdain for human life

In a ceremony at the White House this morning President Barack Obama signed an executive order lifting a restriction on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

President Bush had imposed the restrictions on August 9, 2001 – limiting federal funding of such research to 21 cell lines that already were in existence as of that date and thereby restricting the use of tax dollars for research requiring the destruction of additional embryos.

Deceptive and misleading rhetoric marked President Obama’s remarks announcing his decision.

President Obama’s action was wrong on an ethical basis.

To all who believe that every human life has intrinsic moral value – President Obama’s decision was unethical. Scientifically it no longer is a question whether an embryo is a human life. Every characteristic that will mark a fully developed human life is embedded in the DNA of the embryo. The only question remaining is whether or not one assigns value to that life. And President Obama does not. Destroying one human life – uniquely and wondrously designed in the image of God – even in order to possibly help other human beings, is morally wrong.

Further – it is ethically wrong to force taxpayers who do honor the sanctity of the embryonic human life to help pay for research that they believe is immoral.

President Obama’s action was wrong on a scientific basis and on a fiscal basis.

Basically, there are two types of stem cell research: research that requires the destruction of human embryos; and research utilizing adult stem cells and that therefore does not require the destruction of human life.

Scientists have been conducting research with both adult and embryonic stem cells for years. Only research with adult stem cells has yielded any successes in the treatment of human disease.

Such successes have been numerous. More that 70 diseases and conditions presently are being treated with adult stem cell therapy. Those diseases or conditions include diabetes, heart disease, cerebral palsy, renal failure, liver damage, and hepatitis. Most recently, a patient suffering from Parkinson’s disease was treated successfully with his own stem cells.

On the other hand, research with embryonic stem cells has been plagued with problems. Specifically, tests – which to date has been limited to animals due to the inherent risks – invariably have ended in failure due to immune rejection and rapid replication of cells leading to cancerous tumors.

The fact that tests utilizing embryonic stem cells often result in tumorous growths should come as no surprise — even to the layman. At the embyronic stage, human life is characterized by rapid development into a fully formed human being. Embryonic stem cells divide and specialize rapidly in order to form all the cells, tissues and organs necessary for the human body to function. Taken out of that environment, embryonic stem cells still continue to replicate rapidly and thus form tumors. Most of the research in embryonic stem cells, ironically, has been aimed at getting those embryonic stem cells to act like adult stem cells!

Politicians bent on devaluing human life continue to tout embryonic stem cell research as the most promising research because of the ability of embryonic stem cells to differentiate into all cells of the body. But research has proven that adult stem calls have the same ability to change into every kind of cell, tissue and organ in the body.

It therefore also is fiscally irresponsible to channel funds away from research that has a proven track record of treating human disease into research that shows no hope for doing so.

Why would our president take such morally, scientifically and fiscally irresponsible action? We do not know what is in his heart or mind. Political payoffs and the expansion of a pro-abortion culture of death are two possible motivations.

Pray for our president, and for our nation.

Our thanks to our sister organization, CCV of Cincinnatti, OH, for the content of this message.

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